Why Sky Is So Highly Priced

This British pay-TV has become the biggest talk among three different American suitors. Many would consider Sky a smaller version of what many of the biggest media companies in the U.S. are trying to become.

Sky is a telecom operator and media company meaning they sell TV, internet, phone services and still provide their own original news, sports and entertainment programs. The company has already reached beyond the U.K. market with businesses in Ireland, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. Sky is an integrated distribution platform that produces its own content. Many companies are trying to develop the same strategy by offering a smartphone data plan with discounted access to TV shows and sports broadcasts.

AT&T Inc. is already trying to build this pursuit but it’s something Comcast has already built to some extent, though without the international flow that Sky has achieved.

 Sky has also been competing with Netflix Inc. with an internet and TV service called Now TV. Brian Roberts, the chief executive of Comcast Corp., has shied away from launching a nationwide Netflix competitor. He argues it makes more sense for Comcast to focus on serving customers in its cable-service area.

Fox already owns 39% of Sky. It launched a bid to buy the other 61% in December 2016, but is still awaiting regulatory and shareholder approval. Meanwhile, Walt Disney Co., in December agreed to buy the majority of Fox’s assets, including the Sky stake, for $52 billion. But Comcast entered the fray Tuesday, launching a $31 billion bid for all of Sky.

Too Much Caffeine? Coffee Shops Face a Shakeout

Too Much Caffeine? Coffee Shops Face a Shakeout

        Many consumers drink coffee throughout their busy day, whether it is to keep them awake in the morning or just for enjoyment. This love that consumers have for caffeine and quality coffee has led to a big a build out of cafes and an overcrowding of the coffee market. As an avid coffee drinker myself, I love visiting coffee shops and drinking the specialty drinks that they provide, but with the influx of so many coffee shops, it's difficult for me to take the time out to try them all. As a result of this overcrowding, coffee shops, such as Starbucks and other small coffee chains, are slowly declining. The biggest threat that these coffee shops face are from other business that have started offering cheaper and more convenient coffee options.




      Everyone from McDonald to gas stations and grocery stores are incorporating coffee into their businesses. These businesses are offering cheaper and more convenient options to cater towards busy consumers. For example, grocery stores are offering bottled coffee drinks and at Chevron gas station a  -ounce cup of coffee costs $1.49, while a specialty Starbucks coffee drink costs $5. As a result, the growth rate of a number of coffee shops has declined significantly. Prices of brewed and specialty coffee drinks have also doubled over the last five years to compensate for the decline. Although there is still some room to build more coffee shops, owners will need to take a measured approach towards expansion.

Written by Priscilla Phuong

WSJ: Too Much Caffeine? Coffee Shops Face a Shakeout

Ford Targets Miami to Test Driverless Food Delivery

A media test run of Ford's self-driving delivery vehicle, part of a partnership with Domino's, is seen in a handout photo.

Ford started to test the waters in the market of driverless cars and services. In the midst of several companies attempting to break into this new market, Ford designed a test which comprises of an actual human-driven car pretending to be driverless. They want to evaluate the customer's reactions and experiences, starting with deliveries for Domino's Pizza and Postmates.

It it interesting to notice how Ford is joining different companies in a very promising but competitive market. This competition to design the perfect driverless car/service will certainly push companies to develop bigger and better technologies, benefiting us- the customers, after all.

Why you should cut cable-- and what you'll miss.

     Cable has been around since 1948 and back then it was all the rage. In this day and age, people have started to cut the cord and get rid of their cable. This is possible because of how many other streaming services are available now. This selection ranges from Hulu, Roku, Youtube TV, Amazon Fire and the newest thing yet, Sling. All these services are meant to be used as a replacement for cable. They provide about the same amount of channels and services as a regular cable box would; however, there are some issues that come along when cutting the cord.

     While both types of services offer the same things, one lacks more than the other. Services like Roku, Hulu, Youtube Tv, and Amazon fire do not provide as many channels as the cable services do. they have very select channels that come included with the service and other channels which you have to pay a monthly subscription to be able to watch their shows. These outside services can end up costing way more than the cable box service does. While the outside services themselves can be much cheaper than the cable box service, in the end, it means giving up certain channels and shows that one is not willing to part with.

     This is an issue I currently face with my family. My mom has been talking about cutting off Xfinity because we all watch TV on our laptops or iPhones now. However, we keep telling her that even though we physically do not watch the tv in our room, we use Xfinity's on-demand service on our devices. We still get our money's worth out of cable-- just not out of our physical televisions.

The Four Ps associated with outside streaming services are as follows:
- Products: These services are something that the consumers clearly want. Many people have made the switch from hundred dollars worth of cable bills to a small monthly charge for practically the same service. These services have changed the name of the game and the market will never revert back to solely cable usage.
- Price: The price for these services are ridiculously low in comparison to cable prices. One can pay as low as $10 a month for a free range of channels and packages on these services while with cable you pay upwards of $200 dollars a month, which includes the rental charge of the cable top box. The price of these services is definitely more appealing to the customers. 
- Place: The place of these services are was more convenient than with a cable service provider. there is no need for a technician to come and install or repair anything. It is a simple online service which does not require any outside help to start up.
- Promotion: These services are widely promoted all over the place. Youtube Red's service is promoted from places like time square to billboards and even the radio. Services like this are promoted on their competition. There are plenty of Roku, Hulu, and Amazon fire commercials presented on cable's most popular channels. 



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The PGA Tour: Scouting New Fans

The PGA Golf Tour has a problem. An aging audience and an overall decline in television viewership have left the Tour in need of a new marketing strategy. Luckily, with the guidance of Joe Arcuri, chief marketing officer for the PGA Tour, a plan is in motion to engage a new generation of fans.

 Photo Credit: http://golfcontentnetwork.com/lists/pga-players-discuss-topics-about-golf/

The past model was simple and effective: corporate sponsors bought the right to put their name on the tournament and advertise during the broadcast. While this marketing method historically worked well with the older and affluent fan base, Arcuri hopes to “future proof” the Tour using technology and innovation. The PGA marketing department has identified two new target markets—millennials and “sports socialites”—and plans to engage them in a new, fan-focused approach.

According to Joe Arcuri’s recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, “sports socialites” do not necessarily differ in age from millennials. Instead, they are a distinct group who wish to connect with the sport on a personal level. Socialites are engaged by background stories and what Arcuri identifies as “outside-the-ropes” content. Despite identifying two segments of the market, the interview suggests that Arcuri plans to use a combined target market approach, focusing on both segments through fan engagement and social media. PGA hopes to encourage fans to create content on social media platforms and engage with one another, staying true to the new fan-first strategy.

Inspired by the success of TopGolf, the PGA Tour aims to change what it means to “consume” golf by altering the product. Millennials have demonstrated that an interest in golf does not necessarily include playing 18-holes at the nearest country club. The PGA Tour hopes to capitalize on the social aspect of the sport, utilize the latest technology, and ensure the Tour's future with a younger and more diverse fan base.

Written by Rachel Ann Eades

WSJ: PGA Tour's Plan to Get More—and Younger—Fans
Published on February 19, 2018 10:10 p.m. ET

Airbnb Expands to Hotels

Airbnb Expands to Hotels

Airbnb was started in 2008 and is an online marketplace for people who are looking to rent temporary short-term housing. The places that people rent were usually owned by ordinary people who either lived there or allowed others to rent the place. Most people use this app to find nice places to stay for vacation or to host their private parties. It served as an alternative to booking hotels or motels. I personally have used this app/website to book a place for my private party. It allows me to see what kind of accommodations are offered, what activities there are to do around the area, information/ratings on the host, and reviews about the place. This site also allows hosts to leave reviews on the guests that are staying there for future hosts to see if they approve of the guests. Airbnb recently has made the jump to add hotels and luxury listings as places potential guests can book.

Using a service called Plus, Airbnb will be evaluating homes in terms of comfort, accessibility, design, etc. in order to certify them as well as their hosts for future guests. As Airbnb branches out to this new frontier, they will be competing with hotel booking sites like Expedia or Hotel.com. These sites offer loyalty rewards and special bonuses/discounts to those who continually return to their website to book a hotel. Airbnb has answered by rewarded their highest rated hosts, known as Superhosts, with better customer support as well as discounted goods to furnish their homes. Superguests, a new loyalty program, gives guests free nights or other discounts to best rated guests. This gets me excited because Airbnb will definitely try to offer lower booking prices as well as better rewards for returning members. Maybe Airbnb will finally get credited for their advances and hotels will open up more partnerships with them, making traveling and booking less stressful and more enjoyable. Airbnb hopes to reach 1 billion yearly bookings by 2028 and it has booked over 300 million in total over the last 10 years.

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Dalila Perez
Talenti Gelato Is Delicious—If You Can Unscrew the Lid
February 26, 2018, 8:42 PM

       Don't you love the feeling you get when you finally get to open that tub of delicious ice cream that you have been waiting all day to get your taste buds on? I know that I do. Well, unfortunately, in most recent news customers who have purchased Talenti ice cream have not been able to enjoy that luxury. According to Katherine Bindley who wrote the article, "Talenti Gelato Is Delicious—If You Can Unscrew the Lid", Talenti customers everywhere are suffering from this problem. She has experienced it hands-on as well, which is what inspired her to write this article.

A Talenti customer settles to using a knife
 in order to open the tub of ice cream 

A few of the tools that have been
used to open tubs of Talenti
ice cream

      As a lover of ice cream, this article caught my eye. Although I prefer Blue Bell over any other ice cream brand, I can not imagine how irritated I would be if I had to go through any of the struggles these Talenti customers have had to go through just to satisfy their sweet tooth. The fact that many customers have had trouble simply trying to get the ice cream open is enough to drive current buyers and prospective buyers away. If the company does not fix this problem soon, their sales will decrease and the company will lose money. The fact that people are posting the problems that they are having trying to open the ice cream could go both ways, however. People could see this a think, "Wow, people are actually willing to go through all this trouble just to get a taste of this ice cream, it must be really worth it", or seeing the trouble behind purchasing this ice cream could just simply push the customers away.
      One could say that a way Talenti has applied to other business is by the fact that one customer in the article has so much trouble opening the tub of ice cream that she simply decides to go to the nearest Sonic and purchase ice cream from there. If she would have been able to open the ice cream, she may have never decided to go to Sonic and that would have been one less customer for Sonic. All in all, Talenti is a very popular ice cream that many people are willing to sacrifice their time to open, in order to get a taste of its deliciousness.   

By: Dalila Perez