Strategy in TECH...
Premium Audio Company, a division of VOXX International, this week announced two new Pioneer branded A/V receivers – the VSX-835 and the VSX-535 – that they say are feature-packed “Immersive Sound Audio Video Receivers.” Said to be targeted at home theater and gaming enthusiasts, these appear to be the first new Pioneer products for 2024.
It has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for everyone at AudioControl over the last couple of years. The company, a leading specialty manufacturer of integrator-focused, high-quality audio electronics, has had three different owners in the last two years. Have they finally found their new home?
Emerald Holding, Inc. (NYSE: EEX), the parent company of Emerald Expositions, one of the country’s largest B2B tradeshow exposition companies, reported its Fiscal 2023 fourth quarter and full-year results. The results were mixed with full-year revenues growing by 17.5% compared to Fiscal 2022, but profits collapsing by 102% to a Net Loss.
Company management expressed extreme optimism on a call with financial analysts, but its stock value dropped dramatically the day it released these numbers.
In what may be another sign of the post-pandemic blues, data published this week by research firm Antenna showed that growth in streaming service subscriptions in the U.S. dropped by 50% in 2023. Some are saying the boom in streaming is over…or could it be an over-adjustment that will correct itself and return to growth again soon?
This week we learned that the Sonos, Inc. (Nasdaq: SONO) plans to launch a new product into a new “multibillion-dollar” product category – strongly rumored to be headphones – has hit a snag, despite its best efforts. Company management has been enthusiastically talking up this diversification into an entirely new category for months – suggesting it will add at least $100 million to revenues this year. But now…those plans have had a monkey wrench thrown into them…
Masimo Corporation (Nasdaq: MASI) announced on Tuesday its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of fiscal 2023, the period that ended December 30, 2023. Results were mixed with revenues down double digits in the quarter but flat for the year. But a more sobering picture emerged for the “non-healthcare” division, also known as Masimo Consumer, which is the division that was formed when the company acquired Sound United almost exactly two years ago.
This week, Josh.ai held a significant launch of several new products, app improvements, and new integrations as it continues its journey from a voice interface into a full system control provider. While a voice update was part of this announcement, it felt deemphasized as the company pursued a greater role in the industry as a full control solution provider by launching a richer app user experience (UX), the introduction of a touch panel interface, and a round of new integrations.
The Nikkei is reporting a robust revival in Japan of sales of prerecorded analog cassette tapes, a format once thought dead and gone. Now, the report says, the humble cassette tape “is experiencing a renaissance, charming a new generation of music enthusiasts with its nostalgic appearance and distinctly warm and rich sound.”
Walmart announced Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire Vizio, the high-value TV maker, for $11.50/share in an all-cash deal worth a total of $2.3 billion. Walmart announced the acquisition as part of its highly positive and optimistic presentation of the retailer’s fourth-quarter earnings. Walmart stock popped on the earnings report, more encouraged by its forward optimism of more growth rather than on the acquisition itself.
But Walmart plans to have this acquisition drive profit growth going forward.
AudioControl announced on Thursday that it has appointed two well-known and respected manufacturer sales representative firms to represent the line in two upper Midwest regions. AudioControl, like many manufacturers, has long relied on manufacturer sales reps to offer superlative sales and support functions to its dealers on a local level.
