Uber Determined to Exist in London
Uber’s been fighting for a new license to operate ride-hailing services in London, but unable to provide Transport for London (TfL) with assurances about passengers’ safety, City Hall is ridding the Silicon Valley giant from the city. Kind of!
Uber has found a work around to not miss out on the London market. It’s acquiring a taxi tech start-up there called Autocab, which does have a license. Londoners will book cars through the Autocab app similar to how they would on Uber, but it will operate independently. Sneaky!
Uber Eats carried the tech firm on its back this quarter; transport revenues were almost non-existent. It’s doubled down on its success in food with the acquisition of Postmates, but still considers ride-hailing its core business and guides for a rebound in ridership in the fourth quarter.
Disney Premieres ‘Mulan’ Online
Disney is attempting something brand new, and no one, the company nor its investors, know how it’s gonna go. Disney will launch its next movie online. There are some theaters that are open to show it, but ‘Mulan’ will mainly be available for Disney+ subscribers for an extra $30. Will they pay?
The film cost $300 million to make, so that’s where the bar is set – that’s the box office figure to beat. In an ideal world, ‘Mulan’ hauls in at least $500 million to give investors a margin of safety, as when theaters reopen on mass and there’s a busier content slate, the competitive environment will be more challenging. If this idea has legs, we’ll find out in the age of covid!
A successful premiere could be huge as far as Disney’s stock is concerned. It would imply that Disney has the pricing power to harness its own streaming platform to promote its movies.
I am not a financial advisor and my comments should never be taken as financial advice. Investments come with risk, so always do your research and analysis beforehand.
