Netflix (NFLX -3.94%) was a busy company during an otherwise quiet trading week. It began the week by eliminating a poison-pill plan that had been in place to ward off potential hostile suitors. It then generated some unfavorable attention when several popular movies and a few TV shows were nixed from its digital vault after the licensing deals expired at the end of 2013.
Next, Netflix made waves by starting to offer a new scaled-back subscription plan that will set video buffs back just $6.99 a month if they're willing to limit their access to a single stream at a time and stream only in standard definition.
After seeing its stock nearly quadruple in 2013, it seems as if Netflix is making sure 2014 won't be boring.
Briefly in the news
And now let's take a quick look at some of the other stories that shaped our week.
- Jamba (JMBA) is looking to squeeze more money out of its smoothie chain overseas, as the Jamba Juice parent announced a deal with a Dubai-based company.
- Ford (F -0.27%) became the first major automaker to introduce a solar-powered car. To be fair, the C-Max Solar Energi Concept doesn't slurp enough juice from the sun for more than a partial charge even under the sunniest of scenarios. True to its name, It's also just a concept car. However, Detroit is showing that it's once again taking another step away from fuel dependency.
- Hertz Global (HTZG.Q) adopted a shareholder rights plan, just as Netflix was eliminating its poison pill. We found out later in the week why the auto-rental giant was shifting into a new gear: CNBC reported on Friday that Carl Icahn had acquired 40 million shares. Icahn's presence is rarely passive, so things could get interesting in this niche soon.
