Tag Archives: googl

Verizon Go90 Off To ‘Slow Start,’ Says UBS, Based On Apple Store

The Verizon Communications ( VZ ) Go90 mobile video service is off to a slow start, says a UBS report, based on a study of app downloads at the Apple ( AAPL ) iOS store. The Go90 mobile video service — ad-supported and free to users — launched in late September, targeting millennials (adults ages 18 to 34) and gen Zers (teens). “Go90 appears to be off to a slow start, with its best showing around No. 300 when ranked against all apps in the iTunes store and No. 20 when ranked against other entertainment apps,” said the UBS report. Verizon’s Go90 is usually lumped with emerging over-the-top (OTT) video services, such as Dish Networks ’ ( DISH ) Sling, but the mobile app also competes for millennial attention with the likes of YouTube, Facebook ( FB ), Instagram and Snapchat, says UBS. “We believe Go90 will be hard-pressed to mount a meaningful challenge to mobile video and social networking leaders YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Netflix ( NFLX ) and Hulu,” wrote UBS analyst John Hodulik in the report. “That said, Verizon is pulling various levers to ramp up interest in and usage of Go90, including more live and exclusive content and free data for Verizon Wireless customers.” One Verizon challenge is that Facebook and  Alphabet ’s ( GOOGL ) YouTube garner the most mobile ad revenue. UBS studied downloads at Apple’s iOS store. “While downloads do not reflect app usage and engagement, we believe the two metrics are highly correlated in the medium to long term,” said the report. Verizon has not disclosed Go90 subscriber data. The service is not expected to be profitable for a few years. Go90 offers a mix of original Web TV series, live sports, concert streaming, prime-time TV and other short-form content. “Initial download trends suggest Go90 is doing better within the iPhone base relative to other entertainment applications, but appears to be lagging in the iPad market. This supports our view that the product is seen as a truly mobile service more geared to short-form content,” wrote Hodulik. Verizon stock was down a fraction in morning trading in the stock market today , above 52 and within range of a 51.30 buy point first touched Feb. 25. Verizon ranks No. 4 in the most recent IBD Big Cap 20. Image provided by Shutterstock .

Google Chromecast Tops Apple TV In Streamer Market

Alphabet ‘s ( GOOGL ) Google Chromecast widened its lead in the digital media streamer market last year over devices from Apple ( AAPL ), Amazon.com ( AMZN ) and Roku. Google’s low-cost HDMI dongle for streaming Internet video to television sets grabbed 35% of the market in 2015, up from 28% in 2014, Strategy Analytics reported Tuesday. Apple TV ranked second with a 20% market share, down from 22% in 2014. Amazon Fire TV and Roku tied for third, each with a 15% market share. “Google’s puck-sized Chromecast dongle continues to have broad appeal with consumers who favor its mobile-centric approach to content access and control,” Strategy Analytics analyst David Watkins said in a statement . “The device’s portability and low price at just $35 has made it an impulse purchase for many and household ownership of multiple Chromecasts is not uncommon.” Based on cumulative shipments of digital media streamers, Apple leads the market with nearly 37 million Apple TV units sold since its launch in 2007. Chromecast is catching up fast with 27 million units sold in just 2.5-years. Roku’s Box and Streaming Stick products are third with 20 million units, followed by Amazon Fire TV with less than 10 million. Amazon, Apple, Google and Roku accounted for 85% of the 42 million digital streaming devices sold last year. But dedicated streaming media boxes and dongles accounted for 19% of the overall connected TV device market in 2015. All told, 220 million connected TV devices shipped last year, including smart TVs, Blu-ray Disc players, game consoles and streaming boxes, Strategy Analytics said. Smart TVs accounted for 54% of connected TV device shipments in 2015, reaching 120 million units, the research firm said. Samsung, LG and Sony ( SNE ) have a combined 50% share of the smart-TV market. “Our research shows that U.S. broadband homes own an average of 2.3 such devices giving them multiple means by which to stream video and audio content to the TV,” Strategy Analytics analyst Chirag Upadhyay said. “While some consumers will have a favored method, we find that most households are switching between different devices depending on the user and type of content being consumed.” Consumers increasingly are choosing to watch Internet TV services such as Netflix ( NFLX ), Hulu and YouTube.

Artificial Intelligence A Job Killer? Software Developers Fear So

Software developers fear that the rise of artificial intelligence might take away their jobs. That came out as the top worry of the biggest percentage of respondents to a survey of 550 software developers, conducted by research firm Evans Data. In the survey, 29% of the engineers agreed with the statement that their top fear is “I and my development efforts are replaced by artificial intelligence.” This was more troublesome than their software platform becoming obsolete, which was the second-most-cited worry at 23%, or that the new platforms they’re focusing on fail to gain market acceptance, at 14%. According to the survey, the thought of obsolescence due to AI also was more threatening than becoming old without a pension, being stifled at work by bad managers or by seeing their skills becoming irrelevant. While the developers who worried about AI were found across industries and platforms, one strong correlation was that they were more likely to self-identify with being loners rather than team players. Decades of research and billions of dollars have been poured into the development of artificial intelligence, which is quickly expanding from the tech elite to the smallest startups. Facebook ( FB ), Alphabet ( GOOGL ) and IBM ( IBM ) among other tech leaders have big ambitions for pushing the envelope of artificial intelligence. Facebook is using AI to decipher the best ways to bring Internet service to remote areas of the world and to make its News Feed feature more relevant to users of the social network. Alphabet is using it to enhance Google search abilities, improve voice recognition and to derive more data from images and video. IBM, which has perhaps the deepest investments and most far-reaching ability of any company in the field, now offers AI services through its cloud-based platform, used by companies to improve business decisions and operations, based on its Watson cognitive computing platform. More than 500 companies have deals with IBM to use Watson cloud services to develop commercial products and apps. Since 2010, AI startups have received $967 million in funding, according to CB Insights. Among the most active investors is Intel ( INTC ), which has invested in 16 AI companies.