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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

Textbook Authors File A New Class Action Suit Against Cengage

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

Last Tuesday, a group of textbook authors filed a new lawsuit against Cengage in the Southern District of New York, reports Publishers Weekly. Authors Douglas Bernstein, Elaine Ingulli, Terry Halbert, Edward Roy, Louis Penner and Ross Parke are seeking class action status in Bernstein et al v. Cengage Learning, Inc. They allege the publisher is not paying them according to their contracts, but instead, is choosing how to pay royalties and from what pool of money. The group of authors is asking the court for damages and restitution for unpaid royalties for Cengages digital product

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Weekly Subscription News: Office, Uber and Accusations

Business Operations, Business Strategy, Entertainment and Streaming, FInance, News, SaaS and Cloud Services /

In this weeks subscription news, Microsoft takes away perpetual licensing for Office 2019 for home use, Bloomingdales launches a subscription rental service, and MoviePass has been accused of changing the passwords of power subscribers to limit usage. Also, this week, the Pacific Standard lost its financial backing, HBO Max sets a goal of 50 million subscribers in five years, and The Boston Globes union is planning a walkout due to contentious negotiations.

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Cash-Strapped Loot Crate Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

FInance, Industry Announcements, News, Payment Processing, Regulation and Compliance, Revenue and Sales, Subscription Boxes /

Loot Crate is out of loot. The popular subscription box service, who sells subscription boxes to gamers, nerds and pop culture fans, has agreed to be acquired by Loot Crate Acquisition LLC. Loot Crate will voluntarily file for chapter 11 bankruptcy in Wilmington, Delaware this week. The sale and subsequent reorganization will go through bankruptcy court. Bankruptcy code requires that other companies be allowed to submit competing bids for the companys assets. Loot Crate hopes for the sale to be completed in 45 days.

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CBS Reports Strong Q2 and Merger with Viacom

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Services, Consumer Services, Entertainment and Streaming, FInance, Mergers and Acquisitions, News, Subscriber Acquisition /

Last week, CBS reported total revenue of $3.81 billion for the second quarter, a 10% increase over Q2 2018s revenue of $3.47 billion. The company saw growth across all revenue streams, including 13% growth in affiliate and subscription fees, 12% growth in content licensing and distribution revenue, and 7% growth in advertising revenue. The companys direct-to-consumer OTT services, CBS All Access and Showtime, contributed to the revenue growth in the affiliate and subscription fee category. CBS has a goal of 25 million direct-to-consumer subscribers by 2022.

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Nike Launches Adventure Club Shoe Subscription for Kids 2 to 10

Consumer Services, News, Product Development, Revenue and Sales, Subscription Boxes /

If youve ever been a parent, you know how quickly kids grow and how hard they can be on clothes and shoes. So does Nike, who hopes to ease that burden in the form of a kids shoe subscription service. Nike Adventure Club serves the parents of kids two to 10 who wear sizes 4C to 7Y. Launched just in time for back-to-school shopping, the subscription has three tiers: monthly for $20, bimonthly for $30, or quarterly deliveries for $50. Kids can get four, six or 12 pairs a year, depending on the subscription tier.

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The New York Times Adds 197K New Digital-Only Subscribers in Q2

Auto-renew Subscription, FInance, Metered Subscription, News, Product Development, Subscriber Acquisition /

The New York Times Company added 197,000 net new digital-only subscribers in the second quarter, a positive step toward its goal of 10 million total subscribers by 2025. The company has 4.7 million total subscribers as of the end of Q2. The company now has 3.78 million paid digital-only subscribers, a 30.7% increase year-over-year. Of the 197,000 new additions, 131,000 came from digital news, and the balance came from NYT Cooking and Crossword.

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Maven Buys Jim Cramers TheStreet for $16.5 Million Cash

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Media and Publishing, Business Services, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, Magazines, Mergers and Acquisitions, News, Payment Processing, Product Development, Revenue and Sales, SaaS and Cloud Services, Subscriber Acquisition, Technology /

Maven, a digital publishing, advertising and distribution platform, has completed its acquisition of Jim Cramers TheStreet, Inc. (NASDAQ: TST), a financial news and investor information outlet, for $16.5 million in an all-cash deal. The deal is being fully funded through debt financing from Maven subsidiary B. Riley Financial, Inc. Cramer, co-founder of TheStreet and host of CNBC’s “Mad Money,” his team of financial experts and senior management will remain with the company. The combined companies anticipate revenue of more than $50 million in revenue over the next four quarters, not including a newly announced deal with Sports Illustrated.

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Weekly Subscription News: TV Chat, Transformations and Twitter

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

This weeks subscription headlines offer everything from password management and TV chat devices to relaunch postponements and consolidation: Disney wants to bring ESPN+ streaming service to cable TV, Facebook wants to work with Netflix and Disney on TV chat devices, and Cengage adds free password management as a benefit to its subscription service. Also this week, Gawker postpones its relaunch and lays off its entire staff, Twitter users can now send and receive tips, and a new warning has been issued over Google Chromes ad-blocking plans.

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AMC Theatres Reports 900K Subscribers and Revenue of $1.5B in Q2

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Operations, Consumer Services, FInance, Memberships, News, Revenue and Sales /

On the heels of Regal Cinemas new movie subscription service, AMC Theatres reports a stellar second quarter with revenue of $1.51 billion, a 4.4% increase year-over-year. The company also reported net earnings of $49.4 million, an increase of 122.5% year-over-year, and record ticket sales of 97 million, a quarterly high for the company. In addition, the company now has over 900,000 subscribers to its AMC Stubs A-List subscription program, launched in June 2018, exceeding the companys expectations.

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GateHouse Media and Gannett Announce Mega Merger Valued at $1.4B

Business Operations, Business Services, Consumer Services, Mergers and Acquisitions, News, Revenue and Sales, SaaS and Cloud Services /

On Monday, New Media Investment Group (NYSE: NEWM), who owns GateHouse Media, agreed to buy Gannett (NYSE: GCI) in a cash and stock deal valued at $1.4 billion. Gannett is the owner of USA TODAY, the Detroit Free Press, the Arizona Republic and more than 100 other publications across the country. GateHouse Media owns 154 daily newspapers in 39 states. Together, the merged company will operate 263 daily media organizations across 47 states and Guam with a combined audience of over 145 million unique monthly visitors. The merged company will use the Gannett name.

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