Charter Communications witnessed steady broadband subscriber growth alongside expected declines in its video customers for the fourth quarter.

Amid continuing overall declines in the stock market, Charter’s stock was up 1.5% in early morning Friday trading to $567.76.

Residential internet customers grew 172,000 to total 28.1 million. It added 216,000 customers a year ago. Residential video subscribers dipped 71,000 versus a drop of 66,000 in the same quarter a year ago, to total 15.2 million.

Looking at the year as a whole, Charter dropped 3% in video subscribers -- a 423,000 net loss -- which is better than its nearest competitors. The day before, Comcast Corp. reported a yearly net subscriber loss of 1.5 million -- down 8% -- to 18.2 million.

Revenues from broadband/internet business was up 12% to $5.4 billion, with video revenue basically flat at $4.4 billion.

Concerning the latter, Charter says it maintained revenue stability due to lower-priced video packages, as well as some $31 million in sports network credits in regards to pandemic disruptions a year ago.

Comcast’s landline phone/voice customers fell 163,000 (to total 8.6 million). However, mobile phone subscribers were up 363,000 (to 3.5 million).

Advertising revenue sank a big -- but expected -- 28% in the fourth quarter to $448 million, due to the loss of high political-related advertising sales a year ago from the presidential election.

Overall, company-wide revenue for Charter was up 4.7% to $13.2 billion in the period. Net income to Charter shareholders grew 47% to $4.7 billion.

To tie-in with the Super Bowl, Frank’s RedHot has released its first-ever “edible NFT” and spoof currency “Bonecoin” to celebrate buffalo wings. The eatery worked with Grey on the project. 

From now until Feb. 13, the day of the Super Bowl, fans can scan images of their chicken wing bones to earn Bonecoin at Bonecoin.com (mobile only). Fans who accrue the most Bonecoin will win the Frank’s RedHot NFT and its edible replica, the eNFT. 

On Wednesday, February 2, Frank’s ambassador, NFL legend Eli Manning, will be in New York City on the Frank’s “Wing Wagon,” giving out free Frank’s RedHot Wings. “I’m excited to give fans another way to be a part of the game while enjoying Frank’s RedHot,” said Manning. 

The company will also be producing an edible replica of the NFT, which will also be awarded to the winner. 

Actor and comedian Eric André – a buffalo chicken wing and hot sauce aficionado – is also joining in to get fans eating wings drenched with Frank’s and mining for Bonecoin on social media. 

“Frank’s RedHotkeeps a pulse on the latest trends, and we are particularly excited about giving fans the opportunity to tap into the NFT space in a saucy and interactive way,” said Alia Kemet, VP of Creative & Digital, McCormick, owner of the Frank’s RedHot brand.

Frank’s has run similar stunts in the past. Last year, to celebrate the 17-year emergence of cicadas, the brand introduced an online cookbook to prepare the bugs, including Air-Fried Buffalo Cicada “Wings”, Buffalo Bug Dip and a Spicy Cicada Mary.

In February 2019, the brand launched #FranksSweepstakes on Twitter, asking fans to “Put that Emoji on Everything” for a chance to win products and services on game day. 

Two-year-old streaming service Disney+ has surpassed $2 billion in lifetime global consumer sales through app stores, according to a new analysis from App Annie. 

Just four other video streaming services can boast membership in “the $2 Billion Club,” according to the app monitoring service: Netflix, YouTube, Tencent Video and iQIYI.

Of the 35 total mobile apps and games that have reached the $2 billion threshold as the analysis’ Jan. 25 cutoff date, only nine —including the five video streamers — are non-game apps. 

Disney+ was the No. 2 streaming app by global app store consumer spend in 2021, second only to YouTube, according to App Annie’s State of Mobile 2022 report. 

International expansion was a core growth-driver in 2021. The subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service’s top sales growth markets were the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Brazil, Italy and the Netherlands, respectively. 

Disney+’s footprint in terms of number of countries that have seen at least 1 million lifetime app downloads rivals that of Amazon Prime Video, despite having launched seven years later than Prime Video, App Annie points out. (See chart top of page.) 

Disney+’s exclusive content contributed to download growth. For example, during the 30 days after its release of “Luca,” downloads rose 40% compared to the prior 30 days. 

Disney+ has also leveraged exclusive streaming releases in tandem with theatrical releases, often requiring a subscription and additional one-off payment. 

“Strong IP through the Walt Disney Company, Pixar and Marvel Studios, among others, coupled with timely releases, helps to encourage new subscribers and long-term retention to the service,” the analysis notes.

Today, Facebook Messenger announced the rollout of in-app, end-to-end encrypted group chats and calls.

Attempting to rival Snapchat, Messenger is adding a security feature in the form of an alert when someone screenshots a message. GIFs, stickers, and reactions will also be added to encrypted chats. 

End-to-end encryption helps protect a user's conversations by ensuring that only the user and the intended recipient(s) can access the data or messages being sent. Technically, hackers and third parties are shut out from any of the encrypted information.

Even before last August, when Messenger began planning E2EE group chats and calls, governments expressed concerns about the ability of law enforcement to investigate crimes and detect illegal activity conducted through Facebook -- most notably, Attorney General William Barr's plea to Mark Zuckerberg over user safety in October, 2019.

Meta, Messenger's parent company, has defended its use of this technology by pointing to its use in other apps such as WhatsApp.

Now, E2EE chats are available across the globe for users to turn on in their private Messenger conversations, with several additional updates.

Users will now receive notifications when Messenger detects someone takes a screenshot of a disappearing message (this is similar to “vanish mode,” which causes messages to fade after they are seen). Screenshots of private conversation threads cancels out the point of E2EE –– Messenger says they will be rolling this notification feature out over the next few weeks.

Popular features like GIFs, stickers, and reactions -- along with support for replies to a specific thread, typing indications, and forwarding options -- will be added to E2EE chats. More important, however, is the inclusion of verified badges, as users will now be able to identify authentic accounts when chatting.

Users will also now be able to edit videos from their galleries directly in the app. This allows users to add a personal touch, as they might do in Snapchat, before sending anything off to their friends or family.

The rollout, according to Meta, is ongoing across all web and mobile platforms.

The following was previously published in an earlier edition of Marketing Insider.

In categories where frequency is high and competition is fierce, there are a few key steps to engaging your best customers to deliver an experience that can create durable brand loyalty and brand fidelity. Brand fidelity essentially translates to the strength of the brand bond with consumers.

Here’s how to fix your brand loyalty and drive brand fidelity:

Understand the customer.  Use the most rigorous research approach you can to understand what tactics or benefits could cause customers to change their behavior. This may include habit illumination research, social listening, generative qualitative research, or quantitative segmentation research, all of which should be grounded in behavioral science to uncover rich insights.

Balance satisfaction and delight.  Customers always want more free stuff.  But challenge your thinking to see what else they might like that doesn’t cost much -- or even anything, like skipping to the front of the line. Mystery offers, challenges to unlock bonus points, optimizing UX and feedback loops are all ideas to brainstorm.

Design experiences that are effortless. Sometimes, the key to innate preference is simply making it easy to buy.  Seek to remove friction from the process wherever you can, whether it’s in the way you merchandise or communicate, based on what you know about your best customers.

Actively engineer the behavior change you want.  Using tools from behavioral science like habit loops, seek to reinforce specific behaviors for specific customers.  Sometimes rewards and incentives can be the best way to increase purchase frequency.  Does someone shop three times a month? Give them a big bonus for their fourth trip in a month.

Create a platform for sales acceleration.  Think of your loyalty strategy like a platform -- the connection between your brand, your customers, and your value proposition.  There is no more efficient way to reach and shape behavior than with intimate direct relationships based on a fair exchange of value.

In the last 18 months, the pandemic has accelerated brands’ digital transformation, particularly in restaurants and retail, where there have historically been fewer direct relationships. The challenge is for brands to embrace the power and responsibility of those direct relationships. Create intimate, relevant relationships with your customers by shaping their messaging, their offers, and their experiences with the data and insights gained through interactive engagement.

As privacy becomes more important to relationship gatekeepers in mobile and social, we believe that authenticity will be rewarded with customers who choose to join and engage with loyalty programs.

Diem Association, a company Facebook founded as Libra in 2019 to manage its cryptocurrency initiative, will sell its technology to crypto-focused bank Silvergate Capital for $200 million

When Mark Zuckerberg announced the project, he said the cryptocurrency would serve as the foundation for payments across Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. Zuckerberg convinced many companies to become founding members, backing the organization. Some include Visa, MasterCard, Uber, Lyft, eBay, Spotify, and Andreessen Horowitz.

The company planned to manage the technology via blockchain, with member organizations processing and verifying transactions. But within months, the association lost Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, and eBay.

David Marcus, the Meta executive who oversaw the launch, left the company last year.

Meta also ran into resistance in Washington when officials voiced concerns about the effect of the company's plans on financial stability and data privacy.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the central bank had serious concerns, and Zuckerberg stood before Congress, where he defended Facebook’s plan.

Silvergate Capital, the bank, had reached a deal with Diem to issue some of the stablecoins backed by hard dollars and designed to be less volatile than bitcoin and other digital currencies, according to The Wall Street Journal. A deal with Silvergate as part of a revamp last year meant to appease regulators.

Zuckerberg, apparently, wants to create his own world with a separate universe -- the metaverse -- and a currency to go along with it.

Meta would have a universe where marketers could only buy advertising with cryptocurrency, and performance would rely on brands paying for every action their avatars took in this virtual world, tying it to real-world actions. 

All these ideas have failed to materialize. Now the sale represents an effort to squeeze the remaining value from the defunct business.

Crackle Plus, part of Chicken Soup For The Soul Entertainment, has entered into a multi-year partnership with APX Content Ventures and Publicis Media. 

Among the first co-produced programs is “Inside the Black Box,” which will showcase minority artists and which is set to premiere on the Crackle streaming service in February. 

The 10-episode series is hosted by Joe Morton and celebrity acting coach, casting director and producer Tracey Moore. The show will have interviews and “performance aspects” and will feature the hosts interacting with celebrity guests. 

The program was brokered via APX Content Ventures, a “next-generation” unit within Publicis Media. The unit says its mission is to amplify diverse voices, empower women and build community, connection and trust. 

“Inside the Black Box” is sponsored by The General, the licensed insurance agency and unit of PGC Holdings Corp., which is a wholly owned American Family Mutual Insurance Company. The General will have unique placement across various layers of the programming, both in and out of the show. 

The sponsorship includes pre-roll ads, QR code integrations,  brand integration within the content and “The General Audience” branded theater section featured in the show, allowing VIP attendees to get a better view of the action and call-outs from the hosts. Outside of the programming “Inside the Black Box” will have a Crackle in-app Jumbotron where branding and voiceover sponsorship opportunities will give viewers a deeper look into The General and its services. 

“Our goal is to ensure the very best programming makes it to air and that featured content embraces diverse voices and accurately reflects today’s society,” said John Nolan, Managing Director, APX Content Ventures. 

The program, he added, “is helping to shine a spotlight on the stories people care about and The General’s commitment to elevating diversity and greater representation is a natural complement to this program, which celebrates the world’s greatest BIPOC artists.” 

The Crackle Plus networks are distributed via 60 touchpoints within the U.S., a number that is expected to grow past 80 touchpoints including RokuTV, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, smart TVs (Samsung, LG, Vizio), gaming consoles (PS4, XboxOne), Plex iOS and Android mobile devices at Crackle.com.