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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

Patreon to Acquire Kit So Creators Can Sell Customized Merch

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Services, Memberships, Mergers and Acquisitions, News, Revenue and Sales, SaaS and Cloud Services /

In other acquisition news this week, membership platform Patreon announced that it is acquiring Kit, an online community where users can work with designers to create collections of their favorite products – grouped into kits. The acquisition will help Patreon artists and creators to more easily develop and offer customized merchandise for their subscribers and members. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Patreon to Acquire Kit So Creators Can Sell Customized Merch Read More »

Five on Friday: App Store, GDPR and SaaS Back-up

Data and IoT, Entertainment and Streaming, News, SaaS and Cloud Services, Subscriber Only /

In this weeks Five on Friday, a study shows spending in the App Store has doubled to $42.5 billion, Adweek says GDPR is an opportunity to build trust with customers, Search Data Backup offers best practices for backing up SaaS data, financial experts share opposing opinions about Pandoras future, and Forbes explore the growing subscription box industry.

Five on Friday: App Store, GDPR and SaaS Back-up Read More »

Microsoft to Buy Development Platform GitHub for $7.5 Billion in Stock

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Services, Mergers and Acquisitions, News, SaaS and Cloud Services, Subscriber Retention, Subscription Apps /

On Monday, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) announced its plans to buy GitHub, a software development platform, for $7.5 billion in stock. Presuming regulatory approval for the acquisition, Microsoft anticipates closing the sale by year end. The acquisition will allow the companies to combine resources, giving developers more opportunities to succeed at each stage of the development lifecycle and allowing GitHub users to scale at enterprise levels. In addition, Microsoft will get access to new users with whom it can share its developer tools.

Microsoft to Buy Development Platform GitHub for $7.5 Billion in Stock Read More »

Zuora Reports Subscription Revenue Growth of 39 Percent in Q1

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Services, Business Strategy, FInance, News, Payment Processing, Revenue and Sales, SaaS and Cloud Services, Technology /

In its first financial report since completing its initial public offering on April 12, Zuora, Inc. (NYSE: ZUO), a cloud-based subscription billing and management platform provider, reported impressive growth for the period ended April 30, 2018. Total revenue for the first fiscal quarter 2019 was $51.7 million, a 60 percent increase year-over-year. Subscription revenue was $36.1 million, a 39 percent increase year-over-year. Subscription revenue represents 69.8 percent of total revenue. The balance of revenue comes from professional services, totaling $15.6 million.

Zuora Reports Subscription Revenue Growth of 39 Percent in Q1 Read More »

Jeep to Launch Unique Car Subscription Program in 2019

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, Industry Announcements, News, Product Development /

In a unique twist, Jeep will launch a new subscription service in 2019 where owners can subscribe to Jeeps or borrow vehicles on a short-term basis, says Consumer Reports. Like other car subscription programs, consumers will subscribe for a monthly fee, which usually includes insurance, maintenance and related expenses. As part of its Jeep Wave program, the car subscription service will feature a few differences from similar vehicle programs like Book by Cadillac, Care by Volvo and Ford Canvas.

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The Boston Globe Cuts Staff and Offers Buyouts

News /

The Boston Globe will be offering buyouts to employees in certain departments, reports Media Post. After laying off seven marketing, advertising and non-newsroom employees in late May, the newspaper sent a memo to staff telling them about new cost-cutting measures. Though specifics were not given, buyouts would be offered to employees in the newsroom, advertising and marketing departments. If not enough employees take the buyouts, management will ‘consider all other options, including layoffs.’

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Weekly Subscription News: Meredith, Money and Media

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Services, Consumer Services, Entertainment and Streaming, FInance, Freemium, Magazines, News, Regulation and Compliance, Research and Benchmarks, SaaS and Cloud Services, Subscription Apps /

In this week’s subscription round-up, the Senate tells the FCC it needs to restore net neutrality, Snap is launching an accelerator to identify and invest in the next big media thing, and Meredith talks to 80 potential investors in Time properties. Also this week, Roku’s stock is up, Autodesk has a strong first quarter, led by annualized recurring revenue, and Morgan Stanley thinks YouTube might be worth more than many of its competitors.

Weekly Subscription News: Meredith, Money and Media Read More »

Tronc Buys The Virginian-Pilot for $34 Million in Cash

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Operations, Consumer Services, FInance, Mergers and Acquisitions, News, Product Development, Revenue and Sales, SaaS and Cloud Services, Subscription Business Marketing /

Despite reporting a first quarter loss of $14.8 million earlier this month, Tronc (NASDAQ: TRNC) went on a spending spree this week, purchasing The Virginian-Pilot Media Companies, LLC including The Virginian-Pilot, Virginia’s largest daily newspaper, for $34 million in cash from Landmark Media Enterprises. The newspaper was founded in 1865 and has Sunday circulation of about 132,000, at the end of 2017. The acquisition also includes PilotOnline.com which had 1.9 monthly unique visitors in March 2018, Pilot Targeted Media and The Virginian-Pilot’s real estate portfolio which include its Norfolk headquarters, its printing and distribution facilities in Virginia Beach and satellite offices in Norfolk and North Carolina.

Tronc Buys The Virginian-Pilot for $34 Million in Cash Read More »

Five on Friday: Data Loss, Email and Ad Fraud

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Services, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, Data and IoT, Metered Subscription, News, Product Development, Revenue and Sales, SaaS and Cloud Services, Subscriber Only, Subscription Apps, Subscription Business Marketing /

If you are tired of hearing about Roseanne Barr and Kim Kardashian, weve got a reprieve for you with Five on Friday. In this weeks edition, media outlets report data losses to big brands due to GDPR, Poynter talks about The New York Times new standalone product, ZDNet says ad fraud is out of control, Fast Company predicts that email is the next big platform, and Digiday shares how publishers are using obnoxious ads to lure in subscribers.

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Kroger Acquires Meal Kit Service Home Chef for $200 Million

Auto-renew Subscription, Consumer Services, Mergers and Acquisitions, News, Revenue and Sales, Subscription Boxes /

Last week, The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) announced a merger with Home Chef for $200 million, plus future earnings payments of up to $500 million over five years if certain milestones are met. Founded in 2013, Home Chef delivered more than 10 million meals last year, and last year the company reported growth of 150 percent with $250 million in revenue and two profitable quarters.

Kroger Acquires Meal Kit Service Home Chef for $200 Million Read More »