AMC Networks Misses Numbers - Time To Sell?

AMC Networks released their Q4 numbers and the Dish drop had a big effect on numbers.  "AMC Networks says it generated $15.2M in net income in the quarter, -48.5%".  Obviously, the networks are back on Dish but the damage was done.  In addition, AMC has announced a new syndication deal, selling one of their signature series, Breaking Bad, to Sundance Channel in an attempt to bolster their ratings.

So the question remains, is it time to sell the channels? Unless AMC and its sister channels have another new series up their sleeves, capable of getting the kind of ratings Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, and Mad Men have been generating, the timing may be ripe to sell while the network is hot.

Second Screen Alive And Well At The Oscars

For those of us that are fans of big TV events like the Oscars, watching these telecasts have become a lot more interesting because of second screens like Twitter.  I admit to personally reading and writing tweets during the telecast on Sunday. And I am not alone.  "Viewers of Sunday's 85th Academy Awards generated 8.9 million Oscars-related tweets. Twitter users sent 2.1 million tweets during the red carpet and 6.8 million during the awards show, according to Twitter."

At first, my interest was in reading what others had to say about the pre-show and awards in real time.  It was water cooler talk and jokes offered immediately.  No longer was it necessary to wait to the  next day to see if friends saw and thought the same things about what was on air.  But the more you read tweets, some good, some bad, most a bit snarky, you find yourself wanting to contribute as well to the conversation.  In fact, I think it made the telecast more entertaining as a result.  

I understand too that folks attending the festivities were using other sites, like Facebook, Vine,and Instagram to share pictures and videos of the action.  For those seeking a more immersive Oscar experience, the second screen was added value.  Yet for the networks offering these live showcases, the concern may be how to personally profit from their use.  They may generate an increase in viewership; Oscar ratings were up for both E! and ABC for their shows.  But, I am sure they would love to control the second screen app being used to interact.  With it comes more ad dollars and more revenue to the  respective networks.  And that is always a good thing.  In fact, I'm happy to discuss some ideas any time.  

Nook Strategy Not Working

Barnes & Noble attempt at building a digital strategy appears to have lost its footing.  Despite the world moving to tablet devices, Nook has not been able to capture a market share and produce a growing business.  "Navigating the digital revolution has been a tougher initiative for Barnes & Noble, as its Nook e-readers and tablets face stiff competition from Amazon, Google and Apple."  So what went right and what went wrong.

Analyzing the landscape, B&N already felt the competition from Amazon and other retailers in the book-selling marketplace.  But B&N also has been building out their merchandising to keep audiences coming to their stores.  And financially, the bookstores have been staying profitable.  Stores also kept adding more and more retail space to sell Nook devices.  But that also tends to directly hurt the hard copy side of the business.  Still it was a move to keep B&N customers as they transition from print to digital.

As nice as e-readers may be, the consumer quickly grew to prefer full featured tablets to e-readers.  Apple's iPad has the largest market share and Amazon was farther ahead with its infrastructure of apps and content.  Worse, the partnership with Microsoft never seemed to take a big step forward, especially when they introduced their own tablet, the Surface.  Nor did Microsoft embrace using the B&N retail space to help roll out the Surface and make Nook their official reading app.  Whatever financial support Microsoft gave to Nook never seemed to have a consumer connection.

Now comes word that B&N may split the company moving out the Nook and college bookstore businesses into separate entities.  Not being tied to the Nook may let B&N strike other partnership deals with other hardware providers.  And hopefully a leaner Barnes & Noble may be able to add another merchandising partner to their stores.  Perhaps a call from Amazon or Google may be a good start.

Sports Programming Causes Higher Cable Fees

Players demand higher salaries, owners want bigger profits, ticket prices go up and so does the cost of TV rights to air games.  And ultimately, the payer of all these fees is us the consumer.  So it is that cause and effect that has led cable operators to raise their monthly cable subscription rates to consumers taking sports programming.  "DIRECTV last September added a $3 monthly sports fee to the bills of new customers in roughly 20 percent of U.S. markets. ... Verizon followed DIRECTV's lead, adding a $2.42 surcharge for sports in select markets with all markets getting it by April."  And third on the list is Cablevision, adding $3 a month to cable bills for rising sports costs.  

None of the articles I read mentioned particularly which sports networks were in this package.  Was it just the regional sports networks (RSN) like YES or SNY in New York or did it also include national sports networks like ESPN.  Still, the question will be, will consumers accept this high increase to their monthly bill or will it only lead to more cord shaving and cord cutting.  Will consumers stop taking the sports package or go as far as to stop taking their cable subscription all together?  The one fact is crystal clear, cable rates are not going down and as each cable operator follows suit with these higher package fees, the web may be the only escape. 

Yahoo Refresh

As many companies have learned, it is hard to stay cool and hip.  Just ask MTV, AOL, Microsoft, even Apple and Yahoo.  To stay relevant, one must continually innovate and capture new interest.  With each new age group comes new challenges to capture their loyalty.  And as all companies have learned, once you do get to the top of the hill, it is easier to fall then to continue to climb.

Yahoo hopes it can recapture the glory of old through its latest refresh.  "Yahoo Inc is rolling out a revamped look for its website aimed at making the Web portal more modern and attractive to users."  With Marissa Meyer on board as the the newest CEO, her challenge is to keep growing her  metrics while improving a slumping revenue stream.  Can Yahoo find growth amid increased competition from social media sites and other content portal sites?  Certainly there needs to be some secret sauce to get viewers to seek out taste Yahoo again.  With so many sites offering articles and videos and social sharing, Yahoo needs something unique and exclusive that intrigues enough people to check it out.  And that hot new thing for all companies remains elusive and hard  to capture.

Nick Has The App For That

I believe that Nickelodeon's slower entry into the mobile app space just might pay off.  Rather than rush in with an assumption of their users' behavior, "Nickelodeon has spent the last two years asking 9- and 10-year-olds what they want to watch on the iPad. The result: Very little actual television."  And judging by my own kids' behavior, I couldn't agree more.  "Instead of simply making its programs available on tablets, Nickelodeon designed its first app as a noisy, colorful smorgasbord of animated clips, irreverent music videos and the occasional deluge of the network’s trademark green slime."

My daughter falls right into their world and while we watch all the shows, either live or on DVR, her online use is not about watching the same shows; rather, online she is playing games, interacting with friends, and watching clips.  As the majority of her online use is in the home, her iPad doesn't replace the TV, it provides its own unique added value.  It is clear that the Nickelodeon app is designed to do the same, to expand the value of the brand through other means, not long form shows.  Not that those shows should be ignored on the device; for the sake of TV Everywhere, making shows available makes sense.  It just shouldn't be the centerpiece of the app's value.

"Nickelodeon’s strategy — based on extras rather than episodes — signals how Viacom may approach apps for its other cable channels, including MTV, Comedy Central and VH1. Until this week, Viacom had not introduced authenticated apps for its channels, unlike Time Warner’s HBO and its popular HBO Go app."  Will an adult's use mimic a child's, I'm not sure.  But I do believe that it involves being creative, ever changing, and always seeking to build the next big thing.  As "Harlem Shake" has proved, anything can go viral and kids love discovering the next cool thing.  For that matter, so do adults. 

Google Wants A Retail Presence

The web scared away brick and mortar businesses.  Many are gone or facing collapse because of the rise of online businesses.  Sharper Image and Circuit City are gone while Best Buy is having trouble surviving.  Many complain that Amazon has been able to under price because they don't have the same expenses as a brick and mortar retailer.  Computer and electronic retailers are having trouble, all but one.  Apple continues to thrive while others have suffered.  And Google wants to prove that they can compete is this space too.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is ready to follow Apple and Microsoft into the retail space.  "As the report points out, Google would have several options for technology to showcase in potential stores, such as Chromebook laptops and Google TV."  But following Apple may not be easy.  Even Ron Johnson hasn't been able to take the learnings from his days at Apple to growing the J.C. Penny retail presence.  But that may not stop Google.

It may be hard for Google to build a retail brand.  Apple sells just Apple products; Google may own Motorola but they also license their software to other brands.  A Google store might simple end up looking like another Best Buy.  How Google differentiates its store may be difficult.  Apple controls the pricing of its products, whether at their store, at Target, or online; Google  may not be able to control the price of products and so their store may not be able to provide the same or better price than elsewhere.  And that might ultimately limit the success of their retail business.

Known By The E-Mail We Keep

Do you judge others by the e-mail provider they keep?  And does the email we use say anything about who we are.  I expect that most people keep more than one email addresses.  For some it is as simple as a work email and a personal one.  For others, different email addresses for different purposes, one for close friends, one for applications like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and commerce sites like Amazon and E-Bay.  An email address for every occasion.  And some of us have emails that have been around forever but because everyone we know has it, it has become hard to give up. Count folks that have Netscape, AOL, and Hotmail.  But it is time to remove one of those from the list.

"Microsoft said Tuesday it had begun switching Hotmail accounts to Outlook.com as it officially launches its revamped email service."  Hotmail email addresses are now set to become outlook.com.  Alert the friends. Change the preferences.  RIP Hotmail.

Will Dolan's Sell AMC Networks?

It is hard to be an independent network, that is, one that doesn't have a big media empire behind it.  It is especially true for single nets looking for a spot on the channel line-up of a big cable provider.  No leverage, niche ratings, and the need to get noticed.  For larger networks, and companies with multiple nets to offer, a hit show or two can help one network to propel its smaller sister networks along. 

With AMC Networks, the appeal has been great shows like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead; but, for its siblings, IFC, WE, Sundance, the terms of the deal always seem to tie around AMC.  And yet fights do happen.  The most recent, with Dish Network, was only settled and the networks restored to the line-up, because of Voom litigation.  But the fight with other cable providers continues.   And now that AMC Networks has spun itself off from its former parent, Cablevision, offers of carriage on Long Island is harder to accomplishment.

And many have speculated before that one day the AMC Networks would be sold.  That they actually spun off into a separate company was considered to be a first steps to maximize the value for eventual sale.  With the fight for renewals only getting more and more acrimonious and the concern that another hit show might not be in the makings, the timing might now be right.  "Comcast Corp., News Corp. and CBS Corp. are likely buyers due to AMC’s record of developing hit shows, BTIG LLC said."  And as some have speculated, the timing may be right.