The indelible lead character from the “Breaking Bad” streaming series has a new starring role in a public service ad campaign against littering in New Mexico.
The 15- and 30-second ad spots were unveiled Thursday at an arthouse movie theater in Santa Fe’s urban railyard district. Local officials hope actor Bryan Cranston ‘s brief reprise of the character Walter White will draw new awareness to the impacts of everyday litter and illegal dumping of trash, tires and appliances.
The ad is titled “Breaking Bad habits,” and it depicts White rolling a steel drum into the remote New Mexico desert before using it to collect and dispose of litter by hand. The maniacal chemist-turned-drug dealer tells viewers in a menacing voice to “keep litter out of my territory.”
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham believes the mythical methamphetamine kingpin from “Breaking Bad” will get people’s attention and help draw attention to serious concerns surrounding litter and pollution in a state that relies economically on outdoor tourism and filmmaking.
“I need everyone’s attention,” said Lujan Grisham, a Democrat. “We’re going to talk about what you can do to reduce packaging and plastics and have a discussion about that and about where they go.”
The marketing campaign taps into $3 million in state funding and will involve billboard ads. It’s accompanied by cleanup efforts involving state agencies, public schools, youth recreation centers and prison inmate crews.
An array of county and city officials attended the screening of the ad from “Breaking Bad” director Vince Gilligan. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said the online economy has shifted some waste disposal costs onto consumers in inefficient ways that merit reconsideration.
“The amount of bulk trash is moving to your house because we’re all doing more mail order,” he said. “Now we’re asking residences to pay for that, so it’s creating a real rub there.”
Netflix’s subscriber growth is slowing, but its profit and stock price are still surging
Netflix on Thursday reported that its subscriber growth slowed dramatically during the summer, a sign the huge gains from the video-streaming service's crackdown on freeloading viewers is tapering off.
The 5.1 million subscribers that Netflix added during the July-September period represented a 42% decline from the total gained during the same time last year.
Even so, the company's revenue and profit rose at a faster pace than analysts had projected, according to FactSet Research.
Netflix ended September with 282.7 million worldwide subscribers โ far more than any other streaming service.
The Los Gatos, California, company earned $2.36 billion, or $5.40 per share, a 41% increase from the same time last year. Revenue climbed 15% from a year ago to $9.82 billion. Netflix management predicted the company's revenue will rise at the same 15% year-over-year pace during the October-December period, slightly than better than analysts have been expecting.
The strong financial performance in the past quarter coupled with the upbeat forecast eclipsed any worries about slowing subscriber growth. Netflix's stock price surged nearly 4% in extended trading after the numbers came out, building upon a more than 40% increase in the company's shares so far this year.
"We had a plan to reaccelerate growth and we delivered on that plan," Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said during a video call discussing the results.
The past quarter's subscriber gains were the lowest posted in any three-month period since the beginning of last year. That drop-off indicates Netflix is shifting to a new phase after reaping the benefits from a ban on the once-rampant practice of sharing account passwords that enabled an estimated 100 million people watch... Read More