After making headlines for the wrong reasons last fall, Netflix is giving customers news to get excited about. Netflix is planning to simultaneously release the entire fourth season of Arrested Development sometime next year. The streaming video subscription service is developing 10 episodes of the series, which was cancelled for poor performance in 2006. Netflix revealed in November that it had signed a deal to revive the beloved sitcom, which it would bring exclusively to its U.S. subscribers.

We used Social Radar to analyze conversations online.

Arrested Development mentions within Netflix conversations

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Arrested Development was mentioned in 34% of all Netflix conversations following the announcement.

Netflix sentiment

Netflix conversations are 89% positive overall.

Redbox, the dollar-a-day DVD and video game rental kiosks generally located at grocery or retail stores, announced Monday a new partnership with Verizon on the launch of a subscription-based streaming video service that will allow consumers to ”enjoy the new and popular entertainment they want, whenever they choose, using the media and devices they prefer”.

Then, Redbox announced plans to acquire NCR’s Blockbuster Express, a competitor service which operates thousands of kiosks. Acquiring NCR’s entertainment business gives Redbox more locations than McDonald’s and Starbucks combined

We used Social Radar to analyze conversations online.

Redbox buzz

Redbox mentions spiked 359% Monday following the announcements.

Redbox sentiment

Conversations around Redbox have been an average of 71% positive. Sentiment did not change notably following Monday’s announcements.

Redbox conversation topic cloud

Verizon is currently being mentioned in 35% of Redbox conversations. Netflix appears in 34% of conversations.

Redbox vs. Netflix

Though Netflix generates significantly more conversation online than Redbox, Netflix mentions have been trending down over the last month while Redbox spiked Monday to close the gap.

Is Redbox in position to shake up the entertainment and retail industries?

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is making headlines again. Monday, he blogged that Netlix was abandoning the Qwikster DVD spinoff company before it started.

Netflix buzz

Netflix buzz spiked Monday to a level almost as high as September 19, thanks to Hastings’ blog post that day explaining price increases and announcing Qwikster.

Netflix sentiment

Conversations around Netflix are currently 64% negative, even more negative now than following the September 19 disaster. Qwikster currently appears in 18% of all Netflix conversations and is 90% negative.

Blockbuster took to Twitter to capitalize on Netflix’s recent stumbles. After raising prices on DVD rentals, Netflix announced on September 19 it was renaming its DVD rental service Qwikster. The decision by Netflix to raise prices on its DVD and video streaming rental packages gave rival Blockbuster a rare opportunity to strike back via social media. Blockbuster used Twitter to promote a 30-day free trial geared at Netflix customers, promoting it on its Twitter feed.

Blockbuster repurposed its entire marketing staff, showing unusual nimbleness, moving staffers who once concentrated on Web or print campaigns to the front lines of Blockbuster’s social media campaign. Dish Network, which bought Blockbuster in April after Blockbuster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closed 1,500 stores, unveiled a new Blockbuster-branded video stream and DVD rental service.

Then Blockbuster sponsored the word “Qwikster” on Twitter. When users searched Twitter for Qwikster, Blockbuster messaging would be the first to pop up in the search category. Blockbuster also started a Twitter contest, promising a free year of service for the four best Netflix breakup stories. The team has also used the hashtag #helloBlockbuster to engage with customers, answer questions and promote offers.

Was Blockbuster’s social media push successful? We used Social Radar to find out.

Blockbuster vs. Netflix buzz

Netflix chatter spiked dramatically on September 19 following the Qwikster debacle. Buzz around Netflix has since subsided, while Blockbuster has increased and is currently nearly even with Netflix.

Blockbuster sentiment

Conversations around Blockbuster have been an overage of 66% positive over the last month. The term Netflix appears in 19% of all Blockbuster conversations.

Netflix sentiment

Netflix conversations were only 55% positive. Qwikster appeared in 11% of all Netflix chatter over the last month. Blockbuster only appeared in 6% of Netflix conversations. CEO Reed Hastings appeared in 9% of all Netflix conversation, primarily due to the email apology he sent in mid September regarding the price increases.

Blockbuster is well positioned to capitalize on Netflix’s missteps. Will Netflix recover?

Netflix Inc.’s move to separate its movie-streaming business and its DVD-by-mail service failed to soothe many customers’ anger over the company’s recent price increase. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings announced the split in a blog post Sunday night, saying the move was the impetus for a recent price increase that outraged customers and sent the company’s stock price plummeting. He apologized for not having given the explanation sooner.

Some are already saying Netflix is doomed. The future lies in streaming, which make Netflix’s core strengths — the DVD library and its logistics — irrelevant. And it’s competing against massive companies, including Apple and Amazon.

We used Social Radar to analyze conversations online.

Netflix sentiment trend

Negative chatter, which was already steadily increasing since July thanks to Netflix previous price adjustments, has now surpassed positive chatter for the first time.

Netflix conversation topic cloud

Qwikster, the new name of a spin-off company Netflix created to handle all its DVD-by-mail service, is currently being mentioned in 36% of all Netflix conversations, and is 81% negative.

The move highlights the challenges facing even successful companies as they navigate the transition from old media to new media. Will you continue to use Netflix and/or Quikster?

Netflix announced new pricing today that separates streaming and DVD plans; selecting both options results in a 60% price increase. For all new customers, the streaming service is selected by default.

Netflix buzz

As NFLX stock prices approaches $300/share, Netflix buzz is at its highest point of the year.

Netflix sentiment

Conversations around Netflix are currently 63% positive, below its six month average of 68% positive. Streaming has been the biggest topic of conversations within Netflix chatter online, appearing in 36% of all Netflix posts.

How do you feel about Netflix attempt to eliminate DVDs?

Nintendo this weekend launched its new Nintendo 3DS, which lets users play 3D games without wearing special glasses. It also takes 3D photos, and this summer will play 3D movies streamed from Netflix on its 3.5 inch screen.

Nintendo 3DS vs. PlayStation 3 vs. XBox 360

Nintendo 3DS chatter spiked above industry leading gaming platforms XBox 360 and PlayStation 3 following its launch.

Nintendo 3DS sentiment

Conversations around Nintendo 3DS are currently 80% positive.

Nintendo 3DS conversation topics

3D is appearing in 38% of conversations and is 90% positive.

Top Influencers

Engadget is currently the most influential content publisher around Nintendo 3DS.

Content distribution

Microblogs are currently generating the most conversations around Nintendo 3DS.

Boxee announced Tuesday that it raised $16.5 million and plans to add more movies, TV shows, and video services. We measured chatter online comparing Boxee, Roku, Google TV and Apple TV.

Boxee vs. Roku vs. Google TV vs. Apple TV buzz trend

Boxee chatter surged past Google TV and Apple TV today, but is still well below Netflix service Roku.

Boxee vs. Roku vs. Google TV vs. Apple TV sentiment Feb. 2011

Over the last month, conversations around Apple TV were 82% positive, Boxee conversations were 75% positive, Google TV 73% and Roku 69% positive.

Boxee sentiment March 1

Following the Boxee announcement, conversations around Boxee were 96% positive on Tuesday.

Redbox, the $1 DVD rental kiosk service, announced today that it is planning an online video streaming service to compete with Netflix.

Redbox vs. Netflix chatter

Chatter around Redbox spiked following todays announcement.

Redbox vs. Netflix sentiment

Conversations around Redbox have been slightly more positive than conversations around Netflix so far throughout February 2011.

Netflix has made clear that the future is streaming, and the company expects its DVD-by-mail business to peak in 2013, at which point its Watch Instantly streaming service will be driving its growth. Netflix posted on their blog Monday that they would be removing the “Add to DVD Queue” option from streaming devices, causing some fans to get angry.

We used Social Radar to run analysis around Netflix conversations before and after Monday’s announcement.

Netflix conversation topics 1/1 – 1/16

Netflix sentiment 1/1 – 1/16

From January 1-16, all major topics of conversation were positive (green) and overall discussions around Netflix were 72% positive.

Netflix conversation topics 1/17 – 1/19

Netflix sentiment 1/17-1/19

In the past few days following the announcement, we see a lot more negativity (red) in the topic cloud, with conversations around the removal of the “Add to DVD Queue” being negative. Overall conversations around Netflix within the past few days have dropped to 68% negative.

Will Netflix customers fully embrace the company’s future vision and abandon their beloved DVDs?