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

Amazon, Apple and Google Step Up Their Game

Things are heating up in the online shopping world, as Amazon, Apple and Google step up their game to compete for online business. According to the Washington Post, last week Amazon announced that its Prime customers will get free same-day delivery on qualifying orders over $35. Members must ship items to an eligible zip code within one of 14 metro areas, and they must place orders before noon to receive same day delivery. The same day…

TuYo to Target Millennial Latinos with OTT TV

TuYo will be the next player to enter the over-the-top (OTT) TV subscription service market, said the Latin Post. Targeting Millennial Latinos, TuYo, which is built and owned by Latinos, plans to launch in July. The Latin Post reports that TuYo will include free and paid content, on-demand in both English and Spanish. Viewers may choose from select channels of curated content or create their own from a myriad of reality shows, TV programs, music, movies,…

Classmates.com & FTD Pay $11 Million Settlement for Deceptive Practices

Twenty-two states allege that FTD and Classmates.com took advantage of their customers through deceptive billing and advertising practices, said FOX4KC.com last week. The companies will pay $11 million in settlement costs to avoid litigation. According to a spokesman for the Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, an investigation uncovered that FTD and Classmates.com shared confidential customer information, including credit card data, with a third-party marketing company. That marketer then promoted other businesses including travel rewards programs and…

Subscription News Round-up

This week’s subscription industry headlines include mobile advertising, chip card technology and customer service as well as some of the usual suspects – Amazon, Microsoft, and the wild world of print and digital media. Here are some of this week’s hottest subscription stories, in case you missed them: EMV Chips Could Spell TROUBLE for Card Not Present Merchants Digital Transactions Is eBay Ready to Take on Amazon? Subscription Insider Top Apps – General & Business – News (April 2015) App Annie Newspapers…

Playboy Covers Up, Goes SFW

Following the successful unveiling of a redesigned safe-for-work (SFW) website last August, Playboy launched its new SFW mobile app Playboy NOW last week, hoping to enjoy similar results. According to CNBC, Playboy.com saw a 375% increase in global unique monthly visitors after this strategic shift to dress up its image. “The customer speaks, the user rules: In today’s media landscape, nudity is just an unnecessary attribute,” said Scott Flanders, CEO of Playboy Enterprises. The shift to more…

Autodesk Adds 95K Subscribers in Q1 2016

Last week Autodesk announced that it added 95,000 subscribers in the first quarter of fiscal year 2016, which ended April 30, 2015, a 4.2% increase over the previous quarter. In its investor report, Carl Bass, president and CEO of the 3D design, engineering and entertainment software developer, said that half the new subscribers came from new subscription types including desktop subscriptions, cloud subscriptions, and flexible licensing for enterprises. “We had a solid start to the year…

Subscription Company Updates: YouTube, Zuora, Microsoft, Spotify & More

There are always more subscription company headlines each week than we can write about in our daily posts or share on our social media channels. Here are some of the latest updates on subscription companies in the news. YouTube extends beta period for its Music Key subscription service until September (The Verge) Last fall we reported that YouTube was developing Music Key, a premium subscription service, to allow music lovers the chance to stream high-quality music and…

Celebrity Gossip Could Cost You: EW.com Launches Metered Paywall

Want a recap of the most recent episode of ‘Game of Thrones,” the latest Kardashian gossip, or the scoop on a possible ‘Buffy’ reunion? Entertainment Weekly is the place to go – for a price. According to Politico’s Dylan Byers, Entertainment Weekly’s website, EW.com, is launching a metered paywall. The paywall was “soft launched” last week, with a more formal announcement expected after the Memorial Day weekend. With a metered paywall, nonregistered readers of EW.com will be…

Is eBay Ready to Take on Amazon?

Is eBay ready to take on Amazon? Maybe so. eBay Germany recently launched a loyalty program similar to Amazon Prime, says The Verge. Much like the Amazon Prime next-day, free shipping program, top-rated eBay sellers in Germany can offer free shipping to subscribers. Though pricing details have not been disclosed, estimates put the annual fee between $17 to $22 U.S. The program is currently being tried in parts of Germany, but is expected to be available…

Subscription News Round-up

Google, USA Today, Verizon and AOL all made it to the subscription industry news headlines this week. Read those headlines and more to be a subscription insider… How Google Could Offer “All Access” News Subscription & Help Journalism Marketing Land USA Today Could End Daily Print Edition in ‘Five or Six Years,” Editor-in-Chief Says Ad Age Verizon and AOL: A $4.4 Billion Marriage Subscription Insider Starbucks Partners with Spotify on Music Subscriptions, Expanding Rewards Program GeekWire Mobile is Now the Majority of Traffic for…