Monday, September 28, 2009
Apple’s Apps Flying Off the Virtual Shelves: 6.6 Million Downloads Per Day
It took Apple a year to move its first 1.5 billion apps from its iTunes store. It took a mere 76 days to move the next 500 million.
Time Warner Dumping Its Magazines? Not So Fast.
Heavyweight media investor Gordy Crawford–who happens to own a big chunk of Time Warner–says the conglomerate plans to dump its magazine business. But I get the sense that Jeff Bewkes and company plan on keeping at least some of the unit’s iconic titles.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Class in Session! Google School Opens This Fall.
Google famously doesn’t give “guidance” to Wall Street analysts. But starting next month, the company will be giving them lessons via a series of “educational webcasts for investors and financial analysts.”
Best case scenario: This could be a huge help to people who pay attention to the search giant for a living but who remain baffled about some of the most basic parts of its business. So if you know anyone like that (ahem), make sure he tunes in.
Monday, July 6, 2009
The Mystery of the Vanishing Videogame Boom Solved: Gamers Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Videogame players are spending more time playing videogames than ever. But that won’t do the videogame business much good unless those players actually start buying new games again.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Microsoft Ready to Give Up on Its Would-Be YouTube, Too
Microsoft is willing to burn lots of cash as it stubbornly pursues its Internet strategy–it lost a staggering $575 million on its online business in the last quarter alone–but even Redmond has its limits. The company is confessing that Soapbox, the would-be YouTube it launched in 2006, is no YouTube. And it doesn’t sound that enthusiastic about keeping it going.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Another Way to Describe the Newspaper Crisis: The Craigslist Boom
More fuel for the “Google didn’t kill newspapers, Craigslist did” meme: A report that says the listings service has seen revenue jump 23 percent this year and will end up booking $100 million–even as the newspaper classifieds business falls off a cliff. Craig Newmark’s online classifieds site is mostly, but not entirely free–it charges for a handful of listing categories, like real estate and employment. But that’s enough to create a very healthy business, says AIM Group, which has been estimating Craigslist numbers since 2003, when it said the company booked $7 million.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Washington Post’s Slide Makes The New York Times Look Better
For the last year or so, the Washington Post Co. has reported steadily declining results for its newspaper business–just like every other newspaper publisher in the country. But in previous quarters, it was at least able to argue that its slide wasn’t as bad as the one the New York Times was going through. It can’t say that anymore.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Gannett’s Good News Comes And Goes, Very Quickly
This is what passes for good news in the newspaper business these days: Someone bought some shares of one of the industry’s biggest companies. Alas, even that story is old news. And the headlines coming out of Gannett later this week won’t be pleasant either.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Did AOL Ad Dollars Drop 18 Percent Last Quarter?
Along with a $25 billion write-down, Time Warner announced that operating income would be lower than it had predicted for 2008, in part because of weakness at AOL and Time Inc. J.P. Morgan analyst Imran Khan thinks that means AOL ad revenue fell off a cliff at the end of the 2008.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Warner Music Group Disappearing From YouTube: Both Sides Take Credit
Warner Music Group’s videos are disappearing from YouTube. The move is a result of a breakdown in negotiations between Google and the music label over a licensing deal that was set to expire soon. Who actually made the move to drop the label’s content from the world’s biggest video site is a matter of dispute, though. Both sides are taking credit for the decision.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Confirmed: CBS Interactive Restructuring After CNET Deal, Cutting Staff
CBS has yet to announce any cuts or restructuring after acquiring CNET this summer for $1.8 billion. That changes today.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Now Not Showing at iTunes and Netflix: Some of Your Favorite Movies
Want to watch nerd-favorite “The Fifth Element” via Netflix’s awesome streaming service? OK, but hurry up–the movie will disappear from the service on New Year’s Day. Want to rent the excellent George Clooney corporate thriller “Michael Clayton” via iTunes? Too late! The movie was there, but now it’s not. Wait a minute: Hadn’t big media finally gotten religion and agreed to give us, the demanding consumers, everything we want, whenever we want it? Nope.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
New York Times: Our Digital Ads “Could Be Under Great Stress”
The Times says its core Web ad business–selling display ads on its pages–fell off in November, has gotten worse this month and could really be in trouble next year. But About.com is holding up comparatively well.
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About Peter
Peter Kafka has been covering media and technology since 1997, when he joined the staff of Forbes magazine. Most recently, he has been the managing editor of the tech and media Web site, Silicon Alley Insider.
Ethics Statement
Here is a statement of my ethics and coverage policies. It is more than most of you want to know, but, in the age of suspicion of the media, I am laying it all out.
