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Netflix snatches 9 millionth subscriber, says Watch Instantly still not profitable

by Darren Murph posted Dec 18th 2008 at 7:02PM


While snagging 500,000 Blu-ray subscribers is admirable, the big picture helps to explain Netflix's dominance even more. Sometime during the third quarter of 2008, the rental giant managed to secure its nine millionth customer. Needless to say, the DVD rental portion of the business is doing just fine, but CFO Barry McCarthy confessed that its Watch Instantly digital delivery aspect was still "a tax on the P&L." Essentially, he reiterated that it was an investment in the future, noting that if it didn't start it, someone else would have. He also proclaimed that more content could easily be added to its library of online-accessible titles, but that it wouldn't come free. At present time, we suspect Watch Instantly isn't really hurting for users, which means you could very well be hurting for a new wave of content for some time to come.

AT&T hits goal of one million U-verse TV subscribers

by Darren Murph posted Dec 16th 2008 at 3:21PM


Just a day after announcing that U-verse TV was lit in select areas of Raleigh and Orlando, AT&T has reached its long-time goal of securing one million U-verse TV subscribers before the end of 2008. And yeah, the outfit's chief executive of telecom operations totally called this last week, but we're willing to bet he had access to some pretty confidential (and telling) figures. At any rate, the milestone has been hit less than 2.5 years after the service first launched, reaching some 79 major markets in 16 states. Kudos AT&T -- now how's about you get those expansion efforts moving forward at a frantic pace? You know you want two million by July.

DirecTV gives recession the cold shoulder, sees increased profits in Q3

by Darren Murph posted Nov 7th 2008 at 3:17PM


While many mega-corps are struggling just to make ends meet, DirecTV is basking in the glow of a rather awesome Q3. The satcaster proudly announced that it saw revenues increase by 15% to $4.98 billion, all while operating profit scooted up 16% to $658 million and net income shot up 14% to $363 million. As has been the trend of late, a fair chunk of its good fortunes came from subscribers opting for "premium" services, which is a fancy way of saying that customers are totally digging HDTV, HD DVRs and video-on-demand. Oh, and now that HD is live in Latin America, we actually wouldn't be surprised to see a fruitful Q4 just a few months from now. Recession? What recession?

[Image courtesy of DayLife]

Verizon adds 233,000 net new FiOS TV customers in Q3, up to 1.6 million total

by Darren Murph posted Nov 1st 2008 at 11:55PM


Man, this is just downright eerie. If you'll recall, AT&T managed to add 232,000 net U-verse subscribers in Q3. Lo and behold, its biggest fiber rival (that'd be Verizon) added 233,000 net new FiOS TV customers in the same quarter. Coincidences aside, Verizon's pretty proud of its current position in the market, now claiming 1.6 million FiOS TV subscribers and offering the service for sale to 8.2 million premises in the United States. Just for comparisons sake, the outfit only had 700,000 subs at the end of Q3 2007, and it added just 176,000 newcomers in Q2 2008. In related news, it also managed to acquire 225,000 net new FiOS internet customers, and with cable companies jacking up rates left and right, we wouldn't be shocked at all to see even more frustrated pay-TV users make the leap to fiber in Q4.

FreeSat sells 100,000 boxes -- can we get some more HD content now?

by Darren Murph posted Sep 30th 2008 at 6:19PM


Alright -- what's a bloke got to do to get some more HD? Clearly the demand is growing, as evidenced by the 100,000th FreeSat box being gleefully picked up and used to catch a meager amount of free HDTV material. Since launching just five months ago, the free-to-air satellite service has captivated quite a few citizens, though we're left wondering what it will really take to get more content providers to push their material on the service. 500,000 subs? A million?

Poll: Are you intentionally delaying an HDTV purchase?

by Darren Murph posted Aug 23rd 2008 at 12:00PM


We already heard that prices were still a huge determining factor in flat-panel purchasing decisions (surprise, surprise, right?), but with new reports asserting that a sweet two-fer of price drops could be on the way, we're curious as to what you're doing. Are you intentionally duct taping your index finger away from the left-click button? Are you buying anyway? Or might you replace that mildly aged set (or add another in the bed- / guestroom) if the prices are low enough? Let us know your game plan in the poll below.

[Image courtesy of ABC]

Are you intentionally delaying an HDTV purchase?

Australia's Foxtel nets 40,000 new subscribers since HD+ launch

by Darren Murph posted Aug 13th 2008 at 9:37PM


Only a few months have passed since Australia's Foxtel launched its HD+ service, and judging by the numbers, Aussies are warming to high-def. The carrier just posted a 17% rise in revenue (up to $1.7 billion), and it's expecting the numbers to remain high as more consumers cave to the temptation of high-definition programming. Furthermore, 40,000 new users have signed on since the HD+ launch, and the average revenue per user has skyrocketed to nearly $85 per month "as a result of a higher take-up of additional services such as Foxtel iQ." There's no specific mention of additional HD channels, but given that bigwigs surely realize how critical they are to revenue growth, we can't imagine them not giving you folks a few more here shortly.

AT&T finally breaks the half million mark with U-verse customers

by Darren Murph posted Jul 25th 2008 at 11:26AM


AT&T's U-verse still isn't a clear cut winner in the world of HD carriers, but it sure got a lot more attractive with the recent rollout of 2 HD / 2SD -- which enabled users to record one high-def program while watching another (or record two HD shows simultaneously). During Q2 2008, the company managed to pick up 170,000 new U-verse subscribers (versus 148,000 in Q1 2008), and since it closed 2007 with 231,000, it has more than doubled its customer base (549,000) in half a year. At its current rate, it'll be tight to make its goal of one million subscribers by the end of 2008, but it might just get there. Can't say our faith was nearly as high just six months prior.

[Via HD-Report]

AT&T has secured 379,000 U-verse TV subscribers

by Darren Murph posted Apr 30th 2008 at 8:04PM


While Verizon was busy acquiring over a quarter-million new FiOS TV customers during Q1 2008, AT&T wasn't resting on its laurels. The company managed to pick up 148,000 new U-verse TV customers in the same period, pushing the 231,000 it ended 2007 with up to a new total of 379,000. Potentially more interesting is the firm's intentions to still hit the long-standing goal of netting a million subscribers before 2009 dawns, and as if that wasn't bold enough, it's looking to pass approximately 30 million living units by the end of 2010 (it's at 9 million now). Of course, we aren't discounting the company's ability to do so -- after all, it is rolling out service to a plethora of new locales at a pretty brisk rate -- but with the inability to record two HD channels at once, we can't see it really catching on until a few more limitations are lifted.

Best Buy sets out to help pay customers' DirecTV bills

by Darren Murph posted Mar 3rd 2008 at 5:17PM


We've kvetched quite heavily about the misconception that an HDTV sans HD service can turn SD content into HD, so we suppose we can't harsh on Best Buy too much for attempting to push a little high-def service onto its HDTV-buying customers. Effective immediately, the big box retailer is agreeing to pay $30 of a customer's DTV bill for three months when activating any new DirecTV service, six months when adding HD Access and buying an HDTV under $999, or a full year if adding HD Access and purchasing an HDTV $999 or higher. Unfortunately, the deal is set to expire on June 24th, so those even remotely interested don't have too awfully long to hem and haw.

[Image courtesy of Divaris]

AT&T ends 2007 with 231000 U-verse subscribers

by Darren Murph posted Jan 29th 2008 at 7:32AM


Make no mistake, the number 231,000 in and of itself isn't exactly valuable, but considering that AT&T is aiming to secure one million subscribers to its fiber-based U-verse service before this year comes to a close, it certainly comes into perspective. Just months ago, AT&T was reporting that it had 126,000 U-verse customers and was handling around 10,000 installs per week. Currently, the carrier is suggesting that it's over one-fourth of the way to its goal, but considering that "just" 12,000 installs per week are being done now, it's not exactly on track to hit that million. 'Course, if it keeps on rolling U-verse out to new markets at a furious pace, we suppose anything could happen, but it's not like the provider hasn't overshot estimates in the past.

Verizon grabs one million FiOS TV subscribers

by Darren Murph posted Jan 28th 2008 at 1:40PM


Just months after Verizon celebrated two years of FiOS, and merely four days after celebrating the same for New York, the firm has found yet another reason to boogie down. After a "banner 2007" and a presumably successful January 2008, the outfit has finally netted its one millionth FiOS TV subscriber. The milestone makes it the tenth largest cable provider in the United States, and considering that Mediacom is holding down the nine spot with 1.3 million, we'd say VZW is well on its way into single digits on the leaderboard. Meanwhile, that other fiber-based television carrier is aiming to hit the same mark before 2008 draws to a close.

OTA antenna sales skyrocket, cable subscribers jump ship

by Darren Murph posted Dec 5th 2007 at 9:43PM

One could certainly argue the actual link between OTA antenna sales going through the roof while some one million cable subscribers decided to ditch their service this year, but nevertheless, that's exactly what has happened. Richard Schneider, President of Antennas Direct, saw his Terrestrial Digital brand of antenna sales "triple" during the same time period in which the cable industry lost two-percent of its market share, and while there's a very real possibility some of those folks opted for fiber or satellite-based alternatives, we've no doubt that some just decided to make do with the crystal clear, uncompressed HD locals; furthermore, new satellite subscribers in areas without HD locals would be awfully tempted to pick up an OTA antenna to complement their service. Of course, teaching the HD illiterate how to install and use one is a whole 'nother matter.

Consumers still baffled about HD content, channel options

by Darren Murph posted Dec 10th 2006 at 12:55PM

After several years of this "HD thing" being around, we'd assume that the general public would begin to catch on and understand the completely unnecessary, yet very prevalent confusions that simply come with owning and operating an HDTV. Apparently there's still a vast majority of potential HDTV buyers and current owners that are still miffed when it comes to fully understanding how to setup, tweak, operate, and enjoy their new set. Research posted in USA Today states that while "about 15-percent" of American homes have an HD-capable television, less than half of them said that their purchase was influenced by wanting to catch their favorite shows in high definition. While we've certainly seen reports showing that we Americans can't get enough once we get a taste, it appears that a staggering amount of owners either don't know how to correctly receive HD content, or simply believe that "digital cable" equates to "high definition." Surveyors attribute the "confusing nature" of actually getting HD content into your home as the primary culprit, as cable and satellite companies don't exactly go the extra mile to clarify the technological mumbo jumbo while siphoning your cash. Notably, many HDTV purchasers were buying in with "gaming and / or DVD viewing" atop their list of priorities, presumably satisfied with stretch-o-vision when watching plain ole TV. Sure, some firms have reached out to addlepated consumers in hopes of clearing up some of the myths, but it seems that there's still a ways to go before the general public can truly grasp the nature of HD.




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