CMA blocks Activision Blizzard deal, FY23 Q3 earnings, Mad Dogs Hot Dogs

Microsoft earnings

• Microsoft announced that it earned a net income of $18.3 billion on revenues of $52.9 billion for the quarter ending March 31. Those figures represent gains of 9 and 7 percent, respectively, year-over-year.
• Intelligent Cloud, the home of Azure and Server, was once again the software giant's biggest business, with $22.1 billion in revenues, up 16 percent YOY.
• Productivity and Business Processes, which houses Office, delivered $17.5 billion in revenues, up 11 percent YOY.
• Windows, Xbox, and Surface once again tripped over themselves, with $13.3 billion in revenues, down 9 percent.

Analysis of Microsoft's F23Q3

• Yet another AI theory: After years of 70 percent-ish growth in Azure revenues driving its stock price and market cap, Microsoft needed something exciting for Wall Street. (Azure grew "just" 27 percent in this quarter)
• Windows revenues from PC makers fell 28 percent in the quarter. Windows Commercial products and cloud services increased 14 percent YOY, "driven by strong renewal execution and an increase in agreements that carried higher in-period revenue recognition."
• Surface was a no-show: Devices revenues fell by 30 percent.
• Xbox: Xbox console sales and other hardware revenues fell 30 percent in the quarter while gaming revenue, overall, declined 4 percent and Xbox content and services revenue grew 3 percent. But revenue from Xbox subscriptions reached nearly $1 billion in the quarter.
• Teams: over 300 million MAUs.
• Microsoft 365: Office commercial revenue grew 13 percent in the quarter. Paid Office 365 commercial seats were up 11 percent YOY to 382 million. Office consumer revenues were up, sort of, by 1 percent, while the Microsoft 365 consumer user base grew 12 percent to 65.4 million.

Windows 11

• A new monthly preview update to think about
• Phone Link for iOS is now rolling out to everyone
• New Beta channel builds: new Live Caption languages
• Leak: Microsoft will bring (back) app labels and grouping to the Windows 11 Taskbar

Microsoft 365

• Microsoft rumored to unbundle Teams from Office to appease regulators
• Does Microsoft have an antitrust problem?

Xbox

• UK CMA blocks Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard... because of cloud streaming??
• Microsoft Flight Simulator has a new World Update
• Atari just acquired over 100 classic games from the 80s and 90s
• ASUS ROG Ally is a new Windows gaming handheld

Tips and Picks

• Tip of the week: Bulk-install apps with Winget and Winstall
• App pick of the week: Google Authenticator
• On RunAs this week: Building your Data Analytics Team at SQLBits!
• Brown liquor pick of the week: Ohishi Whisky Sherry Cask

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell

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