q32017
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Sony CEO completes quest to make the company successful again
If the news that Sony CEO Kaz Hirai will be stepping down in a few months came as a bit of a surprise this morning, then the latest peek at the company's books is a return to something more predictable. In the third quarter of Sony's fiscal year -- covering October through December 2017 -- its Playstation division continued to pull in the most money. Sales of home entertainment and audio gear, as well as camera components, were particularly strong over those three months; and unlike last quarter, smartphone income was in the positive, too.
Apple retakes the top spot in wearable device shipments
It looks like Xiaomi's reign as the wearable device champion was short-lived. Canalys' latest estimates indicate that Apple regained the lead in wearable shipments during the third quarter of the year, shipping 3.9 million smartwatches over the summer. That's only slightly ahead of Xiaomi's 3.6 million and Fitbit's 3.5 million, but that's no mean feat when the Apple Watch is typically far more expensive (Xiaomi's Mi Band 2 cost $23 when new) and only works with one manufacturer's smartphones. And it's no surprise as to why Apple pulled out in front: new hardware.
Samsung collects record profits, again
Last year at this time Samsung's profits suffered a blow due to exploding Galaxy Note 7s, but this year -- despite ongoing executive turmoil as it has appointed new presidents for three key divisions -- the product lineup is performing as expected. Not coincidentally, Samsung has announced it set a record high $12.91 billion operating profit for the third quarter (keeping the streak going), more than triple what it notched last year during the same period. However, while the company called Galaxy Note 8 sales "strong" its mobile earnings actually declined as people opted for cheaper phones. The money is in Samsung's chips and displays, which go into things like servers as well as phones -- whether they're Samsung Galaxys or something else, like its OLED screens that are in the soon-to-debut iPhone X.
Twitter closes in on its first-ever profitable quarter
Twitter has updated the world on its financial position for the third quarter of this year, and the outlook is better than it has been for a while. The company has seen monthly active user figures increase, arresting the slide that it had to report across the summer. In addition, net losses have been trimmed down to just $21 million, and if Twitter can improve on its targets in the next three months, it may even turn a profit.
AT&T looks to DirecTV Now as customers ditch satellite
If you were wondering why AT&T is in such a hurry to reshape its TV business, the third quarter earnings report may provide some clarity. In the three months it covers, which are usually strong growth months with the arrival of subscribers seeking out NFL Sunday Ticket, things went in the opposite direction.
Netflix could spend $8 billion on content next year
Once again, Netflix's quarterly earnings report (PDF) shows it's added even more customers (5 million in the US alone), and now boasts more than 115 million subscribers worldwide. The company is now five years into its "original content strategy" that first drew attention with House of Cards, which turned into a string of series including hits like Stranger Things and Orange is the New Black. Of course, with more competition turning up (Amazon, Hulu, CBS All Access and, eventually, Disney), things are getting more expensive, as the company says it will spend "$7-8 billion on content" next year -- even if it's off the hook for 30 Rock. That's potentially a billion dollars more than what Ted Sarandos predicted in August, and up to two billion more than it spent this year. Those differences also explain why prices are going up on some of its plans, as it continues a push to become more profitable. The company is predicting it will add slightly fewer new customers next quarter than it did last year, although it's unclear if that's due to the price changes or simply running out of people who want Netflix but don't have it yet. The company will broadcast the video from its quarterly earnings call on YouTube at 6 PM ET, if there are any interesting anecdotes, we'll update this post. Update: Execs did mention, among other things, that they intend to work with airlines to make streaming on a plane easier -- helpful if you didn't download the latest season of something before taking off on a long trip.
Samsung vice chairman quits amid leadership 'crisis'
Based on the earnings guidance Samsung has released for the third quarter of 2017, the Korean conglomerate is set to make a new record. It puts its operating profit for July to September at around $12.8 billion, almost thrice last year's $4.6 billion. Despite the possibility of having the best annual earnings ever, not everything's A-OK for the chaebol. Samsung Vice Chairman Oh-Hyun Kwon has decided to step down and leave his positions as vice chairman, board chairman and member, as well as CEO of Samsung display. He said the company is "confronted with unprecedented crisis inside out" and needs "a new spirit and young leadership to better respond to challenges..."
