Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Facebook's latest ambition: becoming a hub for TV-style content

It’s a small price to pay for a company with more than $32 billion in cash and marketable securities — compared with about $1.2 billion for Netflix — to establish itself as a prime destination in the new age of TV, analysts say.

“Facebook’s business model has been built around driving users to access Facebook multiple times per day,” said Brett Sappington, director of research of consulting firm Parks Associates.

Nearly every time they come, users see ads — and each video ad can bring in up to 10 times the cash of the standard image-and-text variety.

“This move is more about how to keep users immersed in the Facebook experience and watching more ads,” Sappington said.

Many users will use multiple apps to watch videos, including YouTube and Snapchat, but Facebook doesn’t want to cede too much ground.

From the article "Facebook's latest ambition: becoming a hub for TV-style content" by David Pierson and Paresh Dave.

Previously In The News

HBO Is Replacing Its Cable TV Option In Spain With A New Streaming Service

The initiative is an ambitious play, but it makes sense. Spain has lower cable subscriber rates than the US and a large amount of online piracy. So HBO is sacrificing its licensing revenue to appeal t...

FCC Plan Would Give Consumer Control Of Set-top Box

And cable industry analyst Brett Sappington, of Parks Associates in Dallas, said that companies like Tivo already offer third-party cable set-top boxes, but few consumers purchase them. “Many don’t...

Action Cams Are For Birthday Parties Not Bungee Jumping

Wearable cameras such as the GoPro may be advertised as the must-have audio-visual accessory for extreme sport thrill-seekers, but according to new research, their most common uses are much more munda...

Amazon's New Netflix Competitor Is A Bad Deal For Most People

This move brings Amazon's video service into more direct competitor with services like Netflix and Hulu. But a little simple math shows that it actually isn't a great deal unless you plan on cancel...