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Showing posts with the label HBO Max

Netflix is starting the year with 52 weapons

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Netflix has announced its 2021 strategy, saying it plans to release a new movie every week. Some will be Netflix originals, some acquisitions. That’s a lot of movie premieres, and with basic subscriptions starting at $9 a month, some are wondering whether it’s an overly ambitious strategy for the streaming giant. Why is Netflix doing it? The competition in streaming has heated up intensely in the last month, when “Wonder Woman 1984” debuted online, paving the way for every other Warner Media film to premier on HBO MAX this year. This also came on the eve of the big success of The Mandalorian on Disney+.  Bottom line, with people around the world still stuck at home and other platforms getting blockbuster deals, Netflix can't afford not to up the ante. So it countered with a weapon - or rather fifty two - and promised to premier a movie every week. Is this streaming stretched too far? I think it’s a brilliant move. Netflix has the cash and the ability. It's already a big movie s...
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Disney's dilemma: To hike or not hike the price of Disney+

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Earlier this week, activist hedge fund Third Point wrote to Disney's CEO Bob Chapek to ask him to stop paying dividends permanently and invest the money (~$3 billion) in obtaining original content or marketing for Disney+. Disney already suspended its dividend payout in June and is expected to halt its next one as well. I'm with Third Point that Disney needs to halt paying dividends immediately for the foreseeable future - at least until the pandemic is behind us. Canceling dividends last minute each time is not a good strategy because the money can't be spent on anything if it's set to cover dividends.  However, I don't agree with Third Point's recommendation to hike up the price of Disney+. While Disney+ competes with Netflix for consumer attention, the goals of the two services are very different.  For Netflix, streaming is its entire business, the sole driver of its revenue and profits.  For Disney, Disney+ is not about earning subscription revenue; rather, ...
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Microsoft vs. Sony: The console battle and the gaming war

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Last week, Sony launched PlayStation 5 (PS5) on the same day that Microsoft dropped its Xbox Series X and S. So much for not stealing each others' thunder ;) As far as the actual hardware specs go, they are pretty on-par with each other. However, the two warring companies are approaching the growing gaming industry very differently, and competition between them will be one of the most interesting stories to watch over the coming few years. Here's a run down of where the two companies are and the very different directions that they are taking: Sony Sony is following the traditional razor and blades model that has long characterized consoles: try and not lose too much money on the consoles, and make up the difference in game licenses, its online service, and in-game purchases. It’s a model that gamers are familiar with, even if it ends up being a pricey one. In short, Sony is treating the PS5 like a console, and gamers like gamers, just as they did last generation. So, when it la...
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Why the stock market is beating expectations

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  In the early stages of the pandemic, the S&P 500 index dropped a third of its value. Since then it has roared back, soaring more than 50 percent from its low in late March and setting an all-time high last week. This seems very implausible when set against the current state of the economy and the ongoing devastation caused by the pandemic. So why is the stock market rallying in the face of a pandemic and bad economic news? Several explanations are plausible. The stock market is not the economy: The stock market represents publicly traded companies only; it’s not the whole market. Most importantly, it’s always forward looking; i.e. it’s an indicator of the future earnings of those companies and how they would fare in the future. A rising stock market indicates that investors think these companies will do better in the future. On the other hand, a falling stock indicates that investors are pessimistic about the future earnings of companies. Continued income support for the ec...
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Airtags: The ultimate brand power move

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Last week, Apple hosted its first event of the year and unveiled a slate of deliciously colorful products. But the star of the show was ... what we've been hearing rumors about for a very long time. Apple finally unveiled AirTags, little Bluetooth buttons you stick on things like wallets and keys to locate them (yep, just like Tile). They start at $29 each and will be available on April 30. AirTags use Apple's U1 chip — the same one used in iPhone 12. The chip will make AirTags trackers more accurate than those from Tile, Samsung, and Sony. Also AirTags use the "Find My" network, the same one used for Find My iPhone, Friends, etc. "Find My" is a crowdsourced network of hundreds of millions of Apple devices that can help users locate their missing tech through Bluetooth connection.  Bottom line: Apple’s powerful brand is a statement – that's currently limited to Apple devices. But with AirTags, people can slap expensive Apple labels on non-Apple products....
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