T-Mobile objected to the FCC’s data collection order, which required the nine largest Lifeline providers to submit five years of network cost data for the Wireline Bureau's Lifeline market report. The order's questionnaire "violates the Paperwork Reduction Act, exceeds the Bureau’s delegated authority, and has serious design deficiencies,” said a filing posted Friday in docket 20-437: “The exclusion of non-mobile Lifeline providers AT&T and Verizon, limits the usefulness of any data obtained.”
A Feedvisor analysis of 1,000 U.S. brands found more than three-quarters selling on Amazon, up from 55% a year ago, reported the analytics company Thursday. COVID-19 also accelerated adoption of Amazon Advertising, with 88% using the platform, up from 21% a year ago. “The growth of e-commerce during COVID-19 has substantially benefited e-marketplaces,” said Feedvisor President Dani Nadel. “Brands can no longer afford to ignore Amazon’s significance, nor can they rely solely on their owned channels.”
Promoting “standardized” messaging for the various types of direct-to-consumer digital content delivery services was the goal of an “industry terminology” list compiled by the Digital Entertainment Group’s D2C Alliance steering committee, said DEG Thursday. Thirteen terms appear on the list, all acronyms except for “linear TV.” Compiling and releasing the list was “a first step in proactively addressing key issues related to helping these digital businesses realize their full potential,” said DEG. PEST (for Premium Electronic Sell-Through) is one of the funnier acronyms on the list.
Mediacom ended 2020 with 1.44 million broadband customers, up 110,000; 643,000 video customers, a 67,000 drop; and 586,000 phone customers, down 27,000, said Q4's announcement Thursday. Revenue for the year rose 4.9% to $2.13 billion.
Fewer than a quarter of business-to-business sales reps say they're “equally effective” selling virtually amid the pandemic as they are in a live, in-person setting, reported Gartner Wednesday. It canvassed 1,100 reps September through January, finding that 93% report “experiencing significant challenges with virtual selling, … in spite of coaching” geared specifically to the virtual experience, said analyst Danielle McKinley. The survey found only 39% of sales reps report their training managers effectively use technology to coach, said Gartner: “As more sales organizations invest in sales training and coaching technologies, it will be critical to ensure they have the infrastructure in place to support and leverage the effective use of the technologies.”
Online and non-store sales are expected to rise 18%-23% this year to up to $1.2 trillion, as many large and midsize retailers made significant investments in internet capabilities, the National Retail Federation forecast Wednesday. NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said some portion of non-store sales might fall off as people decide they want to go back into stores. Pending broad administration of COVID-19 vaccines, retail growth is forecast to surge 6.5-8.2% to up to $4.4 trillion, the highest growth since 2004, said CEO Matthew Shay on a call. Shay put the vaccine front and center when asked how NRF is engaging with the Biden administration and Congress. “All of the focus is on the vaccine and vaccine distribution,” the trade association boss said of retailers.
Cinedigm quarterly revenue fell 14% to $10 million from the year-ago quarter due to COVID-19's impact on the theatrical equipment business, the company reported Monday. Its net loss soared 377% to $9.7 million. The stock fell 18% Tuesday to $1.57. Streaming is the fastest-growing segment of the entertainment business, said CEO Chris McGurk on a Q3 call Monday. The company opposes “participating directly” in the big streaming wars, he said. “Companies like Netflix and Disney and Comcast are spending billions of dollars on original content and marketing to try to build massive subscriber bases at the expense of each other.” Cinedigm focuses “on building out a widely distributed portfolio of more targeted streaming channels” to appeal to “specific enthusiast audiences,” he said. Cinedigm's strategy “is not competitive with the expensive subscription-focused Netflix and Disney+ and Peacock and all of the other major media, general entertainment channels that are at war with each other for subscribers,” said McGurk. “Our targeted enthusiast-channel approach is a perfectly complementary strategy to that of the major media, general entertainment streaming channels.”
Qualcomm introduced an augmented reality reference design Tuesday for immersive experiences. It requires less power than previous-generation models and is designed for AR viewers that connect to a smartphone, Windows PC or processing puck powered by a Snapdragon platform.
Discovery+ is “off and running” to a “fantastic start” seven weeks into its Jan. 4 launch (see 2012020049), said Discovery CEO David Zaslav on a Q4 call Monday, typifying superlatives from top executives about the early fate of the fledgling streaming service. It's on track to reach 12 million direct-to-consumer paid subscribers globally by the end of the week “across our entire portfolio,” a net increase of 7 million since December, he said. “The vast majority of this increase is attributable to discovery+.” Its rollout “has been nearly flawless,” he said. The service launched on all major smart TV platforms and devices, he said. “Stay tuned for further delivery partnerships, such as partnerships with cable operators and other connected TV platforms.” The company is partnering with Verizon on the U.S. discovery+ launch, Sky in the U.K. and Ireland, and Vodafone in some European markets. All “key operating metrics” about discovery+ are “pointing in the right direction,” he said. Strong subscriber “retention” is evident, he said. The company is encouraged by “good numbers about people once they know about” discovery+, he said. Management rebuffed analysts’ requests for discovery+ forecasts. “We’re still not in a position to give long-term or short-term subscriber guidance,” said Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels. “We’re super-happy with what we’re seeing, top to bottom, ahead of expectations. We have a lot of distribution still coming down the pike. We’re really just getting started internationally, so that’s on the positive side. I don’t think there’s a lot of value of us discussing scenarios here.” The stock closed 8.9% higher Monday at $55.29.
T-Mobile launched an unlimited premium smartphone plan geared to 5G’s capacity and speed. Magenta Max, available Wednesday, will offer unlimited data for 4G and 5G networks, along with 40 GB of high-speed mobile hot spot data, said the carrier Monday. The plan features 4K streaming and Netflix on Us, including for single-line customers. AT&T and Verizon customers can get up to $650 and pay no device switching costs when they bring their own phones, it said. T-Mobile is also upgrading the core Magenta plan, doubling premium data to 100 GB and extending mobile hot spot data from 3 GB to 5 GB, it said. Magenta Max is $57 per month per line for three lines; under a limited-time promotion, it will be available for $47 per line per month for three lines, with autopay.