#TV shows are the worst because you either have to pay for a subscription service that probably won’t give you all the episodes anyway

[commando-rogers]

I know little ol me does not get much traction on this site and I’ve been reblogging PLENTY about the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes, but I keep seeing people confused about this online and irl so I just want to say:

As of now, the unions have NOT asked us to stop watching content. You can (and should!) keep watching and streaming your favorite shows and movies.

Now, I’m not a member of either union (though I hope to join SAG in the coming years if I get lucky, and maybe WGA is in my future if I get off my butt and write!) so I am not an authority on this, nor do I have all of the information. I could be mistaken on some of this, so those with more knowledge feel free to correct me! But I do know for a fact that the unions have not asked us to boycott watching shows.

The purpose of these strikes is to stop providing LABOR to the AMPTP (the gross weird mafia-like conglomeration of studios such as Netflix, Warner Bros, the like), not to stop watching.

Part of the issue with the proposed contracts from studios is the fairness of residuals (money paid to a writer/actor when their work is aired on TV, released on DVD, sold to a network, etc.). If already-aired shows and movies continue doing well, these workers keep getting paid (at least a little, they’re not getting paid for their jobs while striking but the studios cannot withhold residuals). (Of course, it’s messier with streaming services, which is another thing being advocated for in these contracts.)

So keep streaming movies and shows! Keep tuning in on TV if any of you still have cable! Go see Barbenheimer or anything you’d like to see at the theater! Support the art! This is a labor strike, not a consumer boycott. Not only might it help with residuals, but it shows the studios that there is still a demand for content. People are still watching their movies and shows, they still want to pay their subscriptions, and the studios are proverbially shooting themselves in the knee by withholding future content. That’s why this strike will work, that’s why WGA and SAG-AFTRA refuse to back down until their demands are met.

ESPECIALLY with shows that are coming out! Good Omens is one of my favorite shows, and season 2 drops on July 28th. Neil Gaiman, the writer, is very active on tumblr if you’d like to go check out his blog, and he’s being incredibly gracious and helpful answering questions about the strike. And he said the BEST thing we can do for the show is WATCH it. Watch in one sitting! Watch it on loop! We need to demonstrate demand, or the studios will cancel shows, which means artists out of work.

Of course, should the unions come out with a statement and ask us to stop watching, do it. However, that is not currently their wish, nor is it a rule of the strike.

(A note: if you’re like me and hoping to become an actor or writer in the future, this is NOT the time to get your big break. Studios are gonna come looking for nonunion talent to keep productions going. They are exploiting us and our desperation. If you scab and perform labor for a struck company during this strike, you WILL be blacklisted from ever joining the union in the future. Aspiring actors, that featured background gig is not worth kissing your hopes of a SAG card goodbye. Same goes for writers. You may see some SAG work continuing, that is being done under special agreements with the union, for SPECIFIC exceptions. Do your research on every casting call. Do not scab, these union members are fighting for OUR futures in this industry! The worst thing you can do is hurt them and throw your future away.)

Check out the WGA’s website and SAG-AFTRA’s website for more info on strike rules, and things you can do to help. If you want to make a financial difference, the best thing you can do is donate to strike funds. Go to this link and under Strike Assistance you’ll see a number of funds that are being used to help pay writers while out of work, AND to help pay the crew members who are also out of work because of the strike! Worker solidarity! Here is a link to emergency funds for SAG-AFTRA members.

If you’re in NYC or LA, stop by the picket lines! Even non-members are welcome to march, and a great way to help is to show up and hand out water bottles, food, anything you’re willing to donate and help make the picketers’ day just a little easier. And here’s a link to the LA chapter of Democratic Socialists of America. They have information on strike funds, as well as a fund specifically to help buy snacks for picketers! It’s summer, and both NYC and LA are miserable to be marching in the sun all day.

The other way the unions say we can help is by speaking up and voicing your support on social media. An anonymous studio exec told Dateline “The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses.” They said the quiet part out loud. You can look up the salaries of these studio execs. It’s tens and hundreds of millions. Then go look up what each union is asking for in their contracts. It’s a drop in the studios’ bucket, but they’re refusing to budge, and they’re showing their complete lack of humanity.

tl;dr: you can and should keep watching shows and movies during the strikes, unless we are told otherwise by the unions. There are other great ways to help! These unions are a huge driving force of American economy, and hopefully these strikes will help garner support for a larger labor movement for all workers to get fair pay.

Thanks for tuning in to my accidentally very lengthy post. But I hope this helps clear up confusion. Share this info with your friends, and voice your support loudly! And for the love of god DO NOT CROSS PICKET LINES!

[gerberbabey]

sad saturdays | kiara carrera

2nd part of cocaine. this goes out to that one anon. 

masterlist | cocaine series : 1 | 3 

summary: Kie spends her Saturday inside. 

warnings: more of that gay shit, im high so the writing is bad (well the writings always bad), angst, cursing, mentions of depression, more of me being collectively obsessed w both Euphoria and Outerbanks

♫ Sad Saturdays by JOBA ♫

Kie wondered if perhaps she should call 911. Her chest was hurting so much that she was so sure it was a heart attack. She’d even stayed up at 3 AM  googling everything she was feeling and what it could possibly mean but she only ended up self-diagnosing herself with cancer. It probably wasn’t cancer.

“Kie...sweetheart?” her mom stood at her doorway. 

Kie hummed from where she was buried under her covers. 

“Baby, do you need anything?” 

“Mmmno...”

Kie waited for her door to shut before she peaked over her shoulder to see if her mom had actually left. Seeing that the woman was gone, Kie sighed and turned over to lay on her back. She tried to think about the last time she felt this terrible. Physically she was probably fine, she’d felt worse before (the pain in her chest really wasn’t the worst of it). Emotionally and mentally? That one was kind of hard to pinpoint. 

Her generation was practically founded on not being the mentally strongest. As fucked up as that sounded, considering how depressing shit was because of the older generation, she thought she was pretty justified in her thinking. She didn’t want to think too hard about it. 

“Fuck....” she mumbled as she felt her lip quiver. 

Kie sucked in her cheeks and tried to blink away the tears gathering at her eyes. 

She’d been in bed for 3 days now. Meaning it’s been 3 days since she kissed you and ran. Kie instructed her mom that if anyone came around she didn’t want to see them. Kie’s mom was reluctant of course, she didn’t want her daughter isolating herself willingly when she knew that being alone was something she’d struggled with before. But she followed her daughter’s wishes. 

Even if that meant turning you away more than once in the past three days. __________________

“Sexuality is a spectrum. It’s not like anyone’s 100% straight or 100% gay.” 

Kie made a face as she laid her head against your shoulder. The two of you had started binge-watching Euphoria as soon as all the episodes had gotten released and it was now 3 am and the two of you were well into the show. 

“There are people who are definitely 100% gay,” Kie argued and you hummed in response, trying to pay attention to both her and the show, “One of my cousins is 100% gay. Women do not and could not ever do it for him.” 

You paused the show as you realized you couldn’t multitask in this situation. 

“I don’t think she even really realizes what she’s saying Kie,” you explained once you noticed how bothered Kie seemed to be by the line. Kie didn’t even really understand it herself but she was heated. Kie wasn’t really one for staying in and watching shows. If anything your entire friend group tended to not stay in and do stuff like that. You and the boys didn’t really have subscriptions to streaming services (sometimes you didn’t even have working cable to watch TV) yet you had seen the trailers for the show and had insisted that the two of you watch it. Kie couldn’t really say no to you. 

“I don’t know, for a show that’s representing so much, that seems really out of place. I don’t know what the writers were thinking.”

“I mean Maddy’s a character who’s just trying to calm her aggressive abusive boyfriend down. I don’t think she herself understands what “Sexuality is a spectrum’ means. I don’t think the writers are putting it off as anything bad.” 

Kie could feel herself calming down as you spoke to her. You had that weird effect on her. 

“Do you get what it means?” the question came out before she could even really think about it and Kie felt her chest tighten up in instant regret.

As open as the Pogues were with one another, it was just different when it came down to deep shit. JJ despised talking about his dad, Pope rarely opened up about his anxiety and the pressure he felt, the topic of Kie’s year at the Kook academy wasn’t even an option, John B denied any negativity on the topic of his father, and you avoided even saying the words “mom” or “dad” when it came to your own parents.

The topic of sexuality wasn’t exactly a common conversation topic. 

Kie wasn’t sure what she was afraid of. Would you connect the question back to her sexuality? Would that connection reveal her feelings for you? Would you scoff at the idea of believing Kie loved you?

She knew that she wasn’t afraid of any type of homophobia. Especially not from you. 

“Yeah I mean remember when Kat was explaining it to her. She said at the end of each spectrum is gay and straight. Maddy probably just understood wrong cus her boyfriend’s an asshole. But yeah like sexuality is a spectrum,” Kie blinked at that, “I mean like I’ve never dated a girl but I’m not on the 100% straight part of the spectrum. If being gay was a choice, I wouldn’t like men at all.”

Kie didn’t really accomplish much that night. You were still opposed to the idea of love. You still didn’t know about her feelings. Nothing had really changed. 

But that night, Kie felt happier than she had in a while. 

________

Kie recalled the episode of Euphoria where Rue had gone through a depressive episode and it led to a kidney infection. Kie was terrified of the idea as a whole and had forced herself to get up and use the bathroom. 

Pushing the bathroom door open she dragged her feet as she made her trek back to her room. It was at the most a few feet but damn did it make her tired. Her head felt heavy on her shoulders and her body ached. She wouldn’t be surprised if she’d somehow caught a fever in the midst of all of this. She’d forced her body through an entirely different routine for the past three days. 

“Jesus Kie.”

Kie jumped at that and nearly screamed at the sight of JJ. 

“Shit! JJ what the hell are you doing here?! You scared the fuck out of me!” 

“Sorry jeez,” JJ put his hands up in defense, “We were worried and your mom wasn’t letting anyone see you so I snuck in through your back door,” JJ’s casual way of speaking left Kie speechless.

“What the fuck JJ....Don’t you have like work? Or something better to do on a Saturday than break into my house?” 

“Well I have today off actually. John B and Pope are both working and (Y/N)’s sick too so I don’t-”

“Wait what?” Kie backtracked for a moment, “(Y/N)’s sick?” 

“Yeah I mean I don’t know-”

“How do you not know JJ!” 

“I just-I don’t know, (Y/N) just said she was sick, why are you yelling at me?!”

Kie pressed her hands to her face in frustration. Even when you weren’t around her you were still somehow affecting her emotionally. 

“JJ I really cannot have you here right now ok, I need you to go,” Kie motioned to her door but JJ wasn’t having it. Kie hadn’t spoken to any of them in the past 3 days and he knew it had something to do with you. You weren’t telling him anything either but he was more observant than you thought. You had fallen off the face of the earth at the exact same time as Kie and the only time you responded to any of his texts was when you were telling him you couldn’t hang out with the Pogues because you needed to check on Kie. 

“No ok I’m not dumb, did something happen between you and (Y/N)? Are you two fighting or something?”

“No JJ-”

“Then what? Did someone break the fucking girl code?”

“NO!”

“Did she hook up with a guy you called dibs on-”

“I KISSED HER!” 

Kie sucked in a breath as she and JJ looked at each other in the eye. The shock was clear on his expression.

“I kissed (Y/N)...because,” Kie’s shoulders shook, “Because I love her. But she-she won’t love me back.”

“What...you don’t know that Kie,” JJ tried to soothe as Kie began to sob, her hands shaking. 

“I do, ok, I do know. (Y/N) has been...hurt so much, and I wish I could help her fucking love again, as cheesy as that sounds, but she has been pretty straightforward about how she feels about crap like that.”

JJ clenched his jaw and fidgeted with his hands. He was completely out of his element in this type of situation. He wasn’t exactly the best example of anything that regarded relationships or even opening up about feelings and here was his best friend venting to him about his other best friend. If he was being completely honest he thought he was going to have this conversation with Pope about Kie, not Kie about you. 

“I love her JJ...” Kie sobbed and JJ licked his lips then his eyes and attention flickered off to the side at the sight of movement. 

Kie turned at that and back into her room and nearly into JJ at the sight of you standing in her doorway. 

You bit at your cheek as you looked at the two of them. 

“Hey Kie....” 

part 3? 

[rokuapp]

Why Produce A Roku Channel For Growth Marketing

Roku revealed its Q4 revenues results last Thursday, which emphasized its setting as a very early leader in the connected TV market thanks to solid holiday equipment sales together with higher advertisement sales.

The business remained to expand its individual base, with global active accounts getting to 36.9 million, a 36% year-over-year (YoY) uptick. While that's still less than Amazon Fire TELEVISION's 40 million energetic customers, Roku much surpasses its opponent in regards to time spent: Roku recorded around 43% of worldwide connected-TV viewing time in Q4 2019 compared with 18% for Fire TV, according to recent Conviva research. In outright terms, Roku reported an approximated 11.7 billion complete streaming hours in Q4 2019, a 60% YoY boost.

Roku has had success monetizing its expanding involvement-- its ad organisation is on the increase after the firm increased advertisement capabilities and also presented brand-new layouts in 2019. Roku's typical profits per customer (ARPU) increased 26% YoY, in Q4 2019 to $23.19 as well as system earnings increased 71% YoY in Q4 to $259 million. The company likewise offered far more impacts in 2019 than in the year prior: Roku said its monetized video advertisement impressions greater than doubled over the course of the year.

Roku's growing ad organisation was driven by a few consider 2019, including its acquisition of dataxu, the advertisement tech firm which has allowed advertisers to get Roku positionings through third-party publishers carried on the platform. One more major vehicle driver is the popularity of Roku Channel, the firm's very own free, ad-supported channel that now organizes over 55 online linear channels, children material, as well as personalized web content selections. According to the revenues launch, the Roku Channel now gets to an estimated 55 million customers.

Right here's just how Roku could attempt as well as develop its advertisement company even further across 2020 as OTT advertising expands extra common:

- Increasing Roku Channel web content. This year will certainly see the launch and development of both subscription streaming solutions like HBO Max, Apple TELEVISION, and Disney+ and ad-supported services like NBCU's Peacock. To proceed growing Roku Channel's viewership-- and, as necessary, preserving advertiser passion-- the business will likely require to get new content that distinguishes the channel from other alternatives.

- Scaling global reach. Despite its users being concentrated in the USA, Roku has seen early success in the UK and Brazilian markets, both of which it entered in 2019. Although it likely faces harder competition abroad-- particularly from Samsung, which regulates 21% of the worldwide Smart TV market, per Strategy Analytics-- there is plainly space for growth in choose countries.

As Roku builds out its ad organisation more strongly, it's particular to encounter challenges-- as well as one such point of friction could be author arrangements. On the weekend of the Super Bowl, Roku almost failed to reach an agreement with Fox over the legal rights it includes its application Fox Sports and its pay-TV confirmed application Fox Now.

The disagreement occurred in part over Roku's expectation that an application share 30% of profits from their supply for being included on their gadget-- a sticking point for programmers like Fox, whose advertisement inventory was most likely particularly valuable that weekend.

As more authors push their OTT applications to Roku gadgets and also Roku begins to additionally focus on ad revenue, carriage conflicts like this could come to be extra common. And also, as with linear carriage conflicts, the worst case situation is that the channel concerned is dropped from the system completely.

Television Marketing:

This is my preferred advertising tool. Numerous things have actually changed in this field. The cost to reach a lot of people is a lot less than various other forms of advertising and marketing. Also, you have a captive target market. Unlike a mail item that they can toss in the trash, or a publication or paper that they can toss to the side, your target market is kicked back, as well as receptive to seeing short visual advertisements.

Yes, traditional TV can be out of reach to most business, however the most up to date pattern is Streaming TV Media, which is within reach of many budget plans. Audiences acquire a "Smart TV" set-top box such as Roku, Apple TELEVISION or Amazon.com Fire among others to connect to their TELEVISION, and they have access to a large platform of streaming channels including TELEVISION programs, Movies, Sports and more. A good example is ADEYS.tv, around the world their target market gets to upwards of 250,000 customers a month. This is because they use special material only readable on their network, as well as an exceptional means to construct a devoted audience. There are just 1-2 ads shown throughout a commercial break, as well as viewers can't avoid over them like on mainstream cable TV.

Deciding what marketing tool is best for you, or what mix thereof, is solely based upon budget and also need of your individual service. Take your time, do your research and also explore choices. Do you need targeted advertising and marketing or would certainly you benefit a lot more from a broad audience? Possibly, like a lot of us, you require both which is why from the time you took Advertising and marketing 101, we were constantly shown the "advertising and marketing mix". Whatever you make a decision, be sure you do something, because in today's competitive market, you're either expanding or fading away.

how to start your own tv show

[zoestagg]

Pay For Content...

If you find yourself consuming more content than usual in this age of social distancing, and you find yourself grateful for that slice of distraction during the day, how much is that worth to you? Even if it looks it, NO content is effortless. Even me pretending right now that blogs are still a thing, takes effort.

And so, in this era of elevated quarantine-content-consumption AND the political spirit of the season (whereby I am not political because even though I’ve read the Hatch Act, I’m still afraid I will somehow interpret it wrong,) I would like to introduce you to my own kind of grassroots effort-

Grassroots Entertainment Subsidies.

Some people pay for cable. Some people pay for Netflix. I don’t watch either of those things, because I prefer my content, artisanal.

If you share a financial situation with me, please stop reading.

If you don’t, let’s talk about how much I pay independent creators every month and who I pay!

Pictured, Ken Reid, (@tvguidancecounselor​) TV Guidance Counselor over Shibuya Crossing.

First, merch. When I stan, I prefer to stan in public. Hey, people who listen to music wear band tees -- people who listen to podcasts wear merch.

There are a few creators that I pay directly -- they’re the Old Guard folks, who had to figure out how to monetize in the days when that wasn’t easy to do.

Direct Subscriptions:

Funemployment Radio: A Portland podcast totally famous in its own right, famous to me because one of the co-hosts lived next door to me growing up. Amusing and distraction-worthy content every single day, is absolutely worth it. $7

Keith and the Girl: There’s OG and then there’s the people who have been podcasting since iPods actually existed. Your subscription gets you their whole back catalogue and all of their spin-off shows, which I go through phases listening to. Really, I subscribe because I wouldn’t have met my BFF or survived Basic Training without them. I want them to keep doing what they’re doing. $15

Gymcastic: I want someone to talk about the best and worst leotards thoughout history and recap the 2000 All Around. Being an expert in a niche and being consistent about your art is worth money. Subscribed.  $2

I want Sordid Deets to come back so bad. They dropped a surprise ep this week and it was the best thing ever. I miss them so much.

Audio content on Patreon:

Solid Listen Network: This is the rebrand of the network that brings you Mother May I Sleep With Podcast, excellent in its own right and a podcast title that makes me jealous of the perfection, perpetually. I pay for Troy McEady. I subscribe to over 100 podcasts, his is the ONLY solo act I listen to, and he is a marvel. A delight. I’m like a tier-three sub for his Britney content alone. STAN.   $8

Last Podcast on the Left: Honestly, my subscriptions don’t typically run this mainstream. I try to use my dollars where I think they’ll make the most difference. That’s not to say they don’t make content that’s worth money, but this one was sort of forced. They went to Spotify only and as we all know, I don’t listen to music, AND they dropped their Lee Harvey Oswald series right after? Dirty. Still. Becoming mainstream means there were a lot of years you weren’t, so not mad about it. $10

True Crime Obsessed: This is the most organic and shrewd and early-adopting use of Patreon out there. Is that a usual thing to praise and reward? Good business models? Maybe not, but these cats -- SMART. They, almost from the jump, used their free feed as bait to get to the premium content. Their free feed is GOOD, but all the stuff you REALLY want? Is premium. So, so, smart. Also I like them a lot, I’m even extra tier to get the After Party.  $7

Morbid Podcast: I reward a hustle. If you’re working jobs and have kids AND make time to be consistent with your art? I’m in the Window Latching Coven because I see you. $3

Video content on Patreon:

Offhand Disney: In my list of things I am obsessed with, Disney backstories are on there. This nostalgia/business/behind-the-scenes channel with great research is awesome. VIDEOS ARE HARD.  $5

Wheezy Waiter: I love his chill, not-at-all-self-important life challenge content. He puts out a lot of extra content on Patreon, but mostly I’m just subbed because I want him to keep doing what he’s doing. $5

Paul Lucas: In one of greatest adulting failures, is that I cannot for the life of me figure out how airline rewards work and have ever only upgraded to Premium Economy out of my own pocket. I am an air-travel embarrassment. I also love very thorough, methodical reviews of stuff you might not think you’d find yourself watching a review of, like in-flight amenity kits. It’s SO SOOTHING. I love airports, and I love to be soothed. $3

Swell Entertainment: Love her. Love her personality, love the effort she puts in to the concept of each video, love that I got to watch her go from 8k to over 50k in a week? Her content isn’t your typical “Hey guys!” and that’s the point. She’s unique, and I’m here for her hustle. $3

LEMMiNO: I hate to even link this video and then look at how small the pledge is, the RESEARCH and the ANIMATIONS and the ACCENT. At the very least, if you’re interested in spooky and mysterious things at all, go subscribe on YouTube. He’s amazing.  $1

Nexpo: I sometimes like spooky stuff. (In the daytime, at the gym, where there are very few ghosts.) I like deep dives of spooky internet oddities, and his are deep. $1

Other artists on Patreon:

Funny But Mean: A sketch comedy troupe I was in in the early 00s, who is still doing the amazing feat of creating theatre in San Francisco today. It costs like $5000 just to SAY San Francisco, anymore. So they get my money. $5

The Unipiper: He’s a Portland cult figure, the unicyclist who plays the bagpipes in a Darth Vader helmet, and I just so happen to know he has a pretty great heart when it comes to his fans. That’s reason enough for me. $5

Kaytlin Bailey: I subscribed for her podcast, The Oldest Profession, which is an amazing empowering deep-dive into sex work throughout history, and stayed because she’s out there doing activist work on behalf of sex workers today. My money is more powerful in her hands than mine. $5

That’s $83 a month. Does it seem like a pretty big budget item? Maybe. But creating independent content is HARD work. Researching and being consistent and hustling because it’s content you care about making? I would rather pay the artist directly.

Like conceivably if I watched anything but YouTube, or listened to music at all, maybe I would have a streaming service or a cable package, but this is what I like. I like people making art.

I DO wish Patreon had a better “discovery” experience. To my knowledge, you have to know exactly who you’re searching for, to add them. I want to be recommended people! Browse creators to add. Maybe they’re working on it.

Because it seems like I have an itchy $17 more dollars that needs pledging... whose content are you paying for?

[davewakeman]

Talking Tickets: 27 March 2020--Take Care Of Yourself! Twitch! TV Money! Marketing and More!

Hey There! 

Thanks for being here again this week.

If you’ve been finding value in the newsletter and the things I’ve been sharing, could you do me a favor and share this newsletter with someone that would get value from it?

I’d appreciate it!

Like I mentioned last week if you have some cool thing that you are working on to boost the industry right now…let me know and I will share it. LiveNation is doing a cool concept called ‘Sound of Silence‘ to support the Australian music industry and they have some really great t-shirts! The money raised will go to support artist crews and workers in the Australian live entertainment sector.

Last week, I co-hosted a virtual Happy Hour with Ken Troupe and I think we may have put the wrong link in the email here. But we had a few people, some laughs, and some fun. So we are going to try it again this afternoon at 5PM EST.

Want to connect with folks throughout this crisis and economically troubled time, I’ve put together a Slack channel for folks in the entertainment business to have a place to chat and connect.

To the tickets!

————————————————————————————————————

1. The recovery and return of games is being driven by…TV:

I’ve been telling y’all for years that you have to be careful if you put too many eggs in one basket. And, the coronavirus pandemic has taught us a lot of lessons about planning, risk, and business.

The great thing is that we are starting to see folks start talking about getting back to work, playing games, putting on shows, and all of these things.

But as we move out of the collapse of the economy and the pandemic eventually turns to a point where we can get back to business, we have to start thinking about our business models.

What are they? Why are we doing what we do? What do we want our businesses to be?

I put in a piece last week talking about everything being different, but what does that mean?

I’ve run across a lot of articles this week highlighting the impact that TV is having, driving decision making on returning to the field, making arrangements, and other decisions.

The TV money is awesome. It has provided tremendous opportunities.

But as we move into a new normal, we also have to ask if the TV money has also led to stagnant business models, lack of innovation, and a loss of control of the decision-making process.

As a noted contrarian, these ideas aren’t mutually exclusive.

Look, when Premier League teams are potentially going bankrupt without TV money, that’s the definition of too heavily weighted in one direction to me.

What will happen to the tickets? Fans in stadiums?

Also, will we see a trend of cord-cutting and subscription cancellations that leads to customers leaving and never returning? And, what about the ‘make goods’ that the networks and leagues will have to provide?

Several folks I spoke with over the last week or two have mentioned that the attendance numbers haven’t ever really recovered since 2008. Then you see stories like this one claiming that a Champions League match could have been ground zero for Europe’s coronavirus outbreak and it gives you pause.

Are these people wrong? Am I wrong? Because I’ve been highlighting this for years, empty seats is more than just a price issue or a new normal…it is an existential crisis.

I’m still working through my own process of what comes next for me, but I can tell you three things to think about:

1. What is the value you want to deliver? 2. Who is your buyer? 3. How are you going to reach them?

2. The pandemic and economic meltdown bring out the best and the worst:

Last week I shared the story of Amy Kline and how she organized singing in her neighborhood. This week I saw Joe’s post about how creativity is more important than ever.

That’s the great thing about art, it brings out the best in us in troubled times.

Goldstar has put together a nice program to help arts organizations weather the storm.

While Mark Cuban has been out at the front about making sure that sports teams take care of their hourly workers during the coronavirus shutdown.

On the other hand, in Boston, I’ve seen a lot of stories about how the Bruins and Delaware North have been placing folks on leave for “temporary business stabilization measures.” And, to use the kid’s term, Josh Harris and David Blitzer were “dragged” over their decision to cut most of their staff’s pay by 20% and then quickly turned around on that decision.

At the NHL offices in NYC, we are seeing salaries cut 25% to try and avoid layoffs.

3. We are still holding for any sign of light for events to begin again in many parts of the world:

Football clubs in Europe are still working on finishing their season by June 30th so that the regular club year can begin on July 1st.

Whether or not that is reasonable is still unknown, the British FA is being very aggressive in their pursuit of finding a way to save the season and make certain that clubs at all levels survive after the pandemic and the economic collapse that is going along with it.

MLB is likely to be hurt the most in the short term just because they are missing their Opening Day launching pad and combining that with a high likelihood that the NHL and NBA may end up playing their playoffs in competition with the launch of baseball during the summer months, god willing.

For me, the question isn’t just when will events come back, but what kinds of events will people come back for?

I’m thinking that this is likely to look a little like the airline industry after 9/11 and there is an interesting study that says that things won’t be distributed the same way when events come back.

What do y’all think?

From where I sit, we are going to have to think through how teams, leagues, and companies manage risk and planning going forward. I think that was always the case, but this crisis is highlighting how close to the edge many organizations are.

If you are totally jonesing for sports, I can point you to Belarus and Twitch!

4. In the States, I think we are going to see a huge change in the way that tickets are sold going forward: 

I mean, at this point, I don’t think we should be too surprised by the number of layoffs and troubles that the world of live events is facing. This pandemic hit at the heart of everything many of us do all day, every day.

But I think what is going to be interesting to see coming out on the other side is what comes next in tickets.

For a long time, I’ve partnered with Booking Protect as they’ve worked to deliver the best refund protection in the world of tickets and events.

Their commitment to maintaining a high level of service throughout the pandemic highlights something that really should have already been a primary consideration for folks, how do we give the ticket buyer more flexibility in their purchase terms and how do we meet customers in a way that reflects the reality of their jobs, their schedules, their health, and lives that don’t always conform to the events we’ve planned for months in advance.

In Australia in November, Maureen Andersen gave the closing keynote at the Ticketing Professionals Conference of Australia and she talked about elevating the level of service in the industry and an example that stuck in my mind was the idea of “all sales are final” or “no refunds, no exchanges.”

In the context of Maureen’s speech, these concepts just aren’t good enough for the modern customer of November…I think we can all agree that the reality of our customers has changed a lot in the 4 months since I heard her talk about this in Australia.

More, I think her point was that we have to end this idea that our default should be to figure out how to say, “yes” as much as we possibly can to every one of our guests.

I don’t have to tell any of y’all where I fall down on that idea.

You combine these ideas with the story of the secondary market platforms faltering under the strain of the coronavirus induced shutdowns and, in the States, you see that the model of sales is going to have to change going forward.

And, the state of what to do with all of the tickets that are postponed or canceled currently is another sticking point that is likely to drive this thinking for some folks. This particular part of the challenge confronts folks around the world.

Let me give you a couple of reasons why:

First, for far too long at this point, much of the risk for many teams, productions, and events have been born by the secondary market.

You’ve seen this in the rise of consolidation, ticket arbitrage, the fan broker model and a lot of other moves that consumers and professionals have had to make to attempt to either afford their tickets or to drive value into the ticketing ecosystem.

Effectively, what we’ve seen happen is that in the drive to maximize revenue at every touchpoint we’ve put so much pressure on brokers, consolidators, and fans, that the risk has returned to the teams and content producers because STHs can’t afford their tickets, the secondary market might not see a return on a partnership, and corporate partners may not see the value or need in having so much inventory at such high prices.

Now, you are likely to see a scenario where the secondary market either reconsiders their risk tolerance or the secondary market doesn’t have the financial ability to assume as much risk. Combined with consumers feeling the pinch from the pandemic and the accompanying financial crisis, and the movement for a lot of corporate customers to reevaluate their ticket packages and ticket investments…and what do you have, potentially, a tremendous amount of trouble!

BTW, we could see many brokers and platforms go out of business or change the way they operate their businesses.

What will that mean for ticket sales?

Second, the model of Glengarry Glenn Ross type selling that still dominates most American sports teams is likely going to need to be revisited.

Patrick Ryan sums it up when he mentions losing “half your net worth and having some 25-year-old kid calling up” threatening to take away your tickets at the height of a panic as really bad for your brand. And, Aaron Holland talks about being more agile in the way that you create value for your ticket buyers.

How will you adapt to these realistic factors in your ticket sales process?

Finally, my favorite topic of marketing needs to regain its spot as a strategic priority.

I’m sure I’ve written and said more than anyone on the need for marketing to lead the way in ensuring that we are maximizing our attendance and revenue in sports, theatre, arts, and entertainment.

This is going to be more important than ever. And, spoiler, the old ways of marketing aren’t going to necessarily cut it any longer.

We will need to focus on response, revenue generation, and demand creation over brand building. In a way, I believe that the TV partners and other partners do a really great job of building the brand of teams, venues, events, and performers, but they do a poor job of selling and maximizing revenue because that’s not what they are designed for.

The simplest way to kickstart something like this is to rethink the outcomes you are trying to produce instead of getting stuck in the mindless tail-chasing of doing things because everyone else is doing them.

So…if you need to sell tickets, how are these channels going to help? What does success look like? Where can I find an example of someone achieving this outcome either in tickets or outside of it?

FYI, this piece about marketing being everyone’s job could have been written by me!

5. I hope this pandemic and economic slowdown resolves itself quickly, but I want y’all to be safe: 

I’ve had friends from all around the world send me well wishes and notes of concern because I live in DC. And, I don’t want to get political but I do want to tell you no matter where you are in the world, listen to the professionals, be careful about what you information you intake, and take care of yourself as we work through this.

My lady has taken over my office right now, but I have kept a bust of FDR (I think bust is the right term) next to my desk since I started working out of my office about 5 years ago because FDR was kind of Georgia’s first president. And, I know for many people we are dealing with a lot of uncertainty and a lot of stress. I’m not the president so I can’t go on the TV and calm the world’s nerves, but I can share FDR’s first inaugural address where he said the famous line: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” 

It is a tough time. As I’ve mentioned everywhere in the last few weeks, we are in this together. If you need me, let me know. You can email, text, call, WhatsApp, or whatever your preferred method of connection is. I’m here for you. And, after having gone through the 2008 financial crisis, I recognize that one of the most important things we can do for anyone is just be a friend, a shoulder, or someone to bounce ideas off of.

Importantly for me, thank you for paying attention…writing this week’s newsletter was really therapeutic and in a way felt like a meditation on business and life. So thanks again for being here! 

—————————————————————————————————————-

What am I up to this week?

I’m hosting 3 webinars this week on topics that I hope you or your team or colleagues might find useful during the current pandemic but also heading out of it…

On Tuesday, March 31st at 11 AM EDT, I’m going to take some of those concepts and ideas I talked about in section 4 and create a webinar to help you come up with some new ideas to sell more tickets in the future. I’m going to cover value for the premium buyer, messaging, incentives, value, and more. I hope to see you there.

On Wednesday, April 1st at 3 PM EDT, I’m putting together one that is all about value and how you can create value for your clients and prospects in crisis times. We will cover whether you should be selling, how to offer insights, and how you can become a resource to your market.

On Thursday, April 2 at 12 PM EDT, I’ve put together a webinar with Frederic Aouad from Stay22 on leading a sales team during the pandemic. We will discuss how doing the right thing is the most important thing you can do right now, helping your sales team see the light at the end of the tunnel, changing performance metrics, and delivering value.

You can also listen to the previous webinars: The Language of the Sale and What Matters In Tickets Now! as well! Check out The Business of Fun archives and I will get back to posting podcasts this week with an interesting conversation with Queue-It North American CEO, Phil Hansen. 

Please follow and like us:

Talking Tickets: 27 March 2020–Take Care Of Yourself! Twitch! TV Money! Marketing and More! was originally published on Wakeman Consulting Group

[codydcampbell1]

The Advertising Wyrm (Ft. Final Fantasy XV)

Hi Everyone,

So I’ve been thinking a lot about advertising in non-physical media lately. Nobody really likes advertisements (except during the super bowl for some weird reason) and it seems like if you ask people whether or not they want advertisements in their movies, TV shows, podcasts, internet videos, ect., an overwhelming majority of people will probably say no.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t like them either. There’s nothing like an Axe Body Spray commercial trying to tell me all I need in order to be drowning in women is a can of their middle school skunk juice to really take me out of my viewing experience. They can’t mace you if you mace yourself first!

But there are times when I understand why advertisements are necessary. Radio was probably the first great example. No one pays for radio, but people wanted to be able to tune in and here music, talk shows and news. Sure, there were some hobbyists who were willing to broadcast for free, but income was (and is.. that’s right, radio is still a thing!) necessary for most stations. Equipment, facilities and talent all cost money. So how do you make money when no one is paying for your service?

You sell ad-space.

And that’s a pretty fair deal. You get free media, and in exchange, you spend some of your time listening to businesses that financed said media so you don’t have to. You can crank the Stones, or Kelly Clarkson (or whatever the hell kids are into these days) and then suffer through a brief message from Crazy Willy’s no-down, low-low APR car loans before going back to your morning commute jams.

I personally love a good podcast. One of my favorites, a Dungeons and Dragons podcast called The Adventure Zone, has a commercial break in the center of every episode that I happily listen through, knowing that it’s financing a product that I’m not paying for. Similarly, YouTube ads can help pay content producers on all those cat videos and swimsuit fails you watch for free.

(This one is a video of a cat watching a swimsuit fail)

TV started out with a similar set up, but that changed with the advent of cable. They offered more channels and clearer reception in exchange for a subscription, but the commercials didn’t go anywhere. You were now paying the cable company directly AND viewing ads.

To be fair, this was initially an optional upgrade and the cable companies didn’t necessarily pay the networks that were producing the content, so in a way you were paying in two separate ways for two separate services.

The problem is that once people got used to this system, it opened up the gateway to a whole bunch of other services. You might buy a movie ticket and be forced to sit through ads before getting to see the film (reminder, Coka-Cola asks you to please silence your phone) or you might be paying for a streaming service like Hulu and still have to sit through ads. In both of these instances, you are paying twice. Hulu tries to justify this by arguing that they do this in order to offer a discounted service and gives you the option to pay extra for less or no ads, but it still feels like your paying to watch advertisements and that’s never a good feeling.

This gets even more insidious with Final Fantasy XV.

That’s right nerds! I’m bringing a video game into my advertising rant!

In the game you play Noctis, the leader of a group of four young men on a road trip to save the world… or something. You ride in a car that was replicated by Audi in conjunction with the games release, regularly stop to make camp using Coleman brand tents, stoves, chairs, cutlery and mugs, the American Express logo appears in business windows within the game, all of the characters clothes were designed and are sold IRL by a Japanese fashion label called Roen… and then there’s the worst offender. Those of you who’ve already played the game know exactly what I’m talking about.

Cup-F***ing-Noodles.

These little bastards are all over this game. There are billboards for them. There’s a truck that sells them as a consumable item on the boardwalk. Noctis, the prince of a warring nation and solemn hero of your journey, can get a hat (as part of a free DLC) shaped like a Styrofoam cup with the branding printed boldly across its front. But this is probably the most egregious offender of all.

Now, there were a lot of people who this didn’t bother. It seemed relatively harmless and even funny at times. Memes spread across the internet like lazily Photoshopped wildfire.

But the problem is that Square Enix didn’t put these products in your game to be funny or because they thought they flushed out the story. The ads did the opposite. Every time these products appeared on screen, they were instantly immersion breaking. They immediately took me out of the story and the fantasy world that the writers had worked so hard to produce and made me very aware that I was being sold something.

That pissed me off because I’d already bought something. THE GAME!

I’d spent $60 of my own hard earned dollar bills on a plastic disk, not knowing that I was going to spend the next ~100 hours in a fantasy world with real world ads. Square Enix is not a struggling company trying to find a way to finance their product. They are one of the largest video game publishers on the planet. This is nothing more than unadulterated corporate greed, steamed in a disposable cup.

But I acknowledge that my experience doesn’t reflect everyone’s. As I said before, many were unbothered or even amused by the company selling their soul to shrimp flavored capitalism. Other games have implemented product placement in the past, Final Fantasy XV is just the most shameless example. Still though, you have to admit that this could prove problematic going forward.

The more we get used to this sort of thing, the more we’re going to see it.

And where does it end? E-books have been on the rise for years. Many believe that they will eventually come to completely replace print. After all, they take up less space, cost almost nothing to produce and don’t require any third party sellers, storage or shipping.

How long before you have to sit through an ad between chapters? How long before you start buying “ad-free” books at a premium? How long before that starts to feel normal?

Maybe I’m just paranoid. Maybe books are safe and Ray Bradbury can continue to rest peacefully. I just feel like we shouldn’t take this sort of thing lightly. Companies will continue to worm ads anywhere they think we will tolerate them, so it’s up to us to decide where we draw that line.

Square Enix is about to release the first of three parts in the Final Fantasy VII Remake. Something I’ve been waiting six years for. It’s one of the single most influential stories of my childhood. Buying them new, I will already be paying $180 USD for a video game. If Cloud’s Motorcycle is made by Honda, they will have lost a life-long customer.

Thanks for reading everyone. Let me know your thoughts in the comments,

-Cody

PS: My analysis blogs will probably be more writing and script focused in the future. This is just something that’s been bothering me.

[jamieclawhorn]

This is what I’d do with the BT share price right now

Last year, the BT (LSE: BT) share price was punished after what can only be described as a tidal wave of bad news engulfed the company. At the time, it seemed the business couldn’t do anything right, and investors rushed to exit. Indeed, between the beginning of January and mid-May, the stock lost more than a quarter of its value, excluding dividends.

However, since bottoming out in May, shares in the telecommunications giant have staged a steady recovery. Over the past eight months, the BT share price has risen around 19% excluding dividends, outperforming the FTSE 100 by nearly 30%. Investors who were brave enough to buy at the bottom have been well-rewarded!

Unfortunately, I wasn’t one of those investors lucky enough to buy at the bottom. But if I had, I would now be considering taking some money off the table after the recent rally.

Time to take profits

Last May, investors were selling BT at whatever price the market offered them, no matter how low. This panic selling pushed the BT share price down to a valuation of just 6.5 times forward earnings, the lowest valuation awarded to the business by the market since the financial crisis. 

It looked as if investors were preparing for the worst. But the worst never happened, and now BT is making a comeback. Investor confidence has slowly returned over the past eight months, which is reflected in its valuation. The shares are currently trading at a forward P/E of 9.3.

But I think it will be difficult for the stock to move much higher in the near term because there’s still plenty of uncertainty surrounding the group’s outlook. For example, Ofcom is still trying to push the company to invest more, and charge customers less. Meanwhile, BT’s debt pile isn’t getting any smaller, and its pay-TV business is floundering. Even after spending billions on content and sporting rights, subscriptions to the firm’s TV service declined in the year to the end of March 2018. 

After taking account of all of these factors, City analysts believe the group’s earnings per share will slide 14% for the financial year ending this March. No growth is expected for the following year, either. As my colleague Edward Sheldon has also pointed out, falling earnings could mean BT’s dividend yield is living on borrowed time. 

A lower multiple 

Considering these forecasts, I believe shares in BT deserve to trade at a slight discount to the rest of the UK telecommunications sector, which is currently at a median P/E of around 13. I think a multiple of approximately 10 to 12 is suitable for the business as it works to return to growth. That implies a slight upside from current levels, but not much.

With that being the case, if I owned BT today, I’d be looking to sell some of my position. The company has achieved tremendous gains for investors over the past eight months, but I don’t think this performance can be repeated in the near term. What’s more, the FTSE 100 is full of bargains right now, and many of these companies have brighter outlooks than embattled BT. 

You Really Could Make A Million

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The Motley Fool’s experts show how a seven-figure-sum stock portfolio is within the reach of many ordinary investors in this straightforward step-by-step guide. Simply click here for your free copy.

More reading

Forget Bitcoin! I’d rather invest in the BT share price today

Tempted by BT’s share price and dividend yield? Here’s what you need to know

Why I think the BT Group share price could collapse through 200p in 2019

3 reasons I think the BT share price will smash the FTSE 100 in 2019

Top shares for January

Rupert Hargreaves owns no share mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

[digitalmark18-blog]

How to save money with online auction sites?

New Post has been published on https://britishdigitalmarketingnews.com/how-to-save-money-with-online-auction-sites/

How to save money with online auction sites?

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If you are looking to start your business, there is nothing like getting stuff from online auction sites. A lot of successful business owners are very happy about their experiences with auctions. But some had had it easier when they auctioned they focused on niche marketing.

Starting a business can be a hassle for most entrepreneurs. But if you try out online auctions, your business can save a lot of money.

Niche auction sites have less competition since they don’t have as many competitors. For instance, there are a lot of companies out there who sell sweatshirts. But there are fewer companies which sell customized sweatshirts.

If you are looking to save money with online auction sites, trying out niche auction sites is a good idea.

Why Should You Try Niche Online Auction Sites?

Niche sites work comfortably for someone whose products fall in more comfortably in that niche. For instance, a lot of customers have stopped shopping at high-reduction sites such as eBay to focus on getting their items from niche auction sites.

Take this example if you are an antique collector then you can look for an antique niche online site – it just helps you save more.

There are a lot of advantages to having less competition within a niche marketing auction. They include:-

Owners will have less worry about fixing and adjusting prices.

You do not have to keep monitoring other businesses. But sometimes it is best to keep tabs.

A niche market has a reduced customer base because it is specific in nature. If your competition does not target this specific customer base, then you can take advantage and skyrocket your business.

The question though is, how do you find the right auction site for you to get your products? Finding the perfect auction site like EquifyAuctions will be the only way that a business owner can set apart from an armature and a successful business person.

We will talk about how you could use auction sites to your advantage, and save while shopping on it.

The online auction is one of the booming services out there. Did you know you can actually save money with the online auction? Here are a few tips on how to go about it.

Search for Auction Sites That Sell Things eBay Doesn’t Cover

When you need a specific product, try searching through the niche market of that product. Search for auction sites that offer you things that Amazon and eBay do not -which can help you save more. Sites like www.equifyauctions.com/ can help you get started with your business.

If you get products that you wouldn’t get on popular sites, it just makes it easier for you to sell.

See if You Can Pick it Up

When you buy something, it’s very convenient if it’s going to be delivered right at your door-step. But, if it’s possible for you just to pick it up, then do so. It’s only wise to save the money you’re supposed to spend for the shipping fee.

Look for Products that You Can Resell

Do you have a business where it involves reselling items? Find items that you may use, and you may resell as well. It will benefit you financially when you get the quality products at a good price. Reselling these not only can save you money, but also can help you earn extra income!

You don’t have to spend a lot of money, but you can easily buy some cheap stuff. Moreover, it is best to buy products which you might sell. This is an important aspect that can allow you to determine if your product will sell and at what price range. You could try out

Don’t Overdo Your Bid

Bid, but don’t go over. Overpaying something is definitely not worth the money. Do not get carried away when get involved in a bidding war. Do not focus solely on winning the bid. Make sure you stick to your budget. You can try out alternative products, should you not be able to win the bid on what you want.

Don’t Forget to Compare

Always compare the pricing of a single item versus of that in bulk. Most of the time, if you opt for a wholesale, it’s cheaper than that of a single purchase.

Be financially smart.

Educate yourself about how the business works. You don’t have to be an E-commerce expert but having enough knowledge about the subject matter will totally pay off. Be knowledgeable about the items you are interested in! Specialize in a certain area – clothing, skin care products, or gadgets. Being a product expert will definitely help you find the best deals!

These few simple tips can help you save big on your next online auction site purchase!

Chris Graham, the editor of AugustaFreePress.com, an award-winning journalist and editor, is a 1994 graduate of the University of Virginia, and has covered Virginia politics since 1997.

An author of six books, Chris also co-wrote a book on the history of University of Virginia basketball, Mad About U: Four Decades of Basketball at University Hall, which was published in 2006.

Chris has covered University of Virginia sports since 1995, and is a commentator on ESPN3 college football and baseball broadcasts.

This fall, Chris will serve as the play-by-play voice on radio broadcasts for VMI football, marking his fourth season as a broadcaster for Keydets’ radio broadcasts.

He is a member of the Football Writers Assocation of America, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

From 2009-2014, Chris was the play-by-play voice of the Waynesboro Generals, a team competing in the Valley Baseball League, a premier college summer baseball league affiliated with Major League Baseball and the NCAA.

The former co-host of “ACC Nation,” a syndicated radio show that ran for four years, ending in 2007, Chris is currently a contributor to “The Mark Moses Show” on 95.9-The Fan in Melbourne, Fla.

Chris also served as a member of the creative team and on-air TV commentator for Awesome Wrestling Entertainment on AWE’s Night of the Legends live pay-per-view event in 2011.

Chris wrote a book on that experience, The Worst Wrestling Pay-Per-View Ever, that was published in 2018.

He is also the former co-host of “Viewpoints” on WVPT, a weekly news affairs TV show that aired from 2016-2017.

Chris Graham offers a glimpse behind the curtain of the pro wrestling business in his new book, The Worst Wrestling Pay-Per-View Ever, the inside story of the 2011 Night of Legends, a live pay-per-view event featuring stars including WWE Hall of Famers Kevin Nash, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and The Rock ‘n Roll Express that was met with almost universally negative reviews.

Read for free: click here.

Mad About U: Four Decades of at University Hall, by Chris Graham and Patrick Hite, is a look at the players, coaches and memories of University Hall at the University of Virginia. From Barry Parkhill’s last-second shot to knock off No. 2 South Carolina to the struggles faced by coaches Barbara Kelly and Dan Bonner in the early years of UVa. women’s basketball to the excitement of the early 1980s in the House that Ralph Built to the move to JPJ – it’s all here.

    Augusta Free Press LLC provides clients in the Shenandoah Valley and Central Virginia and beyond with marketing and PR solutions including web design, TV/radio, social media and overall marketing campaign design and implementation.

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    Augusta Free Press content is available for free, as it has been since 2002, save for a disastrous one-month experiment at putting some content behind a pay wall back in 2009.(We won’t ever try that again. Almost killed us!)

That said, it’s free to read, but it still costs us money to produce. The site is updated several times a day, every day, 365 days a year, 366 days on the leap year.

(Stuff still happens on Christmas Day, is what we’re saying there.)

AFP does well in drawing advertisers, but who couldn’t use an additional source of revenue?

From time to time, readers ask us how they can support us, and we usually say, keep reading.

Now we’re saying, you can drop us a few bucks, if you’re so inclined.

We’re not going to go all Alex Jones or 1980s televangelist on you and tell you that if you don’t give us money, we won’t be able to keep the lights on, or that God will strike us dead.

(The lights will stay on either way. God may still strike us dead.)

So, yes, the subscriptions here are voluntary (thus the “donate” button).

You get to read us either way, if you give us money or not.

The lights stay on, God (probably?) doesn’t strike us dead, we still tell you stuff, even on Christmas Day.

Bottom line: You can subscribe to Augusta Free Press if you want to. If you don’t, we’re still cool.

Click here!

Source: https://augustafreepress.com/how-to-save-money-with-online-auction-sites/

[bestnewsmag-blog]

New Post has been published on Bestnewsmag

New Post has been published on https://bestnewsmag.com/disneys-profit-rises-with-help-from-beauty-and-the-beast/

Disney’s Profit Rises With Help From ‘Beauty and the Beast’

Walt Disney’s quarterly income beat analysts’ estimates because the business enterprise benefited from the success of its today’s fairy tale variation Beauty and the Beast and energy in its theme park commercial enterprise.

  However, the enterprise’s stocks (DIS, -2.17%) fell 1.7% after the bell on Tuesday as sales got here in slightly beneath expectations. Revenue from its cable business, which includes employer’s coins cow ESPN and the children-targeted Disney Channels, rose 2.7% to $four.06 billion. Analysts on common had been awaiting the commercial enterprise to record sales of $four.09 billion, consistent with financial statistics and analytics firm FactSet StreetAccount. However, working profits for the cable division fell almost 3% to $1.Seventy-nine billion. The enterprise blamed the decline to better programming fees at ESPN due to the shift in timing of College Football Playoff bowl video games and contractual charge increases for NBA programming. Disney has been stepping up efforts to stem subscriber losses at ESPN as younger visitors move far from traditional pay tv applications, a fashion called “cord-reducing.” Recent profits reports have raised situation that the tempo of wire-slicing is picking up. MoffettNathanson analysts calculated that pay TV distributors misplaced 762,000 subscribers from January via March, the worst first-sector result in records. Disney is running to release an ESPN subscription streaming carrier and bought a 33% stake in video-streaming firm BAMTech for $1 billion final years. The destiny of ESPN has been in recognition when you consider that August 2015 while CEO Bob Iger recounted “modest” subscriber losses at the sports network. ESPN’s tv unit is laying off 10% of its 1,000 on-air bodies of workers, Reuters mentioned the remaining month, citing a source. Disney’s sales rose 2.8% to $13.34 billion but overlooked analysts’ estimate of $13.Forty-five billion, in step with Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Net earnings attributable to the company rose to $2.39 billion, or $1.50 consistent with proportion, inside the 2d sector ended April 1, from $2.14 billion, or $1.30 according to proportion. Investors breathed a sigh of remedy after Disney said in March that it’d increase Iger’s time period to July 2019. Revenue inside the business enterprise’s subject matter park commercial enterprise rose nine.Five% to $four.3 billion inside the contemporary sector, largely helped via the outlet of Shanghai Disney Resort in June ultimate year. Analysts had predicted sales of $4.27 billion, in step with FactSet.Excluding objects, the business enterprise earned $1.50 per proportion, beating the analysts’ average estimate of $1.Forty-one for the second one sector.

American Beauty Semiotic Analysis

  American Beauty, through its use of symbols and the title of the film itself, makes us examine the characters and their philosophies (American dream, their concepts of success, beauty, etc.) both as they are and as they are perceived. No one in the movie is actually as they seem. In the end, the creepiest (Ricky) is the nicest, the successful wife is an unstable wreck, and the American beauty is rather plain.

The red rose petals, which appear several times throughout American Beauty are a symbol of love, sensuality, and vitality. However, it is important to note that throughout most of the movie the red roses are implicitly an illusion. The red roses in the context of an illusion come to stand for a sugar coated reality.

By sugar coating, I mean that which covers up the natural stimulation (taste, sight, touch) by “sweetening” it. In all but one of the scenes, the red puddles are around Angela covering her naked body in a way which makes whatever lays beneath, that much more enticing, through the use of sensual reds and the sexiness of mystery. Not to mention extreme spectacles which often accompany Lester’s dream scenes.

However in the scene where Lester finally gets what he has been wishing for Angela has no red peddles around her. Unlike her breasts in the first scene which were covered up with vibrant petals, this scene exposes her body for what it is, we like Lester start to feel like Angela may not have been all she was cracked up to be. It is not that Angela isn’t beautiful, it is that no one could live up to the god-like expectations that Lester’s wild fantasies created.

After Lester finds out that Angela is a virgin and not at all what he thought she was he goes out to the kitchen and picks up a picture of his family. As Lester looks at a photo of his family saying “man oh man…” a busy of red roses(exact to those shown earlier) are shown for about 5 seconds. These roses unlike all shown previously are real, not a dream. Also unlike the roses showed earlier, they have associated with his family and not Angela. In this context, the roses do not represent sugar coating but real love, sensuality, and vitality. Seconds later we see a puddle of red blood. Shortly after we experience, by video montage which is Lester’s life flashing before his eyes, the love, sensuality, and vitality which the picture represented.

The theme of things not being what they seem is not isolated to Lester’s view of Angela. Several times throughout the movie Carolyn says You have to project success at all times to eventually become successful. Lester also comments to Ricky’s Dad that his marriage”…is just for show”.

Many of the characters seem to obsess over how people perceive them but show little care for the reality of things. Ricky’s Dad who hates homosexuality, and lets it be known several times throughout the movie, in the end, turns out to be interested in men sexually. Carolyn and Buddy are obsessed with seeming “successful” and having others think they are part of a “normal” family, it is the struggle to seem this way for both of them which makes them emotionally unstable, and tears them apart from their families.

American Beauty through its contrast between reality and perceived reality makes us examine what American beauty is, the American Dream, and how real the promises these narratives offer really are.

The Benefits of Vacation Homes for Disney and Other Theme Parks

    Whether you’re traveling to Disneyland or Walt Disney World, you may be wondering about where you should stay. The choice of accommodations for these popular theme parks can include hotels, timeshares, vacations, and more. If you want to save money and see everything the parks offers in either location, vacation homes are a practical economical choice. Here are some of the best reasons why, and how you can experience the Disney magic in a whole new way for your family on a vacation home exchange.

Save significantly on your stay.

On the surface, a hotel price when you book it may look cheap, however, you soon have to add in fees, parking charges, and additional expenses. Food courts are available at all of the Disney hotels, however, these costs may be slightly higher than a trip to the local diner or store for breakfast foods. You can stay in a Disney vacation home for a flat price for a week or even longer.

Experience comforts of home.

If you want to relax on your vacation, a Disney vacation home lets you do so with all of the comforts of home. If you rent a home with a pool, you won’t have to share it with hundreds of other people, and you can enjoy the hot tubs and other amenities the same way. Don’t forget that vacation homes also come with equipped kitchens, linens, WiFi and other comforts of home that will make your vacation pleasant. You’ll be able to store your food and other items more easily than in a hotel, plus wash your clothes for free.

Stay comfortably even with a large group.

For groups of four people or more, a Disney vacation home is perfect, because most can sleep 6 to eight people, and have multiple beds. You’ll also see that you won’t feel as cramped as you would be if you stayed in a Disney hotel, as many don’t offer family suites. You’ll also not have long waits for the bathroom.

Be close to the magic in minutes

Disney touts its hotels as being minutes from the parks, but many vacation homes are also minutes from the Disney property. If you stay on a Disney property, you get free bus service, however, you have to wait for the bus to arrive, and then it may stop at other Disney hotels along the way for pickup and dropoff. This means you’re often waiting to go to the parks and may arrive an hour after you intended. With a vacation home near Disney property, you can just drive straight to the resort without waiting for others to board a bus. Vacation homes are also a good option if you want to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Legoland, or Universal Studios, because Disney doesn’t offer direct transportation to these attractions.

The best homes for vacations at a Disney theme park are minutes from the attractions’ gates. You’ll also find that staying at one of these properties is just like staying at a hotel in terms of convenience and many will come with pools and hot tubs. Consider this method as you plan your magical trip.

[junker-town]

The future of football will not be televised

TV ratings are down and the NFL is airing its games on more platforms than ever. How will we watch football when the TV deal is up in 2021?

Back in October — in the midst of what ended up being one of the NFL’s worst stretches for TV ratings in years — CBS CEO Les Moonves sat puzzled on stage in front of an audience of tech and media executives in downtown San Francisco.

Moonves, whose company pays more than $1 billion per year to broadcast NFL games, including Thursday Night Football, was asked why the country’s most popular sport was suddenly taking an NFL linebacker-sized hit to its TV ratings.

Moonves ticked off a number of possible explanations: suspensions to star players; the rise of fantasy football-focused shows, like the NFL’s RedZone channel; and Donald Trump.

Then he suggested a possibility that, unlike the others, couldn’t be chalked up to a one-off blip.

“Have they sliced it and diced it too much?” Moonves asked, referring to the league’s many content distribution deals. “Is there too much product out there? I really don’t know.”

Moonves voiced what many in the industry have started to consider — ratings might be down because there’s simply too much football.

That stands in stark contrast to where the NFL is headed. The league wants to sell more content than ever, and it is finding new ways to get NFL games onto the internet through partners who are clamoring to get their hands on TV-quality content to distribute on much smaller screens.

It’s a strategy that should help the NFL grow its revenues, but it might also come at the expense of its media partners. In other words: the pie could get bigger, but everyone will get a slightly smaller slice.

NFL football is still the most valuable TV product on the market, which means that traditional networks like NBC and CBS, cable networks like ESPN and Fox Sports 1, and even digital players like Twitter and Amazon are all clamoring for a piece of that pie.

Cable companies need the NFL to stopgap subscribers cutting the cord. Digital players need it to become more like TV, and in turn, gain access to lucrative TV advertising budgets.

It’s a cushy position for the NFL to be in. The league, which generated about $7 billion from TV rights deals alone in 2016, has most of its TV contracts locked up for at least five more years.

But not all of the NFL’s rights are locked up that long. The broadcast rights for one of the league’s prime time games, Thursday Night Football, expire after this season. The league will be looking for a new deal, and it could get creative.

How the NFL chooses to slice those rights, and who it offers those slices to, will offer a glimpse into how the world’s most valuable television property thinks about the future of TV. And whether we actually have too much football.

To understand the NFL’s thinking when it comes to carving up its content rights, you need to understand the League’s “tri-cast” distribution model, a strategy the NFL started promoting for the first time in early 2016 for its Thursday Night Football rights package.

The simple premise behind the model is that NFL games should be watchable in three places: On broadcast television via NBC and CBS; on the league’s cable television channel, NFL Network; and via the internet, either streamed for free on Twitter, or as part of Amazon’s Prime subscription offering. [Editor’s note: SB Nation was a video syndication partner with Twitter for the 2016 NFL season.]

This digital element is the new part. NFL fans have been able to stream games before, but only through the league’s existing TV partners.

Now the NFL is bringing in new digital-only players, though it’s still in the “learning phase” when it comes to delivering games to people over the internet, says Vishal Shah, the NFL’s senior vice president for digital media.

In 2016, Twitter was the NFL’s first major partner in this endeavor, paying just $10 million to stream 10 of the league’s Thursday Night Football games, a fraction of the $450 million the league made in TV broadcast rights from CBS and NBC for the same games.

This season, the NFL says it will “learn” from Amazon, which paid $50 million for those same 10 Thursday Night Football games — again, the ones that CBS and NBC are paying the league $450 million to broadcast on traditional television.

There’s a simple reason for the steep discount: Digital audiences are a fraction of the TV audiences. Even though the NFL’s Thursday Night Football TV ratings were down 9 percent in 2016, the games still brought in an average of nearly 15 million viewers per week on CBS this season, according to Nielsen.

During Week 6 of the season, when the San Diego Chargers beat the Denver Broncos, digital streams across Twitter, the NFL, and CBS averaged just 369,000 viewers combined. The next week, when the Chicago Bears played the Green Bay Packers, that average was just 341,000 viewers.

In other words, people still watch football on TV much more than over the internet. By a wide wide margin. And the NFL knows that.

“We’re still at a point where television is still at a beachhead. We view [the digital streams] as all additive at this point, and not cannibalistic,” Shah explained. “Television will continue to be the mass market where we’re aggregating audiences.”

Twitter’s audience was small despite streaming games for free to anyone online — you didn’t even need a Twitter account.

Now the league will see if NFL games perform any better behind a paywall. Amazon Prime has at least 66 million subscribers, and though that’s smaller than Twitter’s overall audience, Prime subscribers are paying customers who expect some kind of high quality content in exchange for their $99 annual fee.

Even so, CBS and NBC are fully distributed networks available in more than 100 million U.S. homes. They’re also known for producing big-time live sports. Amazon is not.

So why is the NFL bothering with digital alternatives when television still dominates? These internet partnerships are a way for the league to make a little more cash now, test a number of new distribution models, and most importantly, set up a scenario down the line in which internet giants like Facebook and Amazon are bidding on the League’s distribution rights against existing partners like NBC and CBS.

More bidders ultimately means more money for the NFL. At least that’s the hope.

“I think certainly they’ll be viable bidders even sooner than a lot of people anticipate,” Shah said when asked whether the league expects its digital distribution partners, like Amazon and Twitter, to ultimately bid for larger TV-style packages. “All the partners and all the bidders have shown an interest in developing long term relationships. I do think they will be a meaningful sort of option, even in the short term.”

Those seeds have certainly been planted. Following its ten-game streaming package last year, Twitter CFO Anthony Noto said in February that he wanted to “extend that relationship to things beyond just the regular-season.”

Amazon is hopeful NFL games can help lure in new Prime customers, especially in international markets like Australia and New Zealand where Amazon Prime video distribution is still new.

“I think [these games] will be a reason why a lot of people there just start the seven day trial and test out the service,” said Jeff Blackburn, Amazon’s senior vice president of business development.

Amazon, unlike Twitter, seems less interested in recouping its $50 million from the NFL in the form of advertising revenue, and more interested in using the games as a way to promote its own original shows coming out in the fall. “We already knew we were going to be doing a lot of marketing around this time, and the combination of doing this deal with the NFL and kicking off a lot of this marketing made sense to us,” Blackburn said.

If Amazon’s strategy plays out, it could be a possible bidder for even bigger packages down the line.

“I wouldn’t rule it out,” said Blackburn, when asked if Amazon would consider bidding on a other rights deal in the future. “We just have to learn more and see how much our customers like this content and how engaged they are.”

The question is whether a digital partner like Amazon or Twitter can handle the kind of distribution the NFL expects from its TV partners. Based on the league’s previous experiments, the answer is a definite no. Not yet at least.

There’s an easy solution for those who believe the NFL has too much football: Eliminate Thursday Night Football, the only batch of NFL games that aren’t already locked into a longterm TV contract.

Many players don’t like the games, and those worried that the NFL has gotten too violent believe the Thursday games — which usually give players just a few days to prepare both physically and mentally — are dispensable.

Unlike Sunday or Monday Night Football, the NFL only lets teams play once per season on Thursday Night Football, which means you don’t see popular teams like the New England Patriots or Dallas Cowboys or Pittsburgh Steelers repeatedly show up on Thursday nights like they do with other prime time games.

“They’ve expanded the number of windows, but the schedule formula hasn’t changed,” explained one high-ranking TV executive. “If you expand the number of windows but don’t do anything to create more national-quality games, then you are stretching the inventory pretty thin.”

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Even the league’s most storied program, Monday Night Football, is feeling the pinch. ESPN is paying a whopping $1.9 billion annually for the rights to Monday Night Football, has the smallest audience of the league’s prime time games, and took the biggest hit to its ratings in 2016. ESPN is, perhaps unsurprisingly, struggling under the weight of its licensing commitments.

The NFL won’t be easily convinced to scale back its programming, though. Between its broadcast partners and its new deal with Amazon, the league will make $500 million on just ten Thursday Night Football games in 2017.

“How do you put that toothpaste back in the tube?” this TV executive asked. “It’s just such easy money for ownership.”

Instead, Thursday Night Football looks like it will be the league’s testing ground for digital distribution.

“By its nature, it’s not tied down to any one distributor for a long period time,” explained Amanda Herald, director of media strategy and business development for the NFL. “We can pretty much do whatever we want with it.”

Herald said it was too soon to tell if the league will continue to keep its Thursday Night Football deals short — one or two years — for experimental purposes, and Shah declined to say whether the league was already holding conversations with bidders around Thursday Night Football’s rights beyond 2017.

But the NFL believes the potential revenue it can make from digital streams will continue to climb, even if TV rights eventually depreciate in value.

“Fans will drive and sort of dictate where they’re consuming content and the dollars should follow where that fan consumption is,” Shah explained. “Whether [TV and digital rights costs] meet in the middle or not, who knows. But the value of digital rights will continue to increase.”

One scenario would be to simply carve out more games for digital partners from the existing schedule. Right now the NFL is streaming 10 games through Amazon that are also available on broadcast TV.

There are seven other Thursday Night Football games airing only on league-owned NFL Network that could also be sold to a digital partner, including Saturday night games that fall under the Thursday Night Football umbrella.

The NFL is also looking for a partner to stream a single game from London this year, and multiple industry sources think it’s possible the NFL could create a broader digital package tied to the league’s international games. The NFL will play four games in London this season, and one in Mexico City.

Another possible scenario is a joint bid — imagine Google or Facebook teaming up with an NBC or CBS to bid on rights together. In such a scenario, the broadcaster such as CBS might produce the show and air the games on TV, while Facebook or Google would stream the games online.

“I think our TV partners were pleasantly surprised by how well the model worked [last year],” Herald said, referring to the league’s deal with Twitter. “I think that could certainly warm them up to a concept like that. So I wouldn’t be surprised.”

The NFL also didn’t dismiss the idea of cutting some kind of digital deals around its existing prime time games, like Sunday Night Football or Monday Night Football, similar to how it sliced up its Thursday Night Football distribution rights.

“That hasn’t necessarily been a discussion we’ve looked into yet, but nothing is off the table,” Shah said.

Right now, NBC owns the TV rights for Sunday Night Football, and ESPN is paying nearly $2 billion per year for Monday Night Football rights. Those partners own most of the digital rights for those games, too, but the NFL’s deal with Verizon to stream games via smartphones is up after the 2017 season and might provide another opening.

“Mobile and mobile devices is the one area where we have carved the rights out and have more flexibility to continue to try new models,” Herald said.

The NFL also likes to keep a small handful of games exclusive to its own channel, NFL Network, and it’s possible the league could simply control all of its own distribution someday. Simply cut out the partners.

That is unlikely, Herald said.

“When we think about what’s going to maximize the reach of our audience for the games, partners are a really important part of that,” she said. “We certainly have the media platforms and capabilities to distribute more games than we do today, but the [partnerships] are really important to make sure that they’re incentivized with us to continue building the sport.”

This means that there’s a lot of football coming your way, and more and more of it will be through a mobile device or a set-top box. As young people move away from traditional cable television, the NFL is hoping to meet them wherever they may be spending their time.

How do the league’s TV partners feel about digital players like Twitter and Amazon butting their way into the conversation? It depends on who you ask. Twitter’s small audiences for NFL games didn’t scare off TV partners we spoke with. Amazon, though, might be a different story.

“Amazon comes into the space with such unbelievably deep pockets and a clearly demonstrated willingness to operate at either extremely low profit margins or no profit margins at all, it does make them kind of a threatening player,” said one high ranking TV exec. “The potential for increased tension is definitely there.”

Moonves agrees that tech companies are here to stay.

"Look, the tech giants all want to be involved in the NFL,” he said at a banking conference back in March. “As we head toward that large deal, I think these companies are going to be part of it, [but] I think the NFL still believes in the sanctity of broadcasting."

[kennethherrerablog]

Don’t Be Ashamed of Your Money. These 13 Tools Are Here to Help

No one likes being judged. Especially when it comes to personal finance.

I’m keenly aware of my budgetary state, so having someone totally judge me for it — and not offer constructive advice — is the worst.

Yes, I understand I need to stash more into my emergency savings. And I know I shouldn’t have spent $5 on that latte. And investing… that makes me nervous.

But just help me; don’t chastise me.

That’s why I’ve rounded up some personal finance advisers — and some money management apps  — that’ll help you get your money in order.

And they’ll do it without a single shred of judgment.

And, perhaps even better, without an ounce of conversation.

1. Earn a 100x the Normal Interest Rate

Operating everything out of one checking account can make your finances muddy and contribute undue stress to your money management — and make you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing.

To simplify, open a second account for a dedicated purpose. One of our favorites is the Aspiration Account — there are no monthly fees, and you’ll earn up to 100 times the interest rate of other banks.

This online-only account comes with a debit card and free ATMs, so you can easily access your money when you need it.

After you open your Aspiration Account, use it to split your income:

Automatically deposit a portion of your income into your existing bank account, and use that to cover basic expenses like rent and bills.

Deposit what’s left into your Aspiration Account to use for fun stuff, like eating out, shopping or going on vacation.

2. Take a Deep Breath and Check Your Credit Score

Your credit score is important. The better your score, the better deal you’ll get on a mortgage, car loan or credit card. We’re talking big money here.

Even if you’re not buying a house anytime soon, a lousy credit score means you’ll get hit with a high security deposit whenever you rent a car or move into a new apartment.

But did you know your credit score could be inaccurate? One out of five credit reports have an error, according to a study by the Federal Trade Commission.

To keep a closer eye on your credit, get your credit score and a “credit report card” for free from Credit Sesame. It breaks down exactly what’s on your credit report in layman’s terms, how it affects your score and how to address it.

Because it simplifies everything, you should be able to spot any errors. For instance, if you find an “unpaid” credit card that you know you paid, or a bill in collections you know never existed, you can dispute the incorrect information and raise your credit score.

James Cooper, a motivational speaker, raised his credit score 277 points using Credit Sesame. Now he talks to high school students about the importance of having good credit and uses what he’s learned through Credit Sesame as a blueprint for his lessons.

“We want to touch the Z Generation,” Cooper says “We’re not in the business of fixing credit. We want to get to you before you have to fix your credit.”

3. Play Scratch-offs to Your Heart’s Content (It’s Free!)

There’s something so satisfying about those gas station scratch-off tickets, but it’s better to avoid them because, well, that’s not Penny Hoarding.

Instead, try scratching for free using an app called Lucktastic. Each day, it releases a new assortment of digital scratch-off tickets. Lucktastic says instant wins range from $1 to $10,000. You can also earn tokens that you can exchange for free gift cards to retailers including Amazon, Walmart, Kohl’s, Sephora and more.

The app is supported by advertising, which allows it to keep the payouts high and the games free. For more info, check out our full review.

4. Use This to Bust Your Debt

Once you fall behind, you may find yourself getting crushed by credit card interest rates north of 20%. You’ll never catch up that way. You’re spending so much on interest, you’ll never pay off your balances.

If you’re financially treading water like this, it might be worth consolidating and refinancing your debt.

By refinancing an existing loan, you’re taking out a totally new loan, which comes with new terms and (ideally) a lower interest rate. By consolidating your existing loans, you lump all your debt into one big payment, so you’re only making one payment and dealing with one interest rate per month.

Make sense but don’t know where to start? Credible is an online marketplace that offers consumers personalized loan offers. It’s best for borrowers who have good credit scores (think: around 640 or higher), and it lets you quickly compare rates without visiting a bunch of sites.

Rates start at 5.99%, and you can check yours by entering a loan amount here ($500 to $40,000) and comparing your personalized options in under 90 seconds.

5. Stop Deleting Your Emails

It turns out deleting your emails could be costing you money. Intrigued?

One of our secret weapons is called Paribus — a tool that gets you money back for your online purchases. It’s free to sign up, and once you do, it will scan your email for any receipts. If it discovers you’ve purchased something from one of its monitored retailers, it will track the item’s price and help you get a refund when there’s a price drop.

Plus, if your guaranteed shipment shows up late, Paribus will help you get compensated.

Disclosure: Paribus compensates us when you sign up using the links we provide.

6. Share What’s in Your Fridge

Remember the Nielsen company? The one that’s always tracked TV ratings? Well, now it wants to know what’s in your fridge.

Once you sign up to be on the Nielsen Consumer Panel, you can either use your smartphone, or the company will send you a free barcode scanner. Every time you go shopping, you simply scan the UPC codes on the back of each product and send your data to Nielsen.

Nielsen will reward you with gift points, which you can redeem for free electronics, jewelry, household items or even toys for the kids.

The longer you stay on the panel, the more opportunity you have to earn points toward prizes. You’ll also receive entries for the panel’s many sweepstakes. Prizes include vacations and brand new vehicles.

7. Stop Overpaying for Monthly Bills

On the phone with your cell phone or internet provider, trying to haggle a lower monthly bill?

Go ahead and hang up. (We know you’re probably listening to crappy music while sitting on hold, anyway.)

Download TrueBill, an app that’ll negotiate your bills, cancel unwanted subscriptions and refund your bank fees.

After downloading the app, create an account and link your bank account and/or credit cards. Turn on the bill negotiation and outage protection features. Boom. TrueBill is already searching for potential refunds — it might get you a refund even when you didn’t know an outage occurred.

On average, Truebill customers get $12 in credits off their cable bills each month.

The app will also remind you of all those sneaky subscriptions you’ve signed up for through the years, so you can cancel what you don’t use and reclaim your monthly budget.

Signing up and using the service is free, though there are some paid premium services that are totally optional — but could totally be worth it.

8. Earn Money Every Time You Swipe Your Credit Card

If you’re not using a rewards credit card for everyday purchases, you’re missing out on free money.

You just have to be sure you don’t get too carried away with those purchases — and that the card is paid off at the end of each billing period.

Here’s an option we like: It’s the Chase Freedom Unlimited card*. Its claim to fame? You’ll earn an unlimited 1.5% cash back on all your purchases. Plus, if you spend $500 in your first three months of opening the card (hi, groceries), you’ll pocket a $150 bonus.

There’s no annual fee, and the cash-back rewards don’t expire. We checked Credible’s annual rewards calculator, and it estimates $417 in annual rewards based on our spending habits.* (You can enter your unique spending habits and see what you’d earn, too.)

Get signed up — and 0% intro APR for 15 months — here.

9. Save Money Mindlessly

Saving money is tough. So what if you could do it in a way where you wouldn’t even notice?

Digit makes that possible.

This innovative app automates saving for you. Simply link it to your checking account, and its algorithms will determine small (and safe!) amounts of money to withdraw into a separate, FDIC-insured savings account.

Additionally, savers will receive a 1% bonus every three months.

Using this set-it-and-forget-it strategy, one Penny Hoarder saved $4,300 without noticing — read his Digit review.

If you need that money sooner than expected, you’ll always have access to it within one business day.

Digit is free to use for the first 30 days, then it’s $2.99 per month afterward.

10. Earn Cash Back for That 3rd Bottle of Wine (and for the Shoes You Ordered After Drinking It)

Look, it’s been a long week, and you just want to unwind with a glass of wine. Or three. We can’t promise the clerk won’t give you some side eye after your third such shopping trip — but you can have the last laugh.

Two of our favorite apps will actually get you cash back when you buy booze — and other stuff you might need on a week like this…

Ibotta will pay you cash for taking pictures of your grocery store receipts. Before heading to the store, search for items on your shopping list within the Ibotta app. When you get home, snap a photo of your receipt and scan the items’ barcodes. It’s free to download, and you’ll get a $10 sign-up bonus after uploading your first receipt.

Ebates is a cash-back site that rewards you nearly every time you buy something online. For example, Ebates gives you 10% cash-back on online purchases at Walmart. Plus, you’ll get a free $10 gift card to Walmart for giving the site a try.

11. Play the Slots — and Bank $5 for Your Savings Account

Are you more of the “sit at home and play video games” type of person but you’re making yourself read this because you’re determined to get this adulting thing down?

The folks who created Long Game have you covered with a game that’s fun and helps you achieve your financial goals.  

As you save and accomplish missions you’ll earn coins to play mini games for cash prizes! We’re talking the classics, like slot machines, scratch-offs and spin-to-win wheels.

Penny Hoarder Carson Kohler uses Long Game to save money. Every two weeks, it sneaks $5 out of her bank account and rewards her with coins.

In two months, she’s saved $35.70, just by playing games on her phone. Plus, her winnings amount to a gain of about 2% — way higher than interest on any other savings account she has.

Once you link your bank account, you’ll earn 300 coins, so you can start playing while you wait for payday. 

12. Invest Like a Woman

Traditional investing companies have never really considered the fact that women statistically get paid less, yet live longer. That’s why Sallie Krawcheck, a former Wall Street CEO and an adamant proponent of women’s financial power, founded Ellevest.

It’s an investing platform designed for women, by women and in support of other women. It uses a unique algorithm designed to help you better plan for the future.

Once you sign up for free, Ellevest will issue you a free personalized investment plan. Plus, if you sign up before Dec. 31 through The Penny Hoarder, you’ll get a $25 bonus in your Ellevest account.*

Ellevest’s “digital” plan is designed to be accessible. There’s no minimum balance, and you’ll pay an annual fee of 0.25% of your assets under management to Ellevest. For context, that’s $25 on a $10,000 account.

It’ll make you feel good about your future — and not so judged.

13. Manage Your Credit Card Payments in One Place

Carrying more than one credit card balance can feel a bit like herding cats. Just when you think you have one under control, you realize you’ve let a different one slip away.

High interest rates and late fees can make it feel like you’ll never get those bills under control.

That’s where Tally comes in. It’s a simple app that lets you store and manage your credit card payments in one place, optimizing the amounts and times.

Simply download the app, scan in your credit cards, and if you qualify (with a minimum credit score of around 675), Tally will give you a line of credit with an interest rate between 7.9% and 19.9%* and use the lower interest rate to make managing your payments easy.

No more missed payments. Lower interest rates. All in one place. And don’t worry, Tally uses bank-level security, so your information is safe.

Tally is currently available in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

*Your APR (which is the same as your interest rate) will depend on your credit history and varies with the market based on Prime Rate. Accurate as of July 2018.

*The Ellevest The Penny Hoarder promotional offer is valid from July 25, 2018 to December 31, 2018 for the first 1,000 new clients of Ellevest who enter through this designated landing page. Clients who enroll and fund their non-retirement account will receive $25 added to their highest priority goal in their Ellevest account. Clients who enroll and fund their retirement account will receive a $25 Amazon gift card which can be redeemed by visiting www.amazon.com. Please review Amazon.com Gift Card Terms and Conditions prior to redemption. Ellevest is not responsible for lost Amazon Gift Cards. Ellevest’s processing time for depositing $25 into a client’s Ellevest account or delivery of a $25 Amazon gift card may be up to 60 days.

**Annual Rewards amounts will change based on the amounts you enter. The monthly spending category names and definitions may vary among issuers, and categories may not align one-to-one.

Carson Kohler (carson@thepennyhoarder.com) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s a big fan of gentle reminders.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.

Don’t Be Ashamed of Your Money. These 13 Tools Are Here to Help published first on https://justinbetreviews.tumblr.com/

[jamieclawhorn]

Has the BT share price finally turned a corner?

The past two-and-a-half years have been really hard for shareholders in BT (LSE: BT.A). But the telecoms giant, which has been struggling to find its footing, could be about to finally get its game plan in place. Senior management changes are afoot, and the company is increasingly speaking to the media about its restructuring and investment plans and how they are adapting to the changing times.

Restructuring

BT has unveiled an ambitious restructuring plan aimed at tackling its high cost base and simplifying its business model. The former phone monopoly is now expected to eliminate 13,000 managerial and administrative jobs in an effort to eventually save £1.5bn a year.

But it’s not just on costs that BT hopes to deliver improvement — it’s also looking towards generating top-line growth and is funding increased investments in its wireless 5G and fibre broadband networks. The new strategy comes after the group’s recent disappointing full-year results showed it taking a 3% drop in fourth-quarter revenues to £5.97bn.

Looking ahead, with CEO Gavin Patterson’s departure later this year, there’s scope for further changes to be made to its strategy and a possible expansion in its restructuring plans. What’s more, there’s also the opportunity to potentially reset relations with top shareholders and the regulator Ofcom, both of which had become strained under Patterson in recent years.

Well-placed

Much of the stock’s long-term investing thesis lies with the group’s consumer-facing business, which has been the primary source of revenue growth for the past couple of years. In this space, BT is well-placed to benefit from the continuing shift towards converged services from a single supplier in the consumer market. The UK is ripe for more converged services, given that such multi-play bundles in the UK account for a smaller share of the market than many European countries.

Although BT’s pay-TV service has struggled, the group is by a wide margin the biggest broadband and wireless telecoms operator, giving it a very significant advantage in terms of scale. It claims to have already achieved £290m in annual cost synergies from its acquisition of EE and will likely have more to gain through rationalising sites and shared fibre investments further down the line.

7.1% yield

The company, still reeling from a disastrous accounting scandal at its Italian business, saw its share price slump to more than a five-year low of 201p in May. The shares have recovered somewhat in recent weeks on its announcement of a new strategy, but valuations for the company remain undemanding.

Shares in BT now trade at just 8.2 times its expected earnings this year, while offering a very tempting dividend yield of 7.1%.

Multiple headwinds

On the downside however, a turnaround for the shares doesn’t seem imminent. The group, which is under growing pressure to invest much more in its fibre infrastructure and to reduce its £11.3bn pension deficit, has only just managed to hold its dividend flat for the next two years, after abandoning plans to grow annual dividends by 10% until 2019.

Meanwhile, its business and public sector services division has been hit by a dearth of new contracts, and competition is hotting up in the sunnier consumer market. Amid the high cost of programming and price cuts from some of its competitors, margins are being squeezed in the retail division.

Brexit has also created other headwinds, as weak consumer confidence could cause would-be customers to reconsider the importance of the kind of high value bundles that BT would like to push, while continuing uncertainty from ongoing UK-EU talks could mean more businesses will hold back new investments for longer.

Is trouble looming?

Elsewhere, shares in the satellite communication business Inmarsat (LSE: ISAT) fell sharply this week on news that rival French group Eutelsat ruled out a bid for it.

The company, which previously rejected a bid approach from US peer EchoStar, is rumoured to be the target of several rival firms amid ongoing consolidation in the satellite communication industry.

Under intense competitive pressures in the market, Inmarsat has been going through a difficult patch as excess capacity in the industry weighs on pricing. The company, which recently cut its dividend by 60%, saw pre-tax profits fall by nearly a quarter to $230m last year.

Looking ahead, it has warned about a “lack of visibility” around future cash payments from Ligado Networks, an important US partner that leases spectrum in North America. The payment uncertainty from Ligado, a company which has had difficulty in obtaining a licence from the Federal Communications Commission, could have a significant impact on Inmarsat’s free cash flows at a time when the company needs to push ahead with big capital investments.

Lucrative airline sector

It is looking to expand in the lucrative commercial airline sector, a market which is booming on fast-growing passenger demand for on-board Wi-Fi internet. The company predicts in-flight broadband will generate $130bn of total revenue for the entire sector by 2035.

Orders from the airline industry are increasing, and revenues from the sector climbed 39% in the first-quarter of 2018. On the downside, it will take some time before growing revenues from this division become a significant source of profits because of high investment costs and aggressive pricing by rivals to capture market share. After all, Inmarsat needs to invest in its next-generation network and establish itself in the market in order to compete.

Near term, there’s not a lot to look forward to. There are few signs that competitive pressures will ease any time soon, while City analysts expect underlying earnings to decline by another 11% this year. Valuations aren’t tempting either — its shares trade at a pricey 21.2 times forecast earnings.

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Jack Tang has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.