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

Five on Friday: Reboots, Expansions and Lackluster Launches

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

TGIF. We’ve survived this week’s impeachment hearings and can now head into the pre-Thanksgiving weekend with Black Friday shopping on our minds. Before you go, check out this week’s Five on Friday features. Book by Cadillac car subscription is making a comeback, Meredith expands Coastal Living magazine using a new subscription model, and Patreon creators have been paid $1 billion by more than 4 million patrons. Also this week, Google Stadia suffers through a lackluster launch due to latency problems, and thousands of Disney+ accounts have been hacked and sold online.

Five on Friday: Reboots, Expansions and Lackluster Launches Read More »

Toronto Star to Shutter Five StarMetro Commuter Newspapers in December

Business Operations, Business Services, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, Freemium, News, Revenue and Sales, Subscriber Acquisition /

Journalists at the Toronto Star dont have a lot to be thankful for this year. Torstar, parent company of the Toronto Star, announced Tuesday it is shuttering five StarMetro commuter newspapers next month, resulting in the loss of 73 editorial, advertising and distribution jobs. The Canadian cities of Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto and Halifax will get their last editions of StarMetro on December 20, reports CBC News. Bob Hepburn, a representative for Torstar, told CBC News that commuters arent reading print newspapers anymore. They are getting their news on digital devices instead. The decline in print advertising also contributed to this decision.

Toronto Star to Shutter Five StarMetro Commuter Newspapers in December Read More »

Textbook Subscription Service Perlego Raises $9M in Series A Round

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Media and Publishing, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, Learning and Training, News, Product Development, Revenue and Sales, Subscription Apps /

London-based Perlego, a textbook subscription service serving 28 countries in the European Union, has raised $9 million (7 million) in Series A funding. Charlie Songhurst, Dedicated VC and Thomas Leysen participated in the funding round, along with existing investors ADV, Simon Franks and Alex Chesterman. To date, the three-year-old textbook provider has raised about $15 million, reports EdSurge. The company says it will use the new capital to expand into new European markets and improve its non-English content.

Textbook Subscription Service Perlego Raises $9M in Series A Round Read More »

Amazon Kicks Off a Week of Black Friday Deals on November 22

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Operations, Consumer Services, Entertainment and Streaming, Industry Announcements, Memberships, News, Product Development, Revenue and Sales, Subscriber Acquisition, Subscription Apps /

Amazon is not content to have higher-than-average sales from Black Friday through Cyber Monday. It wants to cash in on the eagerness of holiday shoppers by offering thousands of deals. Starting this Friday, November 22, Amazons Black Friday deals week begins with more deals of the day and bigger discounts on including everything from kids toys and electronics to fashion and kitchen products. The deals will continue through Black Friday, November 29.

Amazon Kicks Off a Week of Black Friday Deals on November 22 Read More »

Apple Is Considering a Subscription Bundle for 2020

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In a major shift to its business model, Apple looks like it will be moving away from reliance on product sales and looking to the subscription model for a sustainable future. Apple is considering bundling its premium subscription services, reports The Verge. It is not clear which services might be included in that bundle, but Apple has four subscription services to choose from: Apple Music, Apple News+, Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade.

Apple Is Considering a Subscription Bundle for 2020 Read More »

Netflix and Nickelodeon Agree to Multi-Year Deal for Kids Shows

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Netflix and Nickelodeon have agreed to a multi-year deal to produce original animated shows and feature films for kids and families worldwide. The programming will be based on popular Nickelodeon characters along with new ones. The companies have previously worked together bringing shows like Rockos Modern Life: Static Cling and Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus to Netflix. Netflix subscribers can also look forward to upcoming specials including The Loud House and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The news comes just one day after the premiere for Disney+, the new direct-to-consumer streaming subscription service.

Netflix and Nickelodeon Agree to Multi-Year Deal for Kids Shows Read More »

Weekly Subscription News: DTC, Micro-membership and Major Relaunch

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Operations, Business Services, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, Entertainment and Streaming, FInance, Industry Announcements, News, Revenue and Sales, SaaS and Cloud Services /

Disney+ wasnt the only subscription service making headlines this week. Dropbox topped revenue and profit expectations, Bustle eliminated longtime editors and staff to prepare for a major site relaunch, and NBA TV launched its own direct-to-consumer subscription video service. Also this week, Esquire is trying a micro-membership model, RingCentral stock is growing, and Apples CEO is hinting at a major business model change.

Weekly Subscription News: DTC, Micro-membership and Major Relaunch Read More »

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

Five on Friday: Ad Disclosures, Lookout Local and Subscription Success

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Operations, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, Entertainment and Streaming, Industry Announcements, Mergers and Acquisitions, News, Newsletters, Product Development, Revenue and Sales, Subscriber Acquisition, Subscriber Only, Subscription Boxes /

In this week’s edition of Five on Friday, we review the FTC’s new advertising disclosure guidance for online influencers; Ken Doctor announces the 2020 launch of his new venture, Lookout Local; now live, Disney+ shares details about its bundled offer with Hulu and ESPN+; the ‘Hunt A Killer” mystery game is raking in $2 million a month in subscription revenue; and NewsGuild-CWA says the Gatehouse-Gannett merger will hurt journalism.

Five on Friday: Ad Disclosures, Lookout Local and Subscription Success Read More »

Disney Blames Technical Difficulties on Consumer Demand for Disney Plus

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After much anticipation, Disney launched its own streaming service – Disney+ – on Tuesday, but the service was plagued with technical difficulties on its first day, reports Recode. Frustrated subscribers turned to social media (#DisneyPlusFail) to air their concerns with unable to connect messages, slower-than-anticipated speeds and other problems. Some subscribers were understanding, as big technology launches almost always have some bugs, while others felt like Disney should have anticipated the problem.

Disney Blames Technical Difficulties on Consumer Demand for Disney Plus Read More »

Dell Launches Consumption-Based Subscriptions for Business Clients

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Services, Customer Service, Industry Announcements, News, Product Development, SaaS and Cloud Services /

Dell (NYSE: DELL) hopes to make the lives of its business clients easier with the launch of Dell Technologies On Demand. This new set of offerings combines an end-to-end portfolio of consumption-based and as-a-service products that give business clients the flexibility and agility of the cloud, along with the control, performance and predictability of on-premises IT infrastructure. The multi-cloud world is here and will only grow, which means customers need on-demand and consistent infrastructure that yield predictable outcomes across all of their clouds, data centers and edge locations…”

Dell Launches Consumption-Based Subscriptions for Business Clients Read More »