You want subscribers? I got subscribers.
You constantly hear about how many “subscribers” X company has compared to X company. These numbers usually are comparing their leading 200 million to some 50 million. Perhaps its Comcast and AT&T slugging it out over who has more users.
Then you look globally and suddenly feel small. There are many global companies that have larger populations in their own home countries and will have the power in coming years. McDonalds talks about the billions served. That is great but what about companies that serve close to a billion people a month?
A press release from Tencent Holdings Limited (a Chinese company) shows that in Q3 of 2007 they had 715 million subscribers. Here is a bit more about the company:
“Formed in 1998, the Tencent Group is a leading provider of Internet service and mobile value-added services in China. The Group believes that it serves the largest instant messaging (IM) community in China. The Group’s IM platform, under QQ brand, allows users to communicate in real-time across the Internet, and mobile and fixed line telecommunications networks using various terminal devices.
Currently, the Group operates three principal lines of business: Internet value-added services, mobile and telecommunications value-added services and online advertising.” - From their site.
In the past two years I have been trying to grasp the Hispanic and Latin American markets. I have not fully jumped in but have been preparing to do so. When I do finally jump in there are many considerations I have to make so that I dont come off sounding like the now infamous All your base are belong to us . Every country and culture has differences that can be difficult to speak to online.
I think it will be interesting to watch US companies compete in India and China for subscribers, eyeballs, fingers, and other forms of customers.
