Hurricane Sandy Helps Boost Netflix Traffic

As the East Coast takes a beating from Hurricane Sandy, a growing number of residents have seen fit to ride things out by gathering around the television set. But they’re not keeping their eyes glued to Weather Channel – they’re passing the time by catching up on movies and television shows through Netflix. According to information from Netflix spokesman Joris Evers, online viewing increased by 20 percent since the days of the storm.

A large portion of that increase comes from Baltimore, Boston, New York and Washington, D.C., areas that are being hit by the "post-tropical" superstorm. Children’s titles make up a significant portion of that increase, suggesting that parents are keeping their kids out of school until the storm passes. Hurricane Sandy is one of the largest tropical storms to strike the East Coast in recent times and it threatens to bring about plenty of physical and economical destruction. It’s estimated that this storm could cause upwards to $20 billion in economic damage.

So far, not only has Hurricane Sandy managed to keep scores of people in, but it’s also dealt a solid blow to film and TV production all along the East Coast at the moment. New York City officials revoked film permits ahead of the storm as a safety precaution, putting a damper on filming for several TV shows, including CBS’s “Blue Bloods,” “Elementary” and ABC’s latest supernatural drama, “666 Park Avenue.” Meanwhile, networks are busy delivering local coverage of Hurricane Sandy.
Netflix delivers an extensive catalog of blockbuster films and television shows for its 10 million subscribers via its on-demand Internet streaming video service, available in the U.S. and in other select markets. Customers get access to a library of over 100,000 movie and television titles, as well as additional services, for a small fee. On October 26, Netflix shares rose 13 percent to $69.58.

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