The Hi Tech giants outperform the competition. In 2018, Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Netflix recorded revenues of 692 billion euros. This is a figure higher than the GDP of states such as Sweden (594 billion dollars) and Taiwan (609 billion dollars). The growth rates are also striking. Compared to 2017, the increase is 35% for a turnover that reaches a value four times higher than that achieved by the main telecommunications and traditional media companies, also due to the presence of the platforms on markets all over the world.
These are the data contained in the first Observatory on online platforms published by the Communications Authority.
According to the report, the platforms, given the predominantly intangible nature of their services, almost realize 50% of its turnover outside the domestic continent, against a 15% share for traditional Tlc&Media companies which, on the contrary, experience greater difficulties in offering services in countries where they are not present with infrastructures. The difference in the data relating to labor productivity is also abysmal: an employee of these six big Hi Tech companies produces 53% more revenue than one who works in TLC and media companies (0,7 vs. 0,4 million euros per employee).
Going forward with the parameters, the average gross profitability of the platforms reaches 49%. An average that varies from 83% of Facebook to 37% of Netflix. The operating margin is equal to 21% of revenues, in numbers we are talking about 24 billion euros.
Worldwide, the platforms considered occupy the top positions in all sectors of activity in which they operate, e their market shares are never less than 30%. Diffusion among users in the free services offered by the big companies is also very concentrated, with individuals who, for the use of a service, mostly turn exclusively to the prevailing platform.
Agcom also records that, in the sectors in which these big companies operate, companies seeking to enter encounter strong obstacles to their growth: in 2018, it is estimated that for a company to reach the profit threshold in the world commerce, should achieve over 50 billion euros in revenues, while the break-even point of a search engine is estimated to be above 20 billion; the minimum optimal size of a non-specialized social network is also above 10 billion.
