Back in 2011, I was a part of a group of industry players working together on the message about the NYSE subsidy program and the merits of opening the program up to allow for other vendors to compete and drive innovation.
In February 2012, the NYSE opened the program up and Q4 along with a number of other vendors in the investor communication space were added to the subsidy program. Since our inclusion into the program, I’m pleased to say that Q4 has been a leading vendor for companies in the subsidy switching from Thomson’s IR website hosting to a better solution.
The inclusion of other vendors in the subsidy has been a huge component to opening the IR market up to alternative and superior solutions. From Q4’s perspective, we’ve been able to bring innovative technology to a market that companies simply didn’t have access to prior to the subsidy being opened up to other vendors.
This technology includes, a non-template IR website CMS platform that delivers listed companies complete flexibility to tell their story in a compelling manner. More recently we released a product called ‘3-Screens’, which combines a desktop, as well as tablet and smartphone apps together in one integrated solution. 3 Screens has been our best selling product in our history, and a huge success within the subsidy program – with just about 1 new client added per day since it’s launch in June of this year.
Without the multiple vendor, open structure of the subsidy program these innovations would not have been available to top companies listed on the NYSE. We’re thrilled to be a part of driving innovation in the market and we look forward to the numerous products we’re planning for release this quarter and in early 2014.
In regards to the subsidy, last week the NYSE announced that it will stop paying for New York Stock Exchange-listed companies to receive services provided by a former unit of Thomson Reuters Corp. that is now owned by rival Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. More details on this announcements can be found on the Wall Street Journal blog: “NYSE to End Subsidies for Nasdaq-Owned Market Services” or via IR Magazine at “NYSE pulls plug on NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions“.
I’m excited about the future for the NYSE program and the IR market in general. Competition breeds excellence and we’re proud to be part of driving the web, mobile and social aspects of the market forward.
Have a great day!