In what can only be described as a move toward letting subscribers pick and choose which cable and broadcast networks they��e willing to pay for (often called a la carte programming), Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA) is reportedly about to offer a package that includes Time Warner Inc.�� (NYSE: TWX) popular HBO channel and HBO Go, the channel�� mobile app. Comcast�� so-called ��nternet Plus��package includes broadband Internet service, a basic group of about 10 or so cable channels that would include local channels, and Comcast�� own streaming video offering, Streampix.
According to DSLreports.com the service would have an introductory monthly price of $40 to $50 for 12 months after which it would jump by $20 for six more months before settling at $70 to $80 a month. Comcast currently advertises its broadband Internet service with Streampix and HBO Go for $50 a month for 12 months. Adding HBO appears to be free at the beginning, but eventually will cost $20 to $30 a month.
Amazon.com, Inc. operates as an online retailer in North America and internationally. It operates retail Web sites, including amazon.com and amazon.ca. The company serves consumers through its retail Web sites and focuses on selection, price, and convenience. It also offers programs that enable sellers to sell their products on its Web sites, and their own branded Web sites. In addition, the company serves developer customers through Amazon Web Services, which provides access to technology infrastructure that developers can use to enable virtually various type of business. Further, it manufactures and sells the Kindle e-reader. Additionally, the company provides fulfillment; miscellaneous marketing and promotional agreements, such as online advertising; and co-branded credit cards. Amazon.com, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By David Trainer]
Apple did not do poorly in the survey. In fact, it improved its score from 79 last year to 81 this year, well in the range that Forrester considers “good”. However, its three competitors all made bigger improvements from this year to last. Meanwhile, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), whose Kindle competes with the iPad, came in way ahead of the pack with an excellent score of 91.
- [By Rick Munarriz]
It remains to be seen how Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN ) will go about things. Earlier this month, it made several pilots available. The leading online retailer will decide which shows to bankroll for complete seasons after gauging viewer interest and ratings.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
Moreover, Microsoft is going up against competitors in some promising new areas. Just yesterday, the company released its Windows Azure Infrastructure cloud-services platform to the general public, firing back at Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN ) and its cloud-services business by matching Amazon's pricing for commodity cloud services. Amazon has fended off competitors before, though, making the success of Microsoft's foray far from assured.
Top 10 Internet Companies For 2014: Google Inc.(GOOG)
Google Inc. maintains an index of Web sites and other online content for users, advertisers, and Google network members and other content providers. It offers AdWords, an auction-based advertising program; AdSense program, which enables Web sites that are part of the Google Network to deliver ads from its AdWords advertisers; Google Display, a display advertising network that comprises the videos, text, images, and other interactive ads; DoubleClick Ad Exchange, a real-time auction marketplace for the trading of display ad space; and YouTube that provides video, interactive, and other ad formats for advertisers. The company also provides Google Mobile that optimizes Google?s applications for mobile devices in browser and downloadable form; and enables advertisers to run search ad campaigns on mobile devices, as well as Google Local that provides local information on the Web; and Google Boost for small businesses to participate in the ads auction. In addition, it offers And roid, an open source mobile software platform; Google Chrome OS, an open source operating system; Google Chrome, a Web browser; Google TV, a platform for the consumers to use the television and the Internet on a single screen; and Google Books platform to discover, search, and consume content from printed books online. Further, the company provides Google Apps, a cloud computing suite of message and collaboration tools, which includes Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Sites; Google Search Appliance that offers real-time search of business and intranet applications, and public Web sites; Google Site Search, a custom search engine; Google Commerce Search for online retail enterprises; Google Checkout to make online shopping and payments streamlined and secure; Google Maps Application Programming Interface; and Google Earth Enterprise, a firewall software solution for imagery and data visualization. Google Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Doug Ehrman]
Earlier this week, Facebook (NASDAQ: FB ) announced the roll out of 'Chat Heads' as a new feature available through Facebook Home for both Google (NASDAQ: GOOG ) Android and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) iOS. While the feature is already gaining popularity, the way it operates within each environment is very different. Beyond Chat Heads, other features of Home are already gaining traction, suggesting that the smartphone landscape is about to change again. If early indications are accurate, Facebook has positioned itself brilliantly for the way forward and deserves a place in your portfolio.
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
www.disney.go.com Colorful bracelets have become all the rage at Disney's (DIS) Florida theme parks. The MagicBands allow users to get into the parks, access expedited queues and -- if they're staying on-site -- pay for food and merchandise. They raise the bar for the theme park experience, but they're little more than RFID chips dolled up as fashionable wristbands. They don't do anything on their own. They are not battery powered. They don't offer up any LED displays. They simply interact with Disney's growing fleet of scanners at entrance turnstiles, ride entrances and cash registers. What if these bracelets could do more? What if MagicBand told time, interacted with the My Disney Experience app or tracked wearers' vigorous activity while walking through the theme park? Yes, what if Disney's MagicBand could also be a fitness bracelet or a smart watch? What if Disney acquired Nike's (NKE) fading FuelBand business? Just Do It Nike's FuelBand is on the way out. The athletic footwear and apparel giant once had a hit on its hands. The $149 Nike+ FuelBand hit the market blazing in early 2012, quickly selling out of its initial supply. The wristband's three-axis accelerometer tracked movements, while the LED screen served as a clock, also measuring calories burned, steps taken and a proprietary metric called NikeFuel that gauged the vigorousness of a day's activities. Nike should've had a winner, but it blew it. First, it made its big push when the cheaper FitBit wireless trainers and Jawbone Up bands were already on the market. It also turned its back on Android, only offering iPhone owners the ability to use Bluetooth to wirelessly update their NikeFuel tallies on their smartphone apps. One popular theory is that Nike didn't let its device play nice with the world's leading mobile operating system because Apple (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook was on Nike's board of directors. Now that Apple is rolling out a smart watch of its own, it seems silly that Nike never got aroun
Top 10 Internet Companies For 2014: Yahoo! Inc.(YHOO)
Yahoo! Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a digital media company that delivers personalized digital content and experiences through various devices worldwide. It offers online properties and services to users; and a range of marketing services to businesses. The company?s communications and communities offerings include Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Messenger, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, Flickr, and Connected TV, which provide a range of communication and social services to users and small businesses enabling users to organize into groups and share knowledge, common interests, and photos. Its search products comprise Yahoo! Search and Yahoo! Local, available free to users to navigate the Internet and discover content. The company?s marketplaces offerings and services include Yahoo! Shopping, Yahoo! Travel, Yahoo! Real Estate, Yahoo! Autos, and Yahoo! Small Business, which allow users to research specific topics, products, services, or areas of interest by review ing and exchanging information, obtaining contact details, or considering offers from providers of goods, services, or parties with similar interests. Its media offerings comprise Yahoo! Homepage, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo! Finance, My Yahoo!, Yahoo! Toolbar, Yahoo! Entertainment & Lifestyles, Yahoo! Contributor Network, and Yahoo! Pulse, which are designed to engage users with online content and services on the Web. The company also offers marketing services, such as display and search advertising, listing-based services, and commerce-based transactions to advertisers. In addition, it provides software and platform offerings for third-party developers, advertisers, and publishers, such as Yahoo! Developer Network, Yahoo! Open Strategy, Yahoo! Application Platform, Yahoo! Updates, Yahoo! Query Language, and Yahoo! Search BOSS. The company has strategic alliances with Nokia and ABC News, Inc. Yahoo! Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Californi a.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Tim Brugger]
Seven years ago, YouTube was a tiny concern just beginning to make some noise. But even then, Google CEO Larry Page called it "the next step in the evolution of the Internet." So what does Page do? Outbids the likes of Microsoft and Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO ) because he recognized it was a great opportunity. Though Google doesn't report YouTube results separately from its gross figures, a Morgan Stanley analyst suggests it will generate about $4 billion in revenue this year, and as much as $20 billion by 2020.
- [By Chris Hill]
In this segment, Matt discusses why he'll have his eye on Bank of America (NYSE: BAC ) , and Jason tells us why he'll be watching Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO ) this week.
- [By Benjamin Pimentel]
Shares of Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) �fell almost 2% ahead of the company�� earnings report due after the market closes. Intel Corp. (INTC) � which was also scheduled to report results Tuesday, fell by 6 cents a share to close at $23.39.
- [By Paul Ausick]
Big Earnings Movers: Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) is up 2.3% at $14.56 on decent results. MGIC Investment Corp. (NYSE: MTG) is up 14.9% at $8.34. PepsiCo Inc. (NYSE: PEP) is up 2.1% at $82.27 on better snack sales. Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) is up 1.3% at $23.68 on modest results. Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) is down 0.9% at $33.09 and probably deserves more love than it�� getting.
Top 10 Internet Companies For 2014: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA)
Alibaba Group Holding Limited, incorporated on June 28, 1999, is an online and mobile commerce company. The Company operates its ecosystem as a platform for third parties. The Company operates Taobao Marketplace, China�� online shopping destination, Tmall, China�� third-party platform for brands and retailers and Juhuasuan, China�� group buying marketplace. In addition to its three China retail marketplaces, the Company operates Alibaba.com, China�� global online wholesale marketplace, 1688.com, its China wholesale marketplace, and AliExpress, its global consumer marketplace, as well as provides cloud computing services. As a platform, the Company provides the fundamental technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help businesses leverage the power of the Internet to establish an online presence and conduct commerce with consumers and businesses. Effective August 01, 2014, Alibaba Investment Ltd, a unit of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, acquired a 10.193% interest n Singapore Post Ltd.
The buyers and sellers discover, select and transact with each other on the Company�� platform. Third-party service providers add value to its platform through service offerings that make it easier for buyers and sellers to do business. The third-party participants in its ecosystem include a payment services provider, logistics providers, retail operational partners, marketing affiliates, independent software vendors and various professional service providers. The Company has developed policies and procedures that maintain the health and sustainability of its marketplaces, including consumer protection programs, marketplace rules, qualification standards for merchants and buyer and seller rating systems. As its ecosystem expands, new jobs are created.
Taobao Affiliate Network is powered by Alimama, its online marketing technology platform. Through this platform, sellers place marketing displays on its marketing affiliates��websites and mobile apps, and sellers pay a performance-b! ased marketing fee primarily based on cost-per-click (CPC), and cost-per-sale (CPS), models. Through China Smart Logistics, the Company provides real-time information to its logistics partners, including key operating metrics, such as distribution center utilization rates, route planning data and order volume forecasts. Independent software vendors (ISVs) provide software tools, as well as systems integration services to sellers.
Tmall is an online platform featuring brands and retailers with each seller having an identifiable online storefront. Users may access Tmall anytime, anywhere through the Tmall Website and the mobile apps and mobile-optimized websites provided by Taobao Marketplace and Tmall. The physical product categories on Tmall include apparel and accessories, electronics and appliances, home furnishings, home appliances, maternity and baby products. Juhuasuan is an online group buying marketplace in China. Juhuasuan offers quality products at discounted prices by aggregating demand from numerous consumers. Juhuasuan mainly does this through flash sales, which make products available at discounted prices for a limited period of time. Juhuasuan offers group buying channels featuring branded and private label products, products made to custom specifications and local services.
AliExpress is a consumer marketplace enables consumers from around the world to buy directly from wholesalers and manufacturers in China. On AliExpress, consumers have access to a variety of products. In addition to the global English-language site, AliExpress operates two local language sites in Russia and Brazil. The product categories on AliExpress.com include apparel and accessories, phones and communications products, beauty and health, computer networking, jewelry and watches. Alibaba.com is an online commerce platform. Sellers on Alibaba.com may pay for an annual Gold Supplier membership to host a premium storefront with product listings on the marketplace.
The Company��! marketin! g technology platform, Alimama, offers sellers on its marketplaces marketing services for both personal computer and mobile devices, which include P4P marketing service and display marketing. Alimama also offers its sellers these marketing services through third parties through the Taobao Affiliate Network. The Taobao Ad Network and Exchange (TANX) automates the buying and selling of billions of advertising impressions on a daily basis by third parties. The Company also offer a data management platform (DMP), connected to TANX. Its DMP allows participants on TANX to evaluate and select online advertising inventory using both behavioral data they provide, as well as data from browsing behavior and shopping history. Its Cloud Computing supports its commerce ecosystem by providing a distributed computing infrastructure to handle the large volume of traffic and data generated on its online marketplaces. Its cloud computing platform offers service offerings, including elastic computing, database services and storage and large scale computing services.
The company offer search functions on all of its Web pages, mobile apps and many of its marketing affiliates��websites and apps to make it easy for buyers to find products and services within its marketplaces. The Company offers Aliwangwang, a personal computer-based instant messenger that supports text, audio and video communication. The Company developed Aliwangwang to facilitate open communication between buyers and sellers on Taobao Marketplace and Tmall. Buyers and sellers use it as a tool for a range of tasks, including negotiation of prices, customer services and delivery notification, in addition to the basic messaging functions. It offer Qianniu , an integrated platform for communication and productivity tools which allows sellers on Taobao Marketplace and Tmall to manage their operations more efficiently.
Alipay, the Company�� related company, provides payment and escrow services for transactions on Taobao Marketplace, Tm! all, 1688! .com and certain of its other sites, as well as to third parties in China. The Company�� small and medium enterprise (SME) loan business provides micro loans to sellers on its wholesale and retail marketplaces through lending vehicles licensed by the local government.
The company competes with Tencent and Baidu.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Riddhi Kharkia]
Again, to give you a big example on this, Costco has already made its way into one of the largest retail markets in the world i.e China, even without opening a single store. The company has opened a store on T-Mall, an online marketplace Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba�(BABA) operates alongside the Taobao bazaar. The store, where consumers can buy Costco baby care goods, beauty items, dietary supplements as well as household products, will mail purchases directly from the U.S. to consumer doorsteps, a process that takes five to 20 days, according to the store website. Though the competitive pressure is quite high in the market yet, the fact that Costco has entered the market is a big win.
Top 10 Internet Companies For 2014: eBay Inc.(EBAY)
eBay Inc. provides online platforms, services, and tools to help individuals and merchants in online and mobile commerce and payments in the United States and internationally. Its Marketplaces segment operates ecommerce platform eBay.com; vertical shopping sites, such as StubHub, Fashion, Motors, and Half.com; and classifieds Websites, including Den Bl�Avis, BilBasen, Gumtree, Kijiji, LoQUo, Marktplaats.nl, mobile.de, Alamaula, Rent.com, eBay Anuncios, eBay Kleinanzeigen, and eBay Annunci, as well as provides advertising services. The company?s Payments segment offers payment and settlement services for consumers and merchants on and off eBay Websites and other merchant Websites. This segment operates PayPal, which enables individuals and businesses to send and receive payments online and through mobile devices; Bill Me Later that enables the United States merchants to offer, the United States consumers to obtain, credit at the point of sale for ecommerce and mobile tra nsactions; Zong, which allows users with mobile phones to purchase digital goods and have the transactions charged to their phone bill; and BillSAFE that enables customers pay for purchases upon receipt of an invoice. Its GSI segment offers an ecommerce services suite for enterprise clients that operate in general merchandise categories, including apparel, sporting goods, toys and baby, health and beauty, and home; and marketing services comprising full-service digital agency, enterprise email marketing, mobile advertising, affiliate marketing, advertisement retargeting, and in-depth analytics services. The company also offers X.commerce platform that provides software developers access to the company?s applications programming interfaces to develop functionality for various merchants; and Magento Connect, which allows developers to market and sell add-on functionality and solutions to merchants that use a Magento storefront. eBay Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquarter ed in San Jose, California.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By FinanceGuru]
This being said, it should also be factored in that brick and mortar retailers faced certain generic unfavorable conditions in December and this poor performance could be a one-off case. It is actually impressive to see that Wal-Mart is at least stepping up its game in e-retailing, which is under its control and can be leveraged. For instance, this report points out the company's plans to push for an e-retailing business model in India similar to that of Amazon (AMZN) and eBay (EBAY). This is a significant step from the company considering the fact that it failed to establish brick and mortar stores in the country after hanging there for almost six years.
- [By Jake Mann]
The data tells the story
As I pointed out in my piece on Derrick Rose and Chicago Bulls ticket prices, StubHub, a subsidiary of eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY ) , is a great source for ticket information. By analyzing cached versions of the site, it's possible to obtain historical prices rather easily.
Top 10 Internet Companies For 2014: Symantec Corporation(SYMC)
Symantec Corporation provides security, storage, and systems management solutions internationally. The company?s Consumer segment delivers Internet security, PC tune-up, and online backup solutions and services to individual users and home offices. Its Security and Compliance segment provides solutions for endpoint security and management, compliance, messaging management, data loss prevention, encryption, and authentication services to large, medium, and small-sized businesses, as well as offers solutions through its software-as-a-service (SaaS) security offerings. This segment?s products enable customers to secure, provision, and remotely manage their laptops, PCs, mobile devices, and servers. The company?s Storage and Server Management segment provides storage and server management, backup, archiving, and data protection solutions across heterogeneous storage and server platforms, as well as solutions delivered through its SaaS offerings to large, medium, and small-s ized businesses. Symantec?s Services segment offers implementation services and solutions, including consulting, business critical services, education, and managed security services. The company also provides various enterprise support offerings, such as annual maintenance support contracts, including content, upgrades, and technical support. It sells its products through its eCommerce platform, as well as through distributors, direct marketers, Internet-based resellers, system builders, ISPs, and retail locations worldwide. Symantec markets and sells its products through distributors, retailers, direct marketers, Internet-based resellers, original equipment manufacturers, system builders, and Internet service providers; and its e-commerce channels, as well as direct sales force, value-added and large account resellers, and system integrators. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Sue Chang]
Symantec Corp. (SYMC) said its fiscal first-quarter profit jumped 50% on the back of a growth in revenue and cost cutting measures. The security software company reported a profit of $236 million, or 34 cents a share, versus $157 million, or 22 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding items, earnings rose to 45 cents a share. Revenue rose nearly 2% to $1.74 billion. Shares of Symantec were unchanged in late trade.
Top 10 Internet Companies For 2014: IAC/InterActiveCorp (IACI)
IAC/InterActiveCorp engages in the Internet business in the United States and internationally. The company�s Search segment develops, markets, and distributes various downloadable toolbars; provides search, reference, and content services through its destination search and other Websites, including Ask.com and Dictionary.com; and aggregates and integrates local advertising and content for distribution to publishers on Web and mobile platforms, as well as markets and distributes mobile applications through which it provides search and additional services. Its Match segment offers subscription-based and advertiser-supported online personals services through its Websites comprising Match.com, Chemistry.com, OurTime.com, BlackPeopleMeet.com, and OkCupid.com, as well as through mobile applications and Meetic-branded Websites. The company�s ServiceMagic segment offers Market Match service that matches consumers with service professionals; Exact Match service, which enables con sumers to review service professional profiles and select the service professional that meets their specific needs; and 1800Contractor.com, an online directory of service professionals. This segment also offers Website design and hosting services. Its Media and Other segment operates CollegeHumor.com, an online entertainment Website that targets young males; Vimeo, a Website on which users can upload, share, and view video; and Pronto.com, a comparison search engine. This segment also engages in the creation of video content for various distribution platforms; and operates as an Internet retailer of footwear and related apparel and accessories, as well as focuses on multimedia business. The company was formerly known as InterActiveCorp and changed its name to IAC/InterActiveCorp in July 2004. IAC/InterActiveCorp was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:
