All you need to know about Yahoo Plus
One of the older companies associated with the internet, Yahoo has soldiered on after acquisition by Verizon in 2016. Axios reports that Verizon now wants to expand the Yahoo brand with a variety of subscriptions offered under Yahoo Plus. Verizon Media's franchises will be rebranded as Yahoo products. The focus will be on selling subscriptions to these platforms under Yahoo Plus.
Verizon Media's Head of Consumer, Joanna Lambert said that gradually, all non-Yahoo brands owned by Verizon will be rebranded to revolve around Yahoo, the company's consumer-facing brand. The company has already rebranded its media studio called RYOT as Yahoo Ryot Lab. Its brand for women called MAKERS has also been rebranded as MAKERS by Yahoo.
Meanwhile, some brands like TechCrunch, Engadget, and Autoblog have not been rebranded yet. Their content is available across the Yahoo ecosystem in categories such as Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance, and Yahoo Autos. A Yahoo Tech category is also reportedly in the offing. Yahoo Plus will offer these services through subscription models for which the pricing details remain unknown.
Verizon told Axios that it already has three million customers who have subscribed to products across services such as Yahoo Finance and Yahoo Fantasy. Yahoo Plus is being advertised as a service that "brings you more of what you love".
Yahoo Mail Plus will offer ad-free email with customization features including disposable addresses and domain blocking. Similarly, Yahoo Finance Plus (formerly Finance Premium) will offer tiers for retail investors and seasoned traders. Yahoo Fantasy Plus will bring research tools and trade insights for games on Yahoo Fantasy. The fourth Yahoo Plus subscription called Yahoo Plus Protect offers device protection, insurance, and tech support plans.
Presently, subscriptions are independent of each other but Axios suggests they may be bundled together later. Yahoo Mail Plus and Plus Finance subscriptions cost $5 per month. Plus Fantasy will cost $8 per month and Plus Protect will cost between $5 and $15 per month.
The Yahoo Plus move represents a shift in strategy for Verizon after its revenues took a beating in 2018 trying to compete against Google and Facebook as an advertising network. The new model will directly bring recurring payments from consumers, improving revenue stability. Joanna Lambert said that Verizon Media Group's goal is to diversify and distribute revenue evenly across advertising, subscriptions, and commerce.
