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September 17, 2019Cut-price iPhones: Apple’s innovative approach
Flash Report, ReportsApple’s iPhone launch event was relatively light on iPhone, which shared the stage with games, TV, Watch, iPad and retail announcements. This reflects Apple’s developing priorities: as iPhone sales soften, it needs to find new ways to extract value from the wealthy user base it has spent a decade nurturing. Apple has embraced this new strategy, offering a range of cheaper points of entry into its ecosystem, making the lost profits back on accessories or content subscriptions -
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September 16, 2019Spotify’s podcast play
Flash Report, ReportsSpotify is investing heavily in podcasting through acquisitions, original content and product innovation. It is under pressure to reduce dependence on record labels, whose power makes generating large profit margins difficult. Podcasts promise a non-music content genre where Spotify can capture more value. Secondary benefits abound: Spotify can take an active and lucrative role in modernising online audio advertising, it can solve the podcast discovery problem, and engagement across more forms of audio will improve retention
September 11, 2019In Pod we trust? The rise and rise of podcasts, and where to next
Flash Report, ReportsPodcasts have come a long way from being the pet project of some hobbyist with a handful of listeners directly proportional to the number of family members they have. But while podcasts are big news, how many people do they really reach? And how can they be monetised?
September 6, 2019TPG FY19 update – there’s a lot riding on the merger…
Flash Report, ReportsOn 5th September, TPG released its FY19 results. Reported profits plunged 56% to A$174mn in FY19 from A$396mn in FY18, with majority of the drop driven a write down of its spectrum assets. FY20 guidance indicates that TPG is preparing for further earnings pain with EBITDA expected to be in the A$735mn to A$750mn range, about 10% lower than FY19 EBITDA.
September 4, 2019Under pressure, how UK TV is changing on the screen
Flash Report, ReportsAnalysis of peak time TV programming on the main five PSB channels from 2002 to today shows a decline in the number of UK dramas broadcast—predominantly due to a contraction by ITV—though this has steadied since 2010. The resolve of the PSBs to maintain the number of dramas broadcast, despite rising costs, will mean an inevitable increase in the number of repeats and cheaper programming. A number of other observations are eye-catching: a greater turnover of drama series, entertainment formats failing at a higher rate and celebrity being treated as a panacea
September 3, 2019oOh!media 1HCY19 update: temporary blip with long term outlook re [...]
Flash Report, ReportsOn 26th August 2019, oOh!media reported its first half CY19 earnings update. OML’s performance in the first half was impacted by reduced ad spends during the NSW state and Federal elections, along with subdued ad spending from the Automotive and Banking segments.
August 28, 2019Vocus: building their identity as an infrastructure business
Flash Report, ReportsOn 22nd August, Vocus announced its FY19 earnings. While Vocus delivered on its FY19 guidance, the outlook for the next 2-3 years remains subdued as Vocus faces an uphill battle to turnaround its business. Competitive intensity will continue to remain high across the consumer and enterprise segments. Therefore, how Vocus develops its infrastructure business will remain crucial.
August 27, 2019FTA earnings update – could digital save the TV star?
Flash Report, ReportsSeven West Media and Nine Entertainment reported their 1HFY19 earnings last week. Both broadcasters have been investing in ramping up their BVOD platforms along with offering advertisers addressable TV and programmatic advertising solutions while the outlook for their core FTA business remains challenging.
August 22, 2019VHA and TPG need a Plan B
Flash Report, ReportsThe ACCC has opposed the $15bn merger between TPG and VHA. In the ACCC’s view the proposed merger will reduce competition in mobile services as TPG would be precluded from becoming the fourth mobile operator. TPG has announced that it has ceased the rollout of its mobile network and will not become the fourth mobile operator. VHA now wants the Federal Court to find that the proposed merger is not anti-competitive, so the merger can proceed.
August 21, 2019Elephant in the room? No energy policy
Flash Report, Free Sample, ReportsOn 13 August 2019, Infrastructure Australia tabled a comprehensive Audit on Australia’s infrastructure across transport, water, energy, telecommunications and social infrastructure. The objective of the Audit is to take a user perspective of Australia’s infrastructure and create discussion around key challenges and opportunities. We believe the Audit is an excellent forum for lively debate around key issues that will have material impacts on Australians. We welcome the Audit and congratulate Infrastructure Australia on bringing this Audit forward and into the public domain for healthy and constructive debate. Venture Insights is a market-leading commentator on how technology disrupts the world we live in. We believe that technology can be a force for good and that if harnessed well can provide significant benefits to people. We call this the “technology dividend” and have focused on a number of key sector groups including digital media, telecommunications, finance, energy and health. In this report, we review the energy component of the Audit and provide some of our own views on what is being presented. The Audit was broken into 6 areas (which originated from the Finkel review): (a) Affordability and competitive prices; (b) Secure and reliable and sustainable energy); (c) Planning for our future energy networks; (d) New opportunities for community choice; (e) Delivering energy in remote communities; and (f) Harnessing Australia’s energy advantage. We respond in turn to each of these areas.
August 21, 2019What Amazon and Uber can learn from Chinese food delivery apps
Flash Report, ReportsOn 15th August 2019, Telstra announced its FY19 earnings. Falling ARPUs and NBN related impacts outweighed subscriber gains resulting in earnings declines. The Australian telco market remains competitive with nearly all sub-segments experiencing varying degrees of pricing pressure. Telstra as the market leader is most at risk as competitors increase share across different segments.
August 20, 2019Telstra FY19 earnings update: adjusting to a new normal…
Flash Report, ReportsOn 15th August 2019, Telstra announced its FY19 earnings. Falling ARPUs and NBN related impacts outweighed subscriber gains resulting in earnings declines. The Australian telco market remains competitive with nearly all sub-segments experiencing varying degrees of pricing pressure. Telstra as the market leader is most at risk as competitors increase share across different segments.
August 19, 2019Virgin Media UK: subscribers fall but ARPU grows
Flash Report, ReportsVirgin Media’s results were quite mixed, with the subscriber base shrinking in a very slow market, but ARPU and revenue returning to growth despite pricing pressure and regulatory drags. The outlook remains challenging, but market pricing does seem to be easing with no repeat of the damaging Openreach price cuts on the horizon. ‘Full fibre’ roll-outs will bring further challenges, but opportunities as well, with the accompanying focus on higher speeds likely to be a significant operational upside in the short to medium term.
August 16, 2019Sky UK Q2 2019 results: strong subscriber growth and long-term in [...]
Flash Report, ReportsSky’s Q2 results were encouraging overall, with significant subscriber growth swinging direct-to-consumer revenue growth back to positive. ARPU declined once more, since new streaming customers are taking lower-priced products, but total revenue growth accelerated to 2.4%. EBITDA rose 20%, primarily due to the dropping out of some large one-off costs. Next quarter, Sky will begin making savings on the new Premier League rights contract, and increased football rights costs in Italy and Germany will have annualised out. Having launched Sky Studios in June, Sky is focused on producing original European content, with ambitions to double spend over the next five years, in a calibrated response to the Netflix-led race for content.
August 15, 2019Finally, a long-term perspective – Infrastructure Australia [...]
Flash Report, ReportsInfrastructure Australia’s (IA) first audit in 2015 was the first national picture of Australia’s infrastructure challenges. IA’s second audit released in August 2019 seeks to identify challenges and opportunities across Australia’s transport, social infrastructure, energy, water and Telecommunications sectors. IA also considered the key future trends facing Australians as well as the direct views of infrastructure users across Australia.
August 14, 2019BT: Temporary problems, long-term promise
Flash Report, ReportsBT’s divisions had contrasting fortunes in Q1 2019/20, with Consumer revenue growth sharply turning negative but Openreach external revenue growth accelerating to 10%, leaving the Group level unchanged at -1% and EBITDA on course to meet guidance. Consumer was hit by several regulatory and pricing factors mainly affecting mobile, and the short-term outlook remains tough, with a number of legacy pricing issues across fixed and mobile still to be resolved. Openreach is reaping the benefit of previous price declines annualizing out, allowing it to take full advantage of higher speed demand, and due to its full fibre roll-out this dynamic could persevere for years.
August 12, 2019Netflix’s US subscriber loss
Flash Report, ReportsNetflix lost 126,000 US subscribers (net) in Q2, the first time this has happened since 2011 when there was a price rise and the Qwikster debacle. This time a price rise—of one or two dollars, depending on tier—was one culprit, but the soft release schedule of big, returning original series, which usually give a bump to subscriber additions, played a part. Q3 has those series returns in spades, with Stranger Things, Orange is the New Black, Money Heist and Mindhunter likely driving subscriber numbers back up, but the suggestion that there is less flexibility to raise prices than previously assumed is a worry for Netflix and incoming competitors.
August 9, 2019Optus 1QFY20 earnings update: 5G and Optus Sport will drive growt [...]
Flash Report, ReportsOn 8th August 2019 Optus announced its 1QFY20 earnings. Revenues were up driven by mobile handset sales and NBN migration payments, in spite of a drop in mobile service revenues and continued weakness in the enterprise segment. 5G and Optus Sport remain the key growth areas going forward.
August 5, 2019Vodafone UK: some signs of life but an uncertain road to recovery
Flash Report, ReportsVodafone’s newfound focus on performance improvement is showing signs of delivering – more on the cost than revenue side. Tower sharing has the potential to ultimately enhance European cashflow by 10%. The revenue picture is more mixed with churn improving but a very varied operational picture across its major European markets. Although Vodafone highlights the potential for German cable to drive growth post Liberty Global deal completion, their current 0.4% growth in Germany does not give cause for optimism
August 2, 2019O2 UK: Lower costs mitigate the challenging environment
Flash Report, ReportsO2’s service revenue growth slipped decisively into negative territory at -1.8% this quarter as the punishing regulatory regime took its toll. Underlying EBITDA growth of 4% was particularly impressive in the circumstances; likely aided by more direct distribution as well as tight cost control. The coming week will unveil how this compares to peers; we anticipate results which reflect a tough environment with little let-up on the horizon
July 31, 2019Neobanks: rapid growth or a slow burn?
Flash Report, ReportsRevolut’s recent Australian launch marks the first neobank taking on the local market, with several others waiting in the wings. Despite a willingness to consider using neobanks, particularly among younger consumers, we expect market share growth to be relatively slow as a result of low churn, a lack of trust and strong offerings from the incumbents.
July 30, 2019ACCC Digital Platforms Inquiry Final Report – much needed digit [...]
Flash Report, ReportsThe ACCC in its final report on the Digital Platforms has come up with a range of practical measures that could potentially help curb any anti-competitive behaviours from the tech giants. While the report focuses primarily on Google and Facebook, the ACCC has aimed to ensure that the recommendations are future-proof and adaptable to other digital platforms as the market evolves.
July 25, 2019Australian MVNO market overview – no longer just about price
Flash Report, ReportsAustralian MVNOs have reached a market share of 13% nationwide, as competitive MNO offerings now appeal to value conscious customers. New network technologies and the commoditised mobile industry are increasing the competitive intensity. Differentiation and cross selling will become increasingly important for MVNOs to build and retain market share
July 24, 2019TalkTalk UK Q1 2019/20 results: Slower but steadier
Flash Report, ReportsTalkTalk suffered subscriber losses and falling consumer revenue growth in Q1, with churn still high despite the high speed base growing, countered by ARPU growing for the first time since 2017. The subscriber drop was, however, modest and looks quite deliberate, with there being evidence of price firming in both direct and indirect channels supporting both ARPU and margin. This more cautious approach, if it can be sustained, puts the company on a much more healthy footing in our view, allowing it to achieve its financial targets without increasingly unsustainable existing customer price rises
