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Samsung’s Galaxy Note10+ is a big-screen powerhouse with a big price tag

Samsung's Galaxy Note10+ is a powerful smartphone with a big price tag.

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  Netflix is losing steam as rival OTT services light up the streaming space: forecast

  Yahoo Finance
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  Hulu and Amazon Prime Video chip away at Netflix's dominance

  TechCrunch

Netflix is losing steam as rival OTT services light up the streaming space: forecast

While Netflix remains the most popular subscription service, rivals like Hulu and Amazon Prime Video are stealing share, according to eMarketer's latest OTT forecast.

Should You Like Microsoft Corporation’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) High Return On Capital Employed?

Today we'll look at Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and reflect on its potential as an investment. To be precise...

Ross Stores Inc (ROST) Q2 2019 Earnings Call Transcript

ROST earnings call for the period ending June 30, 2019.

Here's Why Netflix's Subscriber Growth Will Rebound in Q3

This isn't the first time the streaming giant has whiffed on subscriber numbers, and it doesn't mean the sky is falling.

Ross Stores (ROST) Tops Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates

Ross Stores (ROST) delivered earnings and revenue surprises of 1.79% and 0.23%, respectively, for the quarter ended July 2019. Do the numbers hold clues to what lies ahead for the stock?

Have Insiders Been Buying Fox Corporation (NASDAQ:FOXA) Shares?

We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly...

Netflix’s Streaming Dominance Is at a Crossroads, New Shows Coming

Netflix's streaming dominance will face its biggest test this September. Soaring competition is increasingly becoming a threat in the industry.

Zoom Video Communications: 4 Things to Watch In the Next Earnings Report

Zoom's valuation corresponds to high expectations.

Slack Stock: Will a ‘Buy’ Rating and Soros’s Entry Help?

Today, Slack (WORK) opened 4.5% higher after MKM Partners analyst Rohit Kulkarni gave Slack stock a "buy" rating with a target price of $40.

GameStop Jumps After Reports ‘Big Short's’ Burry is Long

Investing.com - Shares of GameStop (NYSE:GME) surged in midday trade on Thursday after Barron’s reported that investor Michael Burry is long on the stock.

Salesforce Reports After The Bell: Impact of Tableau Acquistion Anticipated

Salesforces acquisition of Tableau has caused a lot of uncertainty for shareholders and investors. The stock has underperformed the industry and the broader market.

Ross Stores Earnings, Revenue Beat in Q2

Investing.com - Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) reported second quarter earnings that beat analysts' expectations on Thursday and revenue that topped forecasts.

The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Celgene, Gilead, Vertex, Sarepta and Regeneron

The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Celgene, Gilead, Vertex, Sarepta and Regeneron

BeiGene's NDA for Zanubrutinib Gets Priority Review From FDA

The FDA grants priority review to BeiGene's (BGNE) NDA seeking approval for zanubrutinib as a treatment for mantle cell lymphoma.

Company News for Aug 22, 2019

Companies In The News Are: HD, BA, MSFT, TSLA

Can the Minecraft Deal Boost Microsoft's Gaming Segment?

Microsoft's new partnership with Nvidia could give its gaming segment a much-needed push.

Why Is United Technologies (UTX) Down 5.2% Since Last Earnings Report?

United Technologies (UTX) reported earnings 30 days ago. What's next for the stock? We take a look at earnings estimates for some clues.

Honeywell (HON) Strengthens Forge for Buildings Platform

Honeywell's (HON) suite of solutions uses IoT connectivity, interoperable systems and data sharing, as well as adaptive workflows to convert inputs and information into actionable insights.

Florida, California Towns Lack Path to Safety From Storms, Fires

(Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. Florida and California, two states with wide exposure to natural disasters, lack critical evacuation routes in some areas for residents to flee.Among the 100 American communities with the most-constrained evacuation routes, 20 are in Florida and 14 in California, according to a report released Thursday by StreetLight Data Inc., which analyzes traffic patterns using data from mobile devices. Arizona ranks third with eight towns, followed by Washington and Texas with six each.The report comes as California heads into another wildfire season with officials still sorting out the damage from the deadliest fire in state history less than a year ago, and the Atlantic hurricane season already underway in the east.StreetLight uses machine-learning algorithms to analyze data from millions of mobile devices to help city planners and businesses better track transportation patterns and understand the infrastructure needed to prepare for emergencies.The study was conducted on the San Francisco-based company’s platform using location data from phones and global positioning system devices, which were aggregated and normalized to show travel patterns. The evacuation-route study looked at 30,000 U.S. areas with populations under 40,000 using data collected this month.The difficulty of evacuation was determined by what share of the population relies on one main exit for daily trips, taking into account the number of other potential routes out. A large percentage of drivers choose only one preferred route, according to the report, which examined highways, roads, dirt roads, ferries and other options.The five most-constrained communities are islands. No. 1 is Camano, Washington, an island in Puget Sound with one bridge offering a link to the mainland. Nearby in suburban Seattle is the third-ranked town, Mercer Island, which sits in Lake Washington and is linked on two sides by Interstate 90 bridges.Another single-bridge town, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, ranked second. Coastal Florida rounded out the top six: Hutchinson Island South, Sanibel, and Fort Myers Beach. California communities in the top 20 included Coto de Caza and Bell Canyon.Beyond the coasts, many of the most-constrained areas include canyons or are on lakes with minimal exit routes, according to StreetLight. The top 100 towns span 29 states.The analysis highlights that people’s habits push them toward certain roads, which can be mitigated in advance, according to StreetLight Chief Executive Officer Laura Schewel. She said the company is working on evacuation planning with some government agencies on the gulf coast and in fire-prone regions of California.“Even if there are seven or eight ways out of a lot of small towns, everyone prefers one, which is fine on a typical Tuesday but not if there’s an evacuation,” she said. “If everyone chooses to evacuate using one road it can be a serious problem.”\--With assistance from Alex Tanzi.To contact the reporter on this story: Jeff Kearns in Washington at jkearns3@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Scott Lanman at slanman@bloomberg.net, Robert Jameson, Margaret CollinsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

Buying HBO Was the Easy Part for AT&T

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Three years ago this month, Hollywood executive Peter Chernin and AT&T Inc. CEO Randall Stephenson shared a dinner on Martha’s Vineyard. Stephenson is still waiting for his dessert to arrive. It was the meal that sparked the idea for Stephenson, a practically lifelong member of the staid telephone industry, to enter the TV and film business by acquiring Time Warner, a then-$60 billion giant of the media world. After Stephenson struck the deal, he told Bloomberg News that it was Chernin who “first got me to appreciate the library that this company owns.” That library includes HBO, with hits like “Game of Thrones” and “Succession;” the Warner Bros. studio, which that year had an almost 17% share of the box office; and the rights to “Friends,” a sitcom that hasn’t aired fresh episodes in more than 15 years but has taken on new life as the Holy Grail of the streaming-TV market.In June of last year, 601 days after the companies agreed to merge, Time Warner officially became part of the Dallas-based wireless-phone carrier, defeating an attempt by the U.S. Justice Department to block the transaction. AT&T’s WarnerMedia division, as the Time Warner assets are now called, is seen as one of the biggest threats to Netflix Inc., though it doesn’t yet have a competing product to show for it. In fact, little more has come out of the WarnerMedia acquisition so far than reports of culture clashes, differing visions and high-profile personnel exits.According to the New York Post this week, some HBO staffers have been put off by the brusque management style of their new WarnerMedia boss John Stankey, a longtime AT&T executive. The Dallas-based C-suite is putting pressure on its Hollywood employees to ramp up HBO’s production slate as they coalesce around building a new streaming app named HBO Max, the strategy for which is still nebulous and seems to keep changing. They have a deadline to unveil the product to investors on Oct. 29. Later in the year, HBO Max will officially join the alphabet soup of video services already offered by AT&T:The subscription on-demand product sounds akin to Walt Disney Co.’s Disney+ and Apple Inc.’s Apple TV+, which are both launching within the next three months and gunning for Netflix Inc.’s subscriber base. They’re spending billions of dollars to fill out their apps with HBO-quality content. In theory, AT&T is sitting on a set of assets best suited to draw a wide streaming audience, with HBO’s high-quality programming, plus news, sports, comedy, cartoons and popular films. But merger integration issues and AT&T’s lack of experience in the content business pose major challenges.The price could also turn off subscribers. HBO Max is expected to charge a few dollars more than the stand-alone HBO Now app, which at $15 a month is higher than Netflix’s $13 monthly fee and more than double the $7 that Disney+ will charge. In fact, bundling Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ will be just $13.  The irony is that while Stephenson tries to transform AT&T into a media conglomerate, the wireless business that’s effectively been overshadowed by the merger is improving. It's the healthiest area of the company. Wireless accounted for 37% of AT&T’s revenue in the last 12 months, but it was nearly 50% of Ebitda, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That cash flow is helping AT&T contend with a heavy debt load, which stood at $194 billion as of June. Wireless network performance has gotten better as new spectrum has been deployed, boosting AT&T’s image as the carriers transition to 5G service. Based on scoring by various outlets that track wireless connections, AT&T was able to crown itself America’s “fastest, best and most reliable network,” which are useful bragging rights for TV ads as the industry battles for customers. More important, AT&T is saving money through a public-private contract it won to build FirstNet, a network for first responders. Put simply, while AT&T’s workers climb towers to set up FirstNet, they’re also prepping its airwaves for 5G.These improvements haven’t yet reduced churn, or the rate at which customers are leaving AT&T, but that could be next should the wireless business stay on track. And if T-Mobile US Inc.’s takeover of Sprint Corp. overcomes state opposition (16 attorneys general have sued to block the deal), there will be one less competitor for AT&T and a chance to raise prices.AT&T’s DirecTV satellite business continues to shrink, with the company losing 946,000 video subscribers in the second quarter, including DirecTV Now customers who canceled in the wake of price hikes. That streaming service was recently renamed AT&T TV Now as the company moves away from the fading DirecTV brand. It also introduced a new service this week in certain markets called AT&T TV, which is a similar live-TV and on-demand app with various package options, but also involves using a streaming box where users can access other services they may subscribe to, such as Netflix. It became clear this week that AT&T TV and HBO Max together are at the center of Stephenson’s vision for the new AT&T.The idea must have seemed so sweet three years ago. But peering into the kitchen, it’s all still a bit hectic. He'll have to keep waiting for that dessert.To contact the author of this story: Tara Lachapelle at tlachapelle@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Beth Williams at bewilliams@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Tara Lachapelle is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering deals, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., media and telecommunications. She previously wrote an M&A column for Bloomberg News.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

Berlusconi Battles Billionaire to Build Netflix Rival

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and French billionaire Vincent Bollore are locking horns again in a battle to lead the southern European charge against Netflix Inc. Bollore, who controls media conglomerate Vivendi SA, lost the first round against Berlusconi in 2017. He’s well positioned to do better in the second. Think of it as a European version of HBO’s hit show “Succession,” where a rival takes on an aging but still powerful media baron. The two tycoons are sparring over the future of Mediaset SpA, the Italian broadcaster that Berlusconi founded and controls. The Milan-based company plans to merge with Spanish affiliate Mediaset Espana Comunicacion SA and redomicile in the Netherlands. The move will consolidate the control that Berlusconi, 82, and his family, through investment vehicle Fininvest, have by giving them extra voting rights in the new company, which will be called MediaForEurope.It’s a prospect that Bollore, 67, must be loath to countenance. Vivendi owns 29% of Mediaset and plans to oppose the deal in a shareholder vote Sept. 4 since it will further diminish its influence, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday. While Berlusconi needs a two-thirds majority to approve the merger, Vivendi may only be able to exercise 9.6% of the voting rights because most of its shares sit in an independent trust as a result of a 2017 reprimand from the Italian regulator -- Bollore’s initial defeat by Berlusconi. Luckily Vivendi has another lever it might exercise. The deal will fall through if shareholders owning more than 180 million euros of stock exercise a withdrawal right, whereby Mediaset has to pay investors opposing the merger a set price for their shares. Even if Vivendi were only to exercise the rights on its 9.6% direct stake, that would top 300 million euros, potentially scuppering Berlusconi’s plans.It might just give Bollore the leverage he needs to realize a long-held goal: creating a southern European content champion that can better compete with Netflix. Doing so would likely mean selling the stake at a loss, but the threat could  force Berlusconi back to the negotiating table to forge some sort of alliance to pool Vivendi and Mediaset content. After all, the merger of the two Mediasets in Italy and Spain has a similar intention, to create a new video content giant.That’s how Bollore ended up with a stake in Mediaset to begin with. Back in 2016, he pulled out of a deal to buy Berlusconi’s Mediaset Premium (the pay TV arm that has since been sold to Comcast Inc.’s Sky unit) for some 800 million euros, instead buying up shares in the parent firm. Since Vivendi is also the biggest shareholder in Telecom Italia SpA, Italy’s communications regulator made the French firm forfeit most of its Mediaset voting rights, saying that the dual stakes breached rules concerning concentration of media and telecoms ownership.Bollore has been left with stakes in two Italian companies worth a combined 3.2 billion euros, but over which he has little influence. He also suffered a galling defeat at the hands of activist Elliott Management Corp. for control of Telecom Italia last year. He now has an opportunity to salvage some of the plans that first got him into this mess.To contact the author of this story: Alex Webb at awebb25@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephanie Baker at stebaker@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Alex Webb is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Europe's technology, media and communications industries. He previously covered Apple and other technology companies for Bloomberg News in San Francisco.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.