Author: Dana E. Neuts - Page 231 - Subscription Insider

Pandora Shows Growth in Q2, But Can It Survive a $275 Million Loss?

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Operations, Business Services, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, Entertainment and Streaming, FInance, Freemium, Industry Announcements, News, Product Development, Revenue and Sales, Subscriber Acquisition, Subscription Apps, Subscription Business Marketing, Technology / Dana E. Neuts

Last week internet radio company Pandora (NYSE: P) reported its financials for the second quarter of 2017. While revenue and subscription categories improved, the company continued to sustain an enormous net loss. Can it survive? Revenue highlights include total consolidated revenue of $376.8 million, a 10 percent increase year-over-year, advertising revenue of $278.2 million, a 5 percent increase year-over-year, subscription and other revenue of $68.9 million, a 25 percent increase year-over-year, and ticketing service revenue of $29.7 million, a 31 percent increase year-over-year. Revenue exceeded Pandora’s second quarter guidance.

Pandora Shows Growth in Q2, But Can It Survive a $275 Million Loss? Read More »

Guardian Media Group Reports Record Readership and Reduced Losses for 2016-17

Auto-renew Subscription, Consumer Services, FInance, Memberships, News, Subscription Apps / Dana E. Neuts

In early 2016, Guardian Media Group, the London-based parent company for The Guardian and The Observer, announced a three-year plan to cut costs by 20 percent. Just over a year into the plan, the company’s efforts seem to be paying off. In Guardian Media Group’s July 25 report for year-end financials for the 12-months ended April 2, 2017, the company reported record digital readership, increased revenue and a one-third reduction in operating losses, moving closer to its target of breaking event in 2018-19.

Guardian Media Group Reports Record Readership and Reduced Losses for 2016-17 Read More »

This Week’s Subscription News: Music, Mail Order and Mobile Revenue

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Operations, Business Services, Business Strategy, Consumer Media and Publishing, Consumer Services, Entertainment and Streaming, News, Product Development, Research and Benchmarks, Revenue and Sales, Subscription Apps, Subscription Boxes, Subscription Gaming / Dana E. Neuts

In this week’s subscription news, YouTube Red and Google Play Music will merge into a new subscription service, the new YouTube TV streaming app grows in popularity, and The New Yorker gets record digital traffic as former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci – former as in only had the job for 10 days – goes on a tirade of profanity. Also this week, we’re reading about mail order recipe cards making a comeback in the digital age, Spotify hitting 60 million paying subscribers, despite the competition, and PlayStation Plus subscribers getting access to PlayStation Now.

This Week’s Subscription News: Music, Mail Order and Mobile Revenue Read More »

Shopify Reports Revenue of $151.7 Million, a 75 Percent Increase

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Operations, Business Services, FInance, News, Product Development, Revenue and Sales, SaaS and Cloud Services / Dana E. Neuts

In its second quarter 2017 financials, Shopify (NYSE: SHOP)(TSX: SHOP) reports total revenue of $151.7 million, a 75 percent increase year-over-year. Of this total, $71.6 million came from Subscription Solutions, representing a 64 percent increase. Shopify attributes this revenue growth to growth in Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) as a record number of merchants joined the Shopify platform during the second quarter. Merchant Solutions revenue was $80.1 million, representing growth of 86 percent, driven by growth in Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV).

Shopify Reports Revenue of $151.7 Million, a 75 Percent Increase Read More »

Five on Friday: Marketing Trends, Mobile Apps and Metrics

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Operations, Business Services, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, Customer Service, Industry Announcements, News, Product Development, Regulation and Compliance, Revenue and Sales, SaaS and Cloud Services, Subscriber Only, Subscriber Retention, Subscription Apps, Subscription Boxes, Subscription Business Marketing, Technology / Dana E. Neuts

In this weeks edition of Five on Friday, Small Biz Trends tells us how to start a subscription box business in 10 easy steps, Search Engine Land shares statistics on the growing popularity of purchases made from voice-controlled devices, PYMNTS reports that Wells Fargo is working on a mobile app to help bank customers cancel subscriptions, Shopify offers four marketing trends to watch in 2017, and Kayako recommends five support metrics for SaaS companies.

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Twitter Tests Promoted Tweet Subscription Package for $99 a Month

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Services, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, FInance, Freemium, Industry Announcements, News, Product Development, Revenue and Sales, SaaS and Cloud Services, Subscriber Acquisition, Subscription Apps, Subscription Business Marketing / Dana E. Neuts

Social media platform Twitter, rated best platform for B2B marketing in a recent study, is testing a $99-per-month marketing subscription package for small- and medium-sized businesses, reports Mashable. The program, which is called the Twitter Subscription Ads Beta Program, is in private beta now with a 30-day free trial. Users must apply to become part of the program, and only those who are invited may join the beta test.” We’ve developed a way for you to grow your following and have your tweets reach more people without creating ads or managing campaigns,” says Twitter’s subscription landing page.

Twitter Tests Promoted Tweet Subscription Package for $99 a Month Read More »

Sports News Startup ‘The Athletic’ Raises Another $5.4 Million in Funding

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Operations, Business Strategy, Consumer Media and Publishing, Consumer Services, News, Paywall, Product Development, Revenue and Sales, Subscriber Acquisition, Subscription Apps / Dana E. Neuts

In January, we reported on the launch of The Athletic, a subscription-only sports news startup that had raised $2.1 million in its seed funding round. Using a hard paywall, The Athletic website and mobile app launched in January in two markets – Chicago and Toronto – with a goal of expanding to new markets if it took off. The Athletic has now expanded into Cleveland, Detroit and the San Francisco Bay area. It looks like Philadelphia is next. Fast forward to July and The Athletic has raised another $5.4 million in funding, according to CrunchBase, bringing the total raised in three funding rounds to $7.7 million from eight investors.

Sports News Startup ‘The Athletic’ Raises Another $5.4 Million in Funding Read More »

How the New European Data Privacy Law Will Impact Subscription Companies

Best Practice and How To, Business Operations, Business Services, Consumer Services, Customer Service, Industry Announcements, News, Research, SaaS and Cloud Services, Subscriber Only, Technology / Dana E. Neuts

Europeans and the European government are taking data privacy very seriously. In fact, some are saying it is the most important change in data privacy regulation in the last 20 years. In May 2018, the two-year transition period for the European Unions new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) expires and the new data privacy law goes into effect. Any company doing business with European citizens, including subscription companies, will be impacted, regardless of where the company is located. Companies should start preparing now to comply with the laws and to avoid fines as large as 20 million for violation of the data privacy changes. Heres what you need to know.

How the New European Data Privacy Law Will Impact Subscription Companies Read More »

New York Times Reports Big Gains in Digital Subscriptions and Ad Revenue

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Operations, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, FInance, Metered Subscription, News, Product Development, Revenue and Sales, Subscription Apps / Dana E. Neuts

The New York Times (NYSE: NYT) reported a solid second quarter for the period ended June 30, 2017, including big gains in digital subscriptions and advertising revenue. Total revenue for the second quarter was $407.1 million, a 9.2 percent increase year-over-year. Subscription revenues grew 13.9 percent, other revenue increased 12.8 percent, and advertising revenues grew slightly at 0.8 percent. The Times’ paid digital-only subscriptions exceeded the two-million mark during the second quarter at approximately 2.33 million subscribers at the end of Q2, representing a net increase of 114,000 subscribers, compared to the first quarter of 2017, and a 63.4 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

New York Times Reports Big Gains in Digital Subscriptions and Ad Revenue Read More »

Amazon’s Q2 Results Disappoint with a 77 Percent Drop in Net Income

Auto-renew Subscription, Business Operations, Business Services, Business Strategy, Consumer Services, Entertainment and Streaming, FInance, News, Product Development, Revenue and Sales, SaaS and Cloud Services, Subscriber Retention / Dana E. Neuts

Last Thursday Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) announced its quarterly financials for the second quarter ending June 30, 2017, and it wasn’t pretty. While much of the news was positive, including a 25 percent increase in sales to $38.0 billion, the company’s net income decreased dramatically, coming in at $197 million, 77 percent less than net income of $857 million for Q2 2016. According to The Motley Fool, Wall Street analysts had expected sales of $37.2 billion and $1.41 earnings per share. Amazon hit the sales target, but missed the earnings per share target by $1.01 per share, causing a $25.96 per share drop in Amazon stock.

Amazon’s Q2 Results Disappoint with a 77 Percent Drop in Net Income Read More »

Insight to drive subscription growth

Dana E. Neuts