Today in the connected economy, Netflix unveils a new way for viewers to find their favorite shows days after reporting a massive drop in viewers. Plus, the head of Goldman Sachs meets with the founder of cryptocurrencty exchange FTX to discuss a possible collaboration, and Verizon’s Connect service and QuickBooks team up to help fleets with next year’s tax season.
Netflix Debuts Category Hub Amid Subscriber Slump
Netflix has unveiled its “Category Hub” in its TV menu, a change meant to allow members to search for their favorite genres and new categories in a single space. The embattled streaming giant said the hub is now available on the left-hand menu, with a personalized top-three categories based on viewers regular watching habits. The move comes days after Netflix announced a slump in subscribers, leading its CEO to indicate that an ad-supported version of the platform is a year or two away.
Report: Goldman Sachs, FTX Meet to Discuss Collaborating
Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon and FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried met last month in the Caribbean to discuss the bank advising the crypto firm on its dealings with U.S. regulators. Last month, FTX, valued at $31 billion, submitted a proposal to the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that would allow it to sell leveraged crypto derivatives to retail investors and settle their trades, without the need to rely on intermediate brokers like Goldman.
Verizon Connect Unveils QuickBooks Integration
Verizon has announced a new collaboration between Verizon Connect — the company’s fleet management unit — and tax software provider Intuit QuickBooks. By integrating the two programs, the companies will give Verizon Connect customers added help preparing for tax season next April. The integration — an update to the Verizon Connect scheduling service Reveal Field — is available now in for customers in U.S, with a global rollout forthcoming.
PayPal, Venmo to Change Instant Transfer Fees
PayPal will change the fees related to its Instant Transfer offerings for U.S. consumers and merchants on PayPal and Venmo. Under the new system, personal accounts on PayPal and consumer and business profiles on Venmo will pay 1.75% of the transfer amount with a minimum fee of 25 cents and a maximum fee of $25. Meanwhile, PayPal merchant accounts will retain still take 1.5% of the transfer amount, change the minimum fee to 50 cents and remove the existing $15 cap for a no-maximum-fee cap structure. The changes are set to go into effect for Venmo customers May 23 and for PayPal customers June 17.