About 3.2 million consumers went to the movies Thursday-Sunday at AMC Theatres locations, setting a new “post-reopening weekend attendance record,” said the theater chain Monday. The figure included more than 2.5 million who went to AMC U.S. theaters, it said. Disney’s Black Widow grossed an estimated $80 million for its opening weekend in the U.S. and Canada, breaking the previous post-reopening record set by Universal’s F9 two weekends earlier, said AMC. Black Widow debuted simultaneously as a $29.99 premier access streaming option on Disney+.
About half of all organizations globally lacked work-from-home policies before COVID-19, but more than 80% now have them, reported the Fibre Council Global Alliance Monday. And 52% identified limited internet connectivity as the top challenge for employees suddenly thrust into a remote-work environment, it said: “Resolution of this and other challenges included changing ISPs, upgrading equipment, limiting internet use, and adjusting time of day online meetings and tasks were being conducted.”
HITN-TV reached an agreement giving Roku users access to its Edye educational entertainment programming in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries, said the media company Friday. HITN bills Edye as the first Spanish-language premium VOD subscription service for preschoolers and their parents. Users can download the Edye app through the Roku Channel store for viewing more than 70 animated series, it said.
The U.S. pay-TV industry lost more than 18 million subscribers 2014-2020, including 7 million last year, said Parks Associates Thursday. Traditional pay-TV services had about 10 million sub losses in 2020, Parks said, while overall pay-TV subscriptions fell 7 million, as virtual MVPDs gained 3 million subs, said analyst Kristen Hanich. The only pay-TV category with growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, vMVPDs now account for 16% of U.S. pay-TV households, and are expected to increase to 23 million by 2024 vs. 53 million for traditional pay-TV, Hanich said. ISPs and others operating in pay TV are looking for alternatives to traditional pay TV, said the analyst. Cable companies had some success in bundling around Wi-Fi-first mobile virtual network operator services, primarily running on Verizon’s network, Hanich noted. A Q1 Parks survey showed 4% of broadband households subscribed to Comcast Xfinity Mobile, Spectrum Mobile or Altice Mobile. With over 110 million residential and small business internet subs, U.S. ISPs can leverage the “massive subscriber base,” Hanich said.
Four in 10 multiple dwelling unit renters are interested in bulk broadband bundled with their rent; 77% of those are willing to pay higher rent in exchange for the service, reported Parks Associates Wednesday. More MDU residents show growing interest in smart home devices, with 41% of such broadband households owning at least one device vs. 34% of single-family households. Social distancing during COVID-19 revealed consumers’ dependence on reliable connectivity for telehealth, videoconferencing, banking and online fitness, said analyst Jennifer Kent.
Seventy percent of video watchers use two or three devices for viewing, 10% more than six, Kaltura reported Wednesday. TV was the most popular viewing source for 62% of respondents: Smart TVs were the top way to watch content for 38% of respondents vs. set-top boxes at 25%. And 65% of respondents listed Netflix as their most watched, followed by Amazon Prime Video and Hulu tied for second place, then Disney+, pay TV, YouTube TV, Roku, HBO Max, other and Apple TV.
The pandemic led to surging identity and account takeover fraud, reported Juniper Research Monday, saying merchant losses to online payment fraud will exceed $206 billion globally 2021-25. Remote physical goods purchases are the leading cause of online payment fraud, generating 47% of fraud losses.
Netflix continues to lead living room TV viewing, Cowen wrote investors Thursday, citing a proprietary survey showing 28% of respondents named it as the best way to view video content, “well ahead of other streaming and linear services.” YouTube was second at 15%, followed by basic cable at 10%, Amazon Prime Video at 9% and Hulu, HBO Max and Disney+ all below 7%. Nearly 13% selected “other” in the increasingly crowded over-the-top video space. Cowen analyst John Blackledge expects net paid subscriber additions of 1.2 million, which is above Netflix’s guidance of 1 million, when it reports Q2 earnings July 20. Shares are down 3% since Q1 results in April and 2% for the year, after a pandemic-fueled 67% surge last year when Netflix added 37 million subscribers. Netflix is “working through the pull forward of sub adds from the pandemic” and expects a “robust” second-half content slate, said Blackledge. Netflix's broad and growing content catalog, covering various genres, is a competitive advantage, he said.
Two-thirds of U.S. broadband households have had a remote health consultation, said Parks Associates at its virtual Connected Health conference last week. More than half of 5,000 surveyed in Q2 reported owning a connected health or fitness device that captures biometric data, it said. Analyst Kristen Hanich cited a strong correlation for consumers between familiarity with telehealth and wanting the remote diagnostics and monitoring benefits offered by connected health technology. Health systems are increasingly using AI in patient navigation and clinical decision support, said Ada Health Chief Commercial Officer Jeff Cutler. Delivering the benefits of connected health requires a “holistic view of how to harness data, the cloud, and AI” to improve healthcare experiences, costs, and patient outcomes, said Karen Holzberger, Nuance Communications general manager-diagnostics. As virtual healthcare models evolve, “understanding patient vulnerability is critical,” said John Showalter, Jvion chief product officer, referencing lifestyle choices, activity level, health literacy, social supports and connectedness. AI can point to factors that will drive a better outcome, he said.
The 2021 New York International Automobile Show is dedicating an “unprecedented” full floor to electric vehicles (EVs), chargers and consumer awareness programs, it emailed Friday. The space at the Jacob Javits Convention Center will have four indoor test tracks for consumers and media when the show opens for the press Aug. 19 and to the public Aug. 20-29. A Level 1 Electric Vehicle Test Fest will feature seven new EVs, e-bikes and scooters. Attendees will be able to take rides in new EVs from Chevrolet, Ford, Kia, Nissan, Polestar, Porsche and Volvo, said the NYIAS, which hopes to “help consumers new to electrics transition easily.” Test tracks are designed to “excite and inspire” consumers and “remove any pre-conceived notions about electric vehicle ownership,” said Auto Show Chairman John LaSorsa.