Menu

First Click: Game of Thrones returns, Google profits, and more in the week ahead

April 18th, 2016

2

Smell that? It's the crisp scent of freshly minted coins because earnings season is upon us once again.

The week kicks off with Netflix financials later today. Analysts are expecting big international subscriber growth after the company opened its doors to over 130 countries in January. They’ll also be looking at Netflix’s US forecast to see what impact, if any, the May price increase from $7.99 to $9.99 might have on future earnings.

Intel will announce its earnings on Tuesday ahead of Microsoft on Thursday. The two stocks have been inextricably linked to PC sales for the past three decades. Despite each company’s attempts to diversify, you can expect Microsoft to take a hit if Intel’s PC and server-class chips show any signs of weakness.

Verizon Communications and Yahoo will both report earnings on Thursday as well. The Wall Street Journal says that Verizon was just one of a handful of potential suitors moving ahead with plans to buy Yahoo (or parts of it) ahead of today’s deadline for preliminary bids. Verizon’s hoping to fold Yahoo’s assets in with the AOL properties it acquired last year for $4.4 billion in order to create an advertising platform that can compete with Facebook and Google.

Google’s parent Alphabet also reports on Thursday, its second quarter as a conglomerate. Analysts will be looking at a myriad of data points across the core Google business and "Other Bets" — Research & Development moonshots that cost the company a measly $3.56 billion last quarter when compared to the $23.42 billion the company generated in profits.

Sunday’s set to be a big day for HBO subscribers as Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley, and Veep all have their season premieres. And if you play your cards right, you might convince Verge entertainment editor Emily Yoshida to bring back the Game of Game of Thrones for season 6.

There will also be plenty of hardcore gadget, science, and transportation news to gawk at all week long. But first, let’s catch up on the weekend.

  1. Hasselblad's new H6D is a return to form and a look towards the future

    If you’ve ever spent any time learning about the process of photography, chances are you’ve heard the name Hasselblad. The storied company has been making cameras since 1941, and it has been...

  2. DJI just released its most powerful drone yet

    The film and television industry are gathered in Las Vegas this week for the National Association of Broadcasters' annual summit, and this evening DJI showed off two new products aimed at the big...

  3. Does virtual reality fit in your home?

    In our review of the HTC Vive, we praised the room-scale feature, which allows a person to walk around their real room while being inside of virtual reality. We had less flattering things to say...

  4. I regret watching this video of a drone tearing into flesh during lunch

    We get it, drones can be dangerous — but knowing it still didn't prepare me for seeing this video of a drone propeller being hurled into pork at 33 miles per hour. The morbid experiment is the...

  5. Amazon is launching monthly subscriptions for Prime and Prime Video

    Amazon is dropping the requirement to sign up for a year to access its Prime membership services. The retailer is adding new subscription options tonight, reports CNN, that will price Prime at...

  6. Mark Zuckerberg is the ultimate startup bro in this wild 2005 interview

    "I think Facebook is an online directory for colleges," said Mark Zuckerberg in 2005, sitting on a dingy couch, clad in a white t-shirt and gym shorts, and holding a red Solo cup filled with beer....

  7. How scientists want to send a spacecraft to the next closest star

    This week, a bevy of scientists including famed theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking announced a new way to explore space called Starshot — and how it works is something that sounds straight out...

  8. Why Dark Souls is my favorite video game series of all time

    It's taken me a few years, but I'm comfortable calling the Dark Souls games my favorite of all time. I imported Demon's Souls, the series' predecessor, from South Korea after I read a glowing...

  9. The Verge Review of Animals: sneks and doges

    This column is part of a series where Verge staffers post highly subjective reviews of animals. Up until now, we’ve written about animals without telling you whether they suck or rule. We are now...

  10. Ask Stoya: I want my wife to dominate me

    Talking about sexual desire is hard, and sharing a new desire with someone you’re already in a relationship with can be scary. The stakes are higher because there’s a very real risk of damaging your relationship or losing it entirely. But there are also some really good potential reactions...

Chill of the day