Tag Archives: technology

Baidu Video Unit Tops Alibaba, Becomes China’s Mobile Video Leader

Baidu ( BIDU ) video unit iQiyi has vaulted past Alibaba Group ( BABA )-backed Youku/Tudou as the new leader in China’s ultra-competitive online video space, an analyst said Wednesday. Baidu stock was up a fraction in afternoon trading in the stock market today , near 190. Alibaba stock was up 1%, near 79. Shares of China gaming firm  Sohu ( SOHU ) were up a fraction Wednesday afternoon, while  Tencent Holdings ( TCEHY ) was down a fraction. Baidu’s iQiyi “demonstrated strong growth momentum over the second half of 2015, overtaking Youku/Tudou as the leader in the mobile video market in mobile app penetration and mobile usage,” wrote ITG Investment Research analyst Henry Guo in an industry note Wednesday. “Our data suggests that, while iQiyi leads the space, Tencent Video has maintained its solid position, but Youku/Tudou has lost market share. “In contrast, Sohu Video is increasingly becoming a marginal player in the market, due mainly to its conservative content acquisition strategy over the last several quarters.” IQiyi and Baidu video service PPS together have “gained 8.1 percentage points in installation penetration” during the past year, Guo said. He says Youku/Tudou fell by 6.3 percentage points, and Sohu Video fell 3.9 percentage points, to 8.7%. In monthly active users, iQiyi and PPS together have gained 3.6 percentage points over the past 12 months, said Guo, while Tencent, Youku/Tudou and Sohu Video all saw declines. Viewer traffic from search leader Baidu, big spending to produce hit dramas, and iQiyi’s “aggressive content acquisition” strategies all contributed to growth, he said. In early December 2015, iQiyi disclosed that its paying subscribers nearly doubled to 10 million in six months. After recent shareholder approval, Youku/Tudou will become the online video segment of Alibaba and no longer will be listed on the NYSE as of early April. Guo says Youku/Tudou will be helped by Big Data sharing with Alibaba. Guo says that while iQiyi’s revenue doubled in both 2014 and 2015, “rapidly increasing costs of content and bandwidth significantly pressured the company’s profitability.” Tencent Video’s 2015 revenue also doubled, said Guo. Comcast ( CMCSA )-owned Universal Pictures late last year provided Baidu’s online video platform iQiyi with more ammunition in its battle against Alibaba and Tencent for streaming supremacy in China. Expanding an existing agreement, Universal last month signed a multiyear deal with iQiyi, which will handle Universal’s new film releases and library titles. Los Gatos, Calif.-based streaming media company Netflix ( NFLX ) has announced intentions to move into China.

Apple, Samsung Impact? 2-For-1 iPhone, Galaxy 7 Deals Roil Market

T-Mobile US on Wednesday unveiled a 2-for-1 deal for Apple ’s ( AAPL ) new iPhone SE amid reports that buy one, get one free (BOGO) deals boosted sales of Samsung’s Galaxy S7 smartphones in the first three months of 2016. The 2-for-1 deals vary. T-Mobile ( TMUS ) rolled out a buy one, get one “half off” promotion for Apple’s iPhone SE, which hits store shelves on Thursday. T-Mobile recently ended a similar 2-for-1, half-off the second device, promotion for older iPhones, including the 6 series. AT&T ( T ) in early February rolled out an iPhone buy one, get one free deal for both new and existing customers. AT&T required that the second phone be a newly activated line. An AT&T spokeswoman said the 2-for-1 offer has not been extended to the new 4-inch-screen iPhone SE, which starts at $399. Both AT&T and T-Mobile offer financing plans with monthly installment payments. T-Mobile customers would pay about $600 for two iPhones SE devices under the new promotion. All four U.S. national carriers — including Verizon Communications ( VZ ) and Sprint ( S ) — have offered BOGO deals for Samsung’s new flagship device, the Galaxy 7 series. Some analysts have bumped up estimates for Galaxy 7 sales, owing to the 2-for-1 deals in the U.S., says a Reuters report . Samsung reports earnings in late April. According to a Nomura report, Samsung has pushed U.S. wireless firms to offer the 2-for-1 deals, in order to boost demand. Analysts, however, say phone upgrades by U.S. wireless subscribers in the first quarter were again lower than normal, continuing a trend from Q4. Apple’s release of the iPhone 7, likely in September, could spur more upgrades, analysts say. T-Mobile stock was up a fraction in afternoon trading in the stock market today . Image provided by Shutterstock .

Will Tesla Model 3 Reveal Be More Exciting Than Apple Spring Event?

Loading the player… The mass market Tesla Motors ( TSLA ) Model 3 could drive 5 times growth in the electric car maker’s annual deliveries by 2020, according to an analyst. A new Goldman Sachs report out Wednesday, one day ahead of Tesla’s long-awaited reveal of the Model 3, says the $35,000 price point “has the potential to dramatically increase the total addressable market and drive a bullish outlook for sales growth.” Aside from the company’s sales and earnings, analysts are focused on Tesla’s delivery and production figures. Though delivery growth is expected to boom in the long term, the analyst says near-term deliveries could drag down the stock. Tesla reports first-quarter deliveries in early April, and Goldman expects the luxury car maker to meet its guidance of 16,000 deliveries. Tesla Up Over 60% From Feb. Low Shares reversed lower in above average trade, losing 0.9%, but are continuing to find support around the 200-day line. Despite reaching a 2016 high earlier this month, Tesla is still in the red for the year. The stock is about 20% below its July high, reached as the stock failed to break out of a cup-with-handle base. Still, shares are up 62% from their February low. Tesla Unveiling Like Apple Event? Meanwhile, Credit Suisse says that it does not predict “much incremental information” during the Model 3 unveiling tomorrow evening — much like what happened recently with Apple ( AAPL ) during its spring product launch event. But the analyst said the real key will be seeing what the demand for the new car is like in terms of initial reservations. The Model 3 won’t start production until late 2017, a year after a rival mass market electric car from General Motors ( GM ) — the Chevy Bolt — is expected to begin production. Apple stock rose 1.5% on an upgrade from Cowen Wednesday, while GM edged up a fraction.