May 23, 2018 - Technology

Netflix beats Comcast in market value as streaming video explodes

Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios

Netflix has surpassed Comcast in market value after decades of tailing the telecom giant.

Why it matters: Netflix's rise speaks to the power of on-demand video, which is its core product. Comcast's core product is Pay-TV subscriptions for live, commercial-driven programming. Data shows that the modern consumer is abandoning commercials and live TV.

Netflix's market capitalization rose to roughly $149 billion, surpassing Comcast's market value of $147 billion Wednesday. Shares for the streaming company have been on the up since it announced a multi-year production deal with Barack and Michelle Obama.

Between the lines: As Comcast's Pay-TV business wanes (it lost 95,000 sable customers in Q1 alone,) it's looking to invest in new revenue streams to offset the loss.

  • Comcast's' biggest opportunity is in content, as it already owns entertainment giant NBCUniversal, and could use an expand content library to better compete with Netflix for eyeballs and revenue.
  • The company announced Wednesday morning that it's preparing an all-cash bid for 21st Century Fox's entertainment assets, in an effort to potentially build an on-demand entertainment business that could compete with Netflix.

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Fadel Allassan
9 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Americans reflect on Independence Day amid racism reckoning

A Black Lives Matter banner and a United States flag on the facade of the U.S. embassy building in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Simon Shin/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

America's leaders are rethinking how they view Independence Day, as the country reckons with the historic, unequal treatment of people of color during a pandemic which has disproportionately affected nonwhite Americans.

Why it matters: The country’s legacy of racism has come into sharp focus in the weeks of protests following the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody. From Confederate statues to Mount Rushmore, Americans are reexamining the symbols and traditions they elevate and the history behind them.

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Axios
Updated 12 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 11,031,905 — Total deaths: 523,777 — Total recoveries — 5,834,337 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 7 p.m. ET: 2,788,395 — Total deaths: 129,306 — Total recoveries: 790,404 — Total tested: 34,213,497 — Map.
  3. States: ICU beds in Arizona's hot spot reach near capacity.
  4. Public health: The states where face coverings are mandatory — Fauci says it has been a "very disturbing week" for the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S.
  5. Economy: The economy may recover just quickly enough to kill political interest in more stimulus.
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Rashaan Ayesh
14 hours ago - Sports

Washington Redskins to review team name amid public pressure

Photo: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

The Washington Redskins have announced they will be conducting a review of the team's name after mounting pressure from the public and corporate sponsors.

Why it matters: This review is the first formal step the Redskins are taking since the debate surrounding the name first began. It comes after weeks of discussions between the team and the NFL, the team said.

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