Spotify has Launched Its Two-Sided Marketplace
Since it was founded in 2006, Spotify has made the majority of its revenue from its subscriber base. The 108 million premium subscribers brought in $1.5 billion last quarter, around 90% of the company’s total revenue. The 124 million ad-supported users accounted for only $165 million in sales. This revenue imbalance should change shortly with Spotify’s latest service: Artist Promotions. Now, artists will be able to pay Spotify to promote their new music to people who either:
Disney, Netflix, and Sports
Why would you need anything else? At the Apple event this week, they announced the price point for their video streaming service: $4.99 a month, and free for a year if you buy a new Apple device. That’s a great deal for consumers, especially compared to the pricier streaming options like Netflix or HBO. The problem is, I can’t come up with a reason why anyone would want to subscribe to it. Demand for video content has already been filled, and Apple is coming in with no season
Will Disney’s $12.99 Bundle Work? What Should they do Next?
At first thought: definitely. And that seems to be what every financial columnist thinks right now, who may be prematurely giving Disney the streaming crown. I think they are likely right, but as the great Charlie Munger says, “Invert. Always invert.” And with CEO Bob Iger stating on the quarterly conference call that “Nothing is more important to us than getting this right,” investors in Disney should be asking themselves, how could Disney+ flop? Before we get into that, let
How High Can Netflix Raise Prices?
With news out this week that AT&T’s streaming service will cost $16-$17 a month, investors have to be asking themselves: how high could Netflix raise prices before they lose subscribers? Why should they be asking that? Because the answer will determine where the stock price will be in 3-5 years. As they’ve transitioned to spending more and more on original content (now the biggest spender in the world), the video streaming pioneer has been able to raise prices around 5% per y
IQiyi Earnings: Sales Growing Fast, Costs even Faster
iQiyi, the Netflix/YouTube hybrid in China, reported its 4th quarter and full year 2018 earnings after the bell on Thursday. It is typically at this point in an earnings article when the author regurgitates whether the stock beat or missed analyst expectations. I don’t know and don’t care about what analysts were expecting iQiyi to do. Arbitrary benchmarks like estimates disproportionally skew investor opinions and make people focus on the wrong things. With that aside, here