Home

Subscriber

U.S. Wireless Revenue Climbs 11% in '05; 25 Million Subscribers Added

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 27, 2006 - 10:29am.
Arlington, Va. - Wireless revenue in the U.S. totaled $174.7 billion last year, up nearly 11% from the prior year, according to new statistics from the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). The organization said that carriers added 25 million new subscribers during the year -- the highest number ever. Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population has now subscribed to a wireless service. The TIA said that it expects the overall wireless market to grow by an average of 11% a year through 2009, when revenues are predicted to top $265 billion.
tags: Subscriber | Climb | U.S | Wireless Revenue | 11%% | 25 Million Subscribers Added | '05 |

Dijji to Distribute Napster Ringtones to MetroPCS Subscribers

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 23, 2006 - 11:31am.
Seattle - Mobile entertainment publisher Dijji said on Thursday that it has launched the Napster Ringtones service with MetroPCS, a mobile network operator with over 2 million customers in San Francisco, Miami, Tampa, Atlanta and Sacramento. Seattle-based Dijji also distributes Napster Ringtones through Cingular, T-Mobile, Alltel, Rogers Wireless, Fido and Telus.
tags: Ringtones | Napster | Subscriber | MetroPCS | Distribution | Dijji |

Report: Wireless Carriers Add 25 Million U.S. Subscribers in '05

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 23, 2006 - 3:02am.

Arlington, Va. - Wireless revenue in the U.S. totaled $174.7 billion last year, up nearly 11% from the prior year, according to new statistics from the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). The organization said that carriers added 25 million new subscribers during the year -- the highest number ever. Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population has now subscribed to a wireless service. The TIA said that it expects the overall wireless market to grow by an average of 11% a year through 2009, when revenues are predicted to top $265 billion.
http://www.tiaonline.org/business/media/press_releases/2006/PR06-17.cfm
tags: Subscriber | '05 | Wireless Carriers | Add | 25 Million |

Sirius Posts Wider Loss Despite Strong Subscriber Growth

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 17, 2006 - 7:28am.
New York - Sirius Satellite Radio, a provider of subscription radio programming, on Friday posted a bigger loss than expected, citing promotional costs for the launch of Howard Stern's show, while expanding its subscriber base at a faster pace last quarter than rival XM. Sirius posted a fourth quarter loss of $311.4 million, while its revenue tripled, to $80 million. The company ended the year with 3.3 million subscribers, and projects it will count 6 million by the end of 2006; the 1.14 million subscribers it added in the fourth quarter outpaced rival XM's 898,000 new subscribers. For Sirius, subscriber acquisition costs in the fourth quarter were $113, compared with $89 for XM. Shares of XM fell yesterday, after the company reported higher losses and the resignation of board member Pierce Roberts Jr., who voiced concerns the company was spending too much to attract subscribers.
tags: Sirius | Subscriber | Loss | Despite | Growth |

RealNetworks Doubles Music Subscribers, Names New CFO

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 15, 2006 - 9:47am.
Seattle - RealNetworks, a provider of media delivery technology and subscription services, announced on Wednesday that it counted 1.4 million subscribers for its digital music services at the end of 2005, double the 700,000 it claimed a year earlier. The company's music revenue was $26.1 million in the fourth quarter, up 29% from a year ago, while games revenue was $15.7 million, an increase of 52%. The company also said it has named Michael Eggers as its new chief financial officer. Eggers, who joined RealNetworks in 1997 from KPMG, replaces Roy Goodman, who will remain with the company assisting with treasury, investor relations and other finance functions.
tags: Music | RealNetworks | CFO | Subscriber | New |

Napster Adds 66,000 Subscribers, Posts Loss of $17 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 9, 2006 - 3:45am.
Los Angeles - Napster announced on Thursday that it added 66,000 subscribers during its third fiscal quarter, ended Dec. 31, 2005, and now claims in excess of 500,000 subscribers to its digital music service. The company's revenue of $23.5 million during the quarter was nearly double the $12.1 million it reported a year earlier; however, Napster posted a loss of $17 million for the period. The loss was partly attributed to a 68% increase in marketing expenditures, from $9.2 million to $15.4 million. In a conference call with investors, Napster CEO Chris Gorog denied recent rumors that the company was seeking a buyer, or that it planned layoffs beyond its recent dismissal of some middle managers, the Associated Press reported. Gorog also said that the company has enough cash on hand to operate through 2007.
tags: Napster | Subscriber | Loss | Post |

Blockbuster to Miss Subscriber Target for Online DVD Rental Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 7, 2005 - 7:39am.
Dallas - Video rental giant Blockbuster announced this week that it will miss its projected goal of having 2 million subscribers to its online DVD rental service by the first quarter of 2006. The company now expects Blockbuster Online to reach that mark later in 2006. Rival Netflix, which created the market for online DVD rentals, said last week that it now counts 3.6 million subscribers. Outside of online rentals, Blockbuster said revenue fell 1% during the third quarter of 2005, bettering an overall decrease of 11.7% in the video rental market during the quarter, according to market research firm Rentrak.
tags: Internet | Subscriber | Blockbuster | Online DVD Rental Service |

Sirius Satellite Radio Raises 2005 Subscriber Estimates

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 2, 2005 - 6:41am.
New York -- Sirius Satellite Radio has announced that it expects to add 300,000 more subscribers by the end of the year than previously anticipated. Sirius, which added 366,000 subscribers last quarter to increase its total to 1.81 million, now says it expects to finish the year with 3 million subscribers, up from previous estimates of 2.7 million. By comparison, rival XM Satellite Radio currently has 4.4 million subscribers and expects to have 6 million by year's end. Sirius, which is preparing to launch shows from such notable personalities as Howard Stern and Martha Stewart, reported $52.2 million in revenue last quarter, quadruple the amount of a year ago, but also a net loss of $177.5 million. The company said that it expects to turn cash-flow positive in late 2006. http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050802/nytu049.html
tags: Deals | Subscriber | Sirius Satellite Radio | Estimates |

Sirius Satellite Radio Raises 2005 Subscriber Estimates

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 2, 2005 - 6:41am.
New York -- Sirius Satellite Radio has announced that it expects to add 300,000 more subscribers by the end of the year than previously anticipated. Sirius, which added 366,000 subscribers last quarter to increase its total to 1.81 million, now says it expects to finish the year with 3 million subscribers, up from previous estimates of 2.7 million. By comparison, rival XM Satellite Radio currently has 4.4 million subscribers and expects to have 6 million by year's end. Sirius, which is preparing to launch shows from such notable personalities as Howard Stern and Martha Stewart, reported $52.2 million in revenue last quarter, quadruple the amount of a year ago, but also a net loss of $177.5 million. The company said that it expects to turn cash-flow positive in late 2006. http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050802/nytu049.html
tags: Deals | Subscriber | Sirius Satellite Radio | Estimates |

Netflix Shares Rise 15% on Revised Q4 Subscriber, Revenue Projections

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 18, 2004 - 4:56am.
Los Gatos, Calif. -- Online DVD rental service Netflix on Thursday raised its subscriber and revenue projections for the fourth quarter of 2004, sending shares of the company up nearly 15% in trading on Thursday. Netflix now expects to end the quarter with between 2.45 million and 2.65 million subscribers, up from earlier projections of 2.3-2.5 million. It also now expects revenue of $139 million to $143 million, as compared with an earlier forecast of $138-$142 million. However, the company did lower its income guidance slightly, citing increased costs of acquiring the new subscribers. Last month, Netflix slashed the price of its DVD rental service from $21.99 to $17.99, in the face of competition from Blockbuster and Wal-Mart. "We're impressed with the demand for our service at our new price points. Although it is still early in the quarter, subscriber growth is exceeding our earlier expectations, churn appears to be heading toward historical lows, and U.S. SAC should be in the neighborhood of last quarter," said Netflix CEO Reed Hastings. "The strategy of rapid subscriber growth we announced last month is working."
tags: VC | Netflix | Subscriber | Revenue | Q4 |

Netflix Ups 2003 Subscriber Projections; Shares Jump 13%

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 18, 2003 - 4:44am.
Los Gatos, Calif. -- Online DVD rental service Netflix on Wednesday raised its guidance for the number of subscribers it expects to count by the end of the year from between 1,425,000 to 1,475,000, to between 1,470,000 and 1,495,000. The company now also expects revenue of $80 million to $82 million, up from its earlier projection of from $77 million to $81 million. Shares of Los Gatos, Calif.-based Neflix leapt nearly 13% Wednesday on the news.
tags: Netflix | Subscriber | Shares |

Verizon Asks Judge to Suspend Order for Subscriber Data in RIAA Dispute

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 14, 2003 - 3:12am.
Washington -- Internet service provider Verizon Wireless on Thursday tried to convince a federal judge to postpone his order compelling the company to turn over the identity of an alleged music file-trader to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), while the company seeks an appeal of the ruling to a higher court. The RIAA served Verizon a subpoena for the subscriber data under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, claiming the subscriber is a copyright infringer, but Verizon argued that the RIAA should have to go through a tougher process to gain access to its subscribers' private data. Verizon said that if U.S. District Judge John Bates does not suspend his order, it will appeal to a higher court for a suspension.
tags: Verizon | RIAA | Subscriber | Suspend |

Verizon to Appeal Ruling Ordering Subscriber's Identity Revealed to RIAA

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 22, 2003 - 5:29am.
Washington -- Internet service provider Verizon has announced it plans to appeal a U.S. District Court Judge's ruling on Tuesday, ordering the company to turn over the identity of a subscriber to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which subpoenaed the information because it believes the subscriber is distributing copyrighted music on file-sharing systems. Verizon refused to comply with the subpoena because it believes "the alleged infringing material must actually reside on Verizon's system or network for the subpoena to be valid." "Verizon is not attempting to shield customers who break copyright laws," said Sarah B. Deutsch, vice president and associate general counsel for Verizon. "[This ruling] opens the door for anyone who makes a mere allegation of copyright infringement to gain complete access to private subscriber information without the due process protections afforded by the courts."
tags: Verizon | RIAA | Subscriber | Identity |