In the Internet Age, a number of companies define their success in the number of users they have attracted. A loyal user is a continuing revenue stream that can be served ads or pay a premium membership for the services that the company provides. We wanted to break down some of the biggest companies that rely on their internet users for support to give investors a better idea of where some of today's biggest companies stand. and how much influence they have in the digital world:
| Company | #of Subscribers/Users (In Millions) | %of World's Population | Launched |
|---|---|---|---|
Facebook (FB) | 1310 | 18.29% | 2/4/2004 |
Gmail (GOOG) | 540 | 7.54% | 4/1/2004 |
LinkedIn (LNKD) | 300 | 4.19% | 5/5/2003 |
Yahoo (YHOO) | 273 | 3.81% | 3/1/1995 |
Twitter (TWTR) | 241 | 3.36% | 7/15/2006 |
Zynga (ZNGA) | 123 | 1.72% | 7/1/2007 |
Pandora (P) | 76 | 1.06% | 1/1/2000 |
Myspace | 50 | 0.70% | 8/1/2003 |
Netflix (NFLX) | 36.3 | 0.51% | 1/1/1997 |
HBO | 28 | 0.39% | 11/8/1972 |
Sirius AM | 25.8 | 0.36% | 5/17/1990 |
Spotify | 24 | 0.34% | 10/1/2008 |
Showtime | 23 | 0.32% | 7/1/1976 |
Starz | 22 | 0.31% | 2/1/1994 |
Amazon Prime (AMZN) | 20 | 0.28% | 7/1/1994 |
Hulu | 5 | 0.07% | 3/12/2008 |
Angie’s List | 2.4 | 0.03% | 4/26/1996 |
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The Bottom Line
From a more broad perspective, it is always fascinating to take a look at the social influence of some of these firms. Investors of any company that is reliant on its user base will want to pay close attention to those figures over time; they are often given in earnings reports. A drop in subscribers can lead to big sell-offs for the stock while a gain can lead to a fruitful trading session.
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