Weekly News Roundup
1. Swedish bike subscription service rides to Europe – Dagens industri
Swedish Movs, which offers subscriptions for bicycles and lighter electric vehicles, aims high: 200,000 subscribers within five years. After a successful pilot in Sweden, they are now aiming for Europe.
“The idea is that this service will come with well-designed vehicles. And there will be both bicycles, electric bicycles and mopeds. When we go live in Europe, we will do it with our own vehicles”
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2. HBO Max and Discovery Plus will merge into one app – The Verge
After the merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia closes, the two companies’ streaming apps will experience a merger of their own. Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels recently confirmed the move. The combined total of subscribers will be about 100m.
“It’s unclear which part of the new company will take ownership of designing this new combined content app. It’s also unclear how much the new app will cost. Discovery Plus and HBO Max both currently maintain ad-supported and ad-free tiers, with Discovery Plus’ going for $4.99 a month and $6.99 a month, and HBO Max’s going for $9.99 a month and $14.99 a month.”
3. Car sharing services are growing rapidly in Sweden – Dagens industri
The private car-sharing market, where individuals can rent their car to other private individuals through an intermediary, has grown sharply in Sweden during the pandemic. Dutch Snappcar has amassed 60.000 users and Danish Gomore 160.000 users.
“Another reason for the positive trend, according to the companies, is their keyless solution. This means that you can rent out your car without meeting the tenant via the company’s app. According to Gomore, on this front, they have increased their fleet by almost 200 percent since the spring of 2021.”
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4. Wall Street Journal subscriptions boosted by Ukraine coverage – Press Gazette
The Wall Street Journal has experienced a jump in subscriptions as readers attempt to understand the war in Ukraine, according to the editor-in-chief.
“The Wall Street Journal’s “non-subscriber traffic is up 51%,” Thomson said. And “the number of subs is running at around 39% over outlook… that’s new subs. And that just [shows] that there is huge appetite for understanding during a period of real tragedy, particularly for the people of Ukraine.””
5. Verizon Plus Play will bundle customer subscriptions for Netflix, Peloton, Disney Plus, and more – The Verge
Telco giant Verizon announced recently that it’s launching a new platform in partnership with Netflix, Peloton, Disney Plus, and other streamers as a hub for customers to “discover, purchase and manage some of their favorite subscriptions.” Called Plus Play, the platform will launch with a select group of customers and brands at the end of the month.
“Plus Play will centralize streaming subscription services with no additional cost to Verizon subscribers. Plus Play will let Verizon customers manage subscriptions across devices and provide information about deals on content services, like its discount for access to the Disney Plus / Hulu / ESPN Plus bundle and other promotional offers.”
Weekly Analysis Roundup
1. ‘Subscription type model’ for cars a possible solution to the fuel crisis – Newstalk
Just as the pandemic revolutionized the way we work, so the soaring cost of fuel could change the way society owns and uses cars, according to Newstalk.
“A recent survey suggested that around one in 10 people are considering giving up driving, with many citing the eye watering cost of fuel and the climate crisis. However, motoring journalist Geraldine Herbert thinks the solution should not be as drastic as giving up your car completely: “The big thing I would see happening [in the next few years] is a Netflix approach to car ownership,””
2. The Subscription Economy in 5 Charts – Subscribed
Subscription companies are keeping most of the gains they made during the pandemic, according to Zuora’s CEO Tien Tzuo, who has chosen five charts from the recent Subscription Economy Index to showcase the health of the industry.
“Someone from outer space would have a hard time identifying a global pandemic in this chart [quarterly growth of the Subscription Economy Index]. That drop from 2.4% to 2.3% (followed by a bounce back to 2.7%!) is pretty remarkable, considering what was happening in the world in March of 2020.”
3. The right way to start a subscription box business – CG Magonline
Subscription boxes have grown exponentially in popularity in the past few years and have become a trending topic. It’s easy to see why; who wouldn’t want a convenient, affordable, and exciting box filled with things that they like to brighten up their day?, writes CG Magonline in a guide on things to consider before starting a subscription box business.
“An important note to remember is to research what your customers can afford, not just your business. The customers’ willingness to buy your product will be determined by the cost of the subscription box concerning the price and quality of goods you offer in it.”
4. Local journalism is Big Business – Subscribed
Today there are dozens of regional newspapers in America that are growing at the same rate as digital startups, writes Subscribed, in a piece about how subscriptions instead of advertising have made it so that lots of regional papers aren’t just surviving, but thriving
“Are there any lessons here for other industries? Of course. Don’t neglect your local constituents on your quest for world domination. Make sure to establish direct relationships with those constituents. Don’t discount yourself chasing volume. And most importantly, give them something they can’t find anywhere else.”
