Rebecca Day

Port congestion that has plagued U.S. retailers since August is showing signs of easing, but the "unprecedented import surge" will stretch through summer, said the monthly Global Port Tracker, released Wednesday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. “We’ve never seen imports at this high a level for such an extended period of time,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF vice president-supply chain and customs policy.

Best Buy began testing a membership program, Best Buy Beta, as a possible replacement for its Total Tech Support service, it said Wednesday. Tests of the $199 a year offering ($179 for Best Buy credit card holders) is underway in select markets. Members get exclusive pricing, unlimited Geek Squad technical support, up to two years of protection on most product purchases, free standard shipping and delivery, a 60-day extended return window, 10% off subscription services billed through Best Buy and free installation on most products and appliances. Enrollment also includes access to a members-only concierge service. The pilot is available at select stores in Iowa, Oklahoma and eastern Pennsylvania and will expand this month to select stores in Minnesota, North Carolina and Tennessee, when it will be available in about 60 stores, said the retailer. The $199 Total Tech Support service is still available to customers outside Best Buy Beta pilot markets, it said, and the My Best Buy points program continues to be available nationwide. Total Tech Support includes many computer and car services for no additional cost, 20% off repairs and advanced services, internet security software and 20% off Geek Squad service and AppleCare products. Total Tech Support customers also pay $49 for standard in-home services such as Wi-Fi-setup and TV mounting.

As virtual MVPDs continue to poach customers from traditional pay TV, the need to address one of their most appealing differentiators -- no-contract subscriptions -- continues to challenge the segment, said Parks Associates analyst Paul Erickson at the company’s virtual Future of Video conference last week. “There’s a higher level of churn than in traditional pay-TV services,” a factor that’s “likely to persist,” said Erickson, asking panelists what strategies vMVPDs could adopt to stem customer defections.

CTA and NCTA announced an extension of a voluntary agreement for ongoing improvement to set-top box energy efficiency. The extension, beginning in 2023 and running through 2025, highlights IP set-top boxes, which are becoming the most common set-top box type in video distribution, they said Tuesday.

LG’s inability to come up with a “differentiated offering” to retain or win market share led to its exit from the mobile phone space, Gartner analyst Anshul Gupta told us Monday, after LG said it was exiting the “incredibly competitive” mobile phone segment. Getting out of mobile business will allow LG to focus resources on other markets, including electric vehicle components, connected devices, smart home, robotics AI, business-to-business solutions and platforms and services, it said.

After a year in which the custom integrator channel benefited amid “really unfortunate circumstances,” the Home Technology Specialists of America buying group is “bullish” on 2021, said Executive Director Jon Robbins, opening the group's virtual spring conference Monday. The group hopes it’s the last virtual meeting, said Robbins, citing the importance of face-to-face interaction among members. It's planning an in-person presence at CEDIA Expo in Indianapolis Sept. 1-3 and at its own fall conference Oct. 12-14 in Dallas.

In an increasingly crowded media segment that continues to steal share from traditional pay TV, skinny bundle newcomer Vidgo hopes to carve out a niche through its business model, content focus and social TV feature, President Shane Cannon told a Parks Associates future of video conference Wednesday. More than 120 million consumers have subscribed to skinny bundles, and Cannon said he expects that number to “pick up steam” over the rest of 2021, as live TV streaming becomes “the preferred way to watch” among younger viewers who want to pick their own content.

Virtual MVPD subscribership by 2023 will be higher than that of telco and satellite pay TV combined, behind cable TV, said Parks Associates analyst Paul Erickson on a Wednesday webcast. By 2024, vMVPD will have 30% of pay-TV subscriptions vs. 16% for telcos and 16% satellite, he said.

Google Maps is getting a refresh this year, with upgrades to location capability, weather and routing models, blogged Dane Glasgow, Google Maps vice president-product. Google Maps is using AI to improve indoor navigation for walking, said Glasgow Tuesday.

Xperi tapped into its TiVo subsidiary's IP last week on a TU Automotive future of infotainment webinar, promoting TiVo’s metadata as a differentiator in the world of connected radio. With streaming on the rise and consumers using their phones to stream music through their car radios, Xperi is accelerating its effort to sign on OEMs for its hybrid radio platform, DTS AutoStage, to be the “alternative to big tech in the car,” said Joe D’Angelo, Xperi senior vice president-global radio.