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Dana E. Neuts

Dana Neuts is Subscription Insider's Editorial Director, covering our daily subscription news as well as member features, case studies, premium content, and reports. Dana is also a writer, editor, marketer and communications professional. Her work has appeared in AARP Bulletin, The Seattle Times, Seattle Business, 425 Business, 425 Magazine, South Sound Magazine, Northwest Travel and more. Her specialties include business writing, community news, senior issues, travel and, of course, subscriptions!

Dana E. Neuts

MoviePass Parent Calls It Quits with Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Filing

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Operations, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, Data and IoT, FInance, News, Product Development, Revenue and Sales, Subscription Apps /

Last week, MoviePass parent Helios and Matheson Analytics finally called it quits, filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, reports Variety. In a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the company is dissolved and what remains of its assets are sold to repay its debts. According to the filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, Helios and Matheson had assets between $1 million and $10 million and more than $60 million in debts. The company called itself a “big data company,” and it hoped that a movie subscription service – MoviePass – would be a way to leverage customer data for sale to advertisers.

MoviePass Parent Calls It Quits with Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Filing Read More »

Holiday Sales Help Boost Amazons Net Sales by 21 Percent in Q4 2019

Business Operations, Business Services, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, Entertainment and Streaming, FInance, Invoiced Subscription, Memberships, News, Product Development, Revenue and Sales, SaaS and Cloud Services /

Ecommerce giant Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) finished 2019 strong, reporting impressive fourth quarter and year-end results last week due, in part, to strong holiday sales. Amazons net sales for the quarter increased by 21% to $87.4 billion, compared to $72.4 billion for Q4 2018. Net income increased to $3.3 billion, or $6.47 per diluted share, compared to $3.0 billion, or $6.04 per diluted share, in the prior year quarter. For the full year, net sales were up 20% to $280.5 billion, compared to $232.9 billion in 2018. Net income for the full year was $11.6 billion, or $23.01 per diluted share, compared to $10.1 billion, or $20.14 per diluted share.

Holiday Sales Help Boost Amazons Net Sales by 21 Percent in Q4 2019 Read More »

Weekly Subscription News: Phishing, Focus and Fury

Business Media and Publishing, Business Operations, Business Services, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, Entertainment and Streaming, FInance, Mergers and Acquisitions, News, Payment Processing, Product Development, Revenue and Sales, Subscription Apps /

Phishing scams, new focuses and fury dominate the subscription headlines this week: phishing hackers are targeting PayPal accounts, Politico has a new FDA-focused subscription that will cost as much as $75,000 a year, and angry HP customers take to Twitter to rant about HP demanding people sign up for monthly ink subscriptions. Also, Apple is looking at acquiring MGM, BBC will be making cuts as it shifts its focus to digital news, and Penguin Random House pulls certain titles from their unlimited-reading subscription service.

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Warren Buffet Sells Newspapers to Lee Enterprises for $140M Cash

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Operations, Business Services, Consumer Services, FInance, Industry Announcements, Mergers and Acquisitions, News, Revenue and Sales /

Billionaire Warren Buffet is selling BH Media Group, which owns 31 daily and 47 weekly newspapers, to Lee Enterprises Inc. for $140 million in cash. This represents the first major newspaper condensation of 2020. Lee provides news, information and advertising in 50 markets in 21 states. The company boasts 300+ weekly publications, 1.1 million newspaper subscribers and 73 million monthly digital views. Berkshire Hathaway is providing approximately $576 million in long-term financing to Lee at a 9% annual interest rate. The proceeds from this loan will pay for the acquisition, refinance approximately $400 million of Lees debt, and provide cash to terminate Lees revolving line of credit.

Warren Buffet Sells Newspapers to Lee Enterprises for $140M Cash Read More »

illustration of the number five, representing the five subscription business topics for this column, Five-on-Friday

Five on Friday: Cable TV, Cord Cutting and Comparisons

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Services, Consumer Services, Entertainment and Streaming, News, Revenue and Sales, Subscriber Only, Subscription Apps, Subscription Business Marketing /

We are just days away from the Super Bowl, and many of us have our minds on the big game and, if we’re honest, the Super Bowl ads, including the sad demise of Mr. Peanut. Before you settle in for the weekend, check out what’s happening in the subscription world. Sensor Tower reports that subscription apps in the U.S. grew 21% last year to $4.6 billion, Comcast predicts cord cutting will accelerate in 2020 and cable TV prices will go up, and Amazon Music now has 55 million subscribers. Also, Social Media Today shares three ways to grow your social media audience, and the NAB Show will compare 50+ streaming platforms and devices in April.

Five on Friday: Cable TV, Cord Cutting and Comparisons Read More »

Scroll Offers a New Way to Experience the Internet for $4.99 a Month

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Services, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, Magazines, News, Product Development, Revenue and Sales, SaaS and Cloud Services, Subscriber Acquisition, Subscription Apps /

If you are tired of slow-loading websites and cookies tracking your every move online, Scroll now offers subscribers a different type of internet experience. For $4.99 a month, subscribers can access websites that load twice as fast and that have 80% fewer trackers. Subscribers can also browse and read completely ad-free on 300+ participating websites. Up to 70% of user subscription fees support partner websites, and Scroll keeps 30% to fund their operations.

Scroll Offers a New Way to Experience the Internet for $4.99 a Month Read More »

Apple Reports Record High Revenue and Earnings for Q1 FY2020

Business Services, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, Entertainment and Streaming, FInance, News, Product Development, Revenue and Sales, SaaS and Cloud Services, Subscription Apps /

Tech giant Apple is starting 2020 off right with its first quarter earnings report of fiscal year 2020. For the period ended December 28, 2019, Apple had revenue of $91.8 billion, an increase of 9% year-over-year and an all-time company record. Sixty-one percent of the quarterly revenue came from international sales. The company also reported net income of $22.2 billion, and diluted earnings per share of $4.99, also company records.

Apple Reports Record High Revenue and Earnings for Q1 FY2020 Read More »

Chicago Trib Reporters Desperately Seek Solution to Alden Acquisition

Business Operations, Business Services, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, Industry Announcements, News, Revenue and Sales /

David Jackson and Gary Marx, investigative reporters for the Chicago Tribune, are desperately seeking a solution to a possible acquisition by Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund that currently owns 32% of Tribune Publishing. In addition to the Chicago Tribune, the publisher owns The (New York) Daily News, The Baltimore (Maryland) Sun, The Hartford (Connecticut) Courant, The Orlando (Florida) Sentinel, The (South Florida) Sun-Sentinel, the Daily Press (Virginia), The Virginian-Pilot (Virginia) and The Morning Call (Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania). The New York Times published an op-ed piece by Jackson and Marx on January 19.

Chicago Trib Reporters Desperately Seek Solution to Alden Acquisition Read More »

Colgate-Palmolive to Acquire Premium Oral Care Brand Hello

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Operations, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, Mergers and Acquisitions, News, Product Development, Revenue and Sales /

Acquisitions appear to be in the air this month. Last week, Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE: CL) announced it plans to acquire Hello Products LLC, a premium oral care brand that sells a variety of dental products for everyone from three-month-old infants and toddlers to teens and adults. Available in the United States, Hello sells toothpaste, mouthwash, toothbrushes, dental floss, teething gel and other products in retail stores, online and via subscription. Their products use natural ingredients and are not tested on animals.

Colgate-Palmolive to Acquire Premium Oral Care Brand Hello Read More »

Weekly Subscription News: Tracks, Tiers and Textbooks

Business Media and Publishing, Business Operations, Business Services, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, Entertainment and Streaming, FInance, Learning and Training, News, Product Development, Revenue and Sales, Subscriber Acquisition /

Tracks, tiers and textbooks top the subscription news headlines this week. Cengage launches a $69.99-per-semester subscription tier for students who cant afford or dont need Cengage Unlimited; SoundCloud, now boasting more than 200 million tracks, hits revenue over $200 million; and The Daily Telegraph ditches circulation audits to focus on subscribers first. Also this week, Chase offers DoorDashs DashPass as an incentive to credit card customers, Noom quadruples revenue (again), and Luminary drops its price to lure more content and subscribers.

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