Spotify has pulled the plug on Car Thing, its hardware product that allowed users to control the company’s streaming service through car speakers when connected to a phone by using both voice recognition and preset buttons. “Car Thing is discontinued and no longer operational,” the...
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reportedly is investigating consumer complaints that Uber Technologies signed them up for Uber One subscriptions without their consent and made it difficult for them to cancel those subscriptions. Uber said it has received inquiries from the FTC and is cooperating...
Meta is lowering the price of ad-free subscriptions for European Facebook and Instagram users. The social media giant is reducing the price of those subscriptions by 40% in the European Union, according to a Tuesday (Nov. 12) company blog post. “Going forward, people based in...
The Lowe’s Digital Home Platform, announced by the home improvement retailer Monday (Nov. 4), gives members of the MyLowe’s Rewards program access to free, personalized information about products in their homes. This includes warranties and manuals, maintenance recommendations and how-to content, and recommended subscriptions and...
The New York Times has reportedly seen digital subscriptions slow amid weakened consumer spending. The media company added 260,000 digital-only subscribers during its third quarter, down from 300,000 in the prior quarter, Reuters reported Monday (Nov. 4). Analysts expected the publication to add 280,200 subscribers....
While Netflix raised membership prices in Japan, Italy, Spain, and parts of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (EMEA), it faces an evolving subscription economy framed by consumer demand for transparency and control. This week’s ruling by the Federal Trade Commission introducing a “click-to-cancel”...
The Kroger Co. added Disney streaming options to its paid membership program. New enrollees and existing members of Boost can select Disney+ Basic (With Ads), Hulu (With Ads) or ESPN+, adding it to their membership benefits at no extra cost, with the length of the...
CNN and Reuters are joining other digital news platforms in setting up paywalls to increase revenue. CNN began asking some of its readers to pay $3.99 per month to gain access to its reporting Tuesday (Oct. 1). It will push for subscriptions after users have...
Being authentic is a great way for any brand to elevate personalization to its customers. For Netflix, which operates in more than 190 countries around the world, putting specific audiences first is the key to successful programming, according to co-CEO Ted Sarandos. In his keynote...
