Netflix Awards $1 Million Prize and Starts a New Contest

The New York Times writes, Netflix Awards $1 Million Prize and Starts a New Contest

"But the race was even closer than had been thought, as Netflix’s chief executive, Reed Hastings, explained for the first time at a press conference in New York on Monday. The BellKor team presented its final submission 20 minutes before the deadline, Mr. Hastings said. Then, just before time ran out, The Ensemble made its last entry. The two were a dead tie, mathematically. But under contest rules, when there is a tie, the first team past the post wins. ‘That 20 minutes was worth $1 million,’ Mr. Hastings said."