Gannett and Netflix Grow Subscription Base, But Earnings Fall Short

Gannett Company, the owner of USA Today and other newspaper and television stations across the country, posted their second quarter earnings this week and

Gannett Company, the owner of USA Today and other newspaper and television stations across the country, posted their second quarter earnings this week and reported a 5.2% drop. However, digital revenues saw a 20% increase to $374 million, mainly due to the implementation of a number of paywalls for the company’s regional papers.While the company does not break out subscription revenue from other revenue forms in its quarterly report, digital revenues now account for nearly 30% of total revenues. And while there was an increase in print circulation, broadcast revenues rose 3.2% while print revenues declined 1.7%. This is consistent with industry predictions and trends showing that video-based content will see aggressive growth in the coming years.And speaking of video content, Netflix’s Emmy nomination for House of Cards and exclusive airing of new episodes of the cult-favorite Arrested Development have generated buzz, as well as additional 630,000 subscribers and  $1.07 billion in revenue for the video streaming site this past quarter. While the subscriber number failed to meet Wall Street analysts’ expectations, it’s still impressive growth for a subscription site that already has 28.6 million subscribers in the US alone.In fact, CEO Reed Hastings mentioned that the company planned on acquiring 60 million to 90 million total subscribers over time, but hinted that churn might be a problem, especially as Amazon and Hulu grow into more fierce competitors. So, while acquisitions get the attention in earnings calls, retention will once again determine the health of the company.

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