Deal with Starz adds more streamed shows to Netflix

Deal with Starz adds more streamed shows to Netflix

NEW YORK — From “Spider-Man 3” to “No Country for Old Men,” Netflix Inc. is making another 2,500 movies, TV shows and concerts available for instant viewing through a deal with Starz Entertainment LLC.

The world’s largest online movie rental service and Starz, a subsidiary of conglomerate Liberty Media Corp., announced Wednesday that Starz titles are being added to the “Watch Instantly” feature of Netflix’s Web site.

The new content will beef up the more than 12,000 movies and TV shows Netflix already makes instantly watchable over the Internet through its streaming service. While this is just a fraction of the 100,000 titles Netflix has available on DVDs, Netflix says it continues to grow both numbers and eventually hopes to close the gap between them.

In doing this, the company may be ensuring it remains relevant once people migrate from renting DVDs to watching movies over their high-speed Internet connections — just as they switched from watching VHS tapes to DVDs.

The addition of the Starz movies means Netflix viewers will have access to streaming movies from studios like Sony and Disney earlier than they would otherwise.

Because movie distribution rights are tied up years in advance, “Spider-Man 3,” for example, would not have been available for streaming for at least nine years, said Bill Myers, Starz’s president and chief operating officer.

Allstate testing whether games can improve driving

NEW YORK — Could playing computer games enhance mental agility enough to turn people over 50 into better drivers? Allstate Corp. wants to find out, and if the answer is yes, it might offer insurance discounts to people who play the games.

Under a new pilot program called InSight, Allstate will offer specialized computer games to 100,000 customers in Pennsylvania aged 50 to 75. The games’ developer, San Francisco-based Posit Science, will track the number of hours these drivers play.

Then the group’s accident rates will be compared to a control group of people who do not play the games.

The games are not all specific to driving. They’re designed to reverse age-related cognitive decline and improve visual alertness. For example, a game called “Jewel Diver” has players keep track of underwater jewels that pop up on the screen for a moment before they are hidden under fish swimming around.

When the fish stop moving, players click on the fish hiding the jewel. It’s like Three Card Monte but without the cheating. Over time, the game gets more complicated as more fish appear on the screen.

Allstate recommends that drivers complete at least 10 hours of training. It’s being given as a free option to the 100,000 Pennsylvania drivers, and Allstate plans to decide next year whether to roll it out in other states.

Associated Press