• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechGOPRO

GoPro’s Upcoming Year Looks to Be Scary and Action Packed

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 2, 2017, 8:24 PM ET
GoPro

GoPro’s struggles in 2016 are spilling over into the new year.

The action-camera maker lost $115.7 million in its fourth quarter, 70% more than the $35.5 million loss during the same quarter in 2015. The company blamed much of the loss on a $102 million tax charge.

Over the summer, GoPro (GPRO) CEO Nick Woodman promised that the company was on its way to profitability in the fourth quarter, partly with the help of two long-awaited new products: the Hero5 camera and the Karma drone. But two major setbacks ruined their debuts, adding to a string of disappointing quarters that have raised serious questions about what was once a tech industry darling.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Shortly after introducing the Karma drone in October, GoPro recalled it because of in-flight battery problems that caused it to lose power in flight and crash. GoPro said it fixed the problem and re-released the drone on Wednesday.

But just because the drone—originally described by the company as a big hope— is on sale again doesn’t mean that GoPro expects it will make much of an impact. In fact, Woodman sounded utterly unsure about its prospects.

“Given that we only just re-launched the product yesterday, we’re not going to be giving any information as to how much it is going to contribute over the quarter, or next,” he said on Thursday during a call with analysts.

As for the Hero5, GoPro executives explained that production problems forced the company to deliver fewer of the cameras to retailers and resellers during the holiday season than originally promised. GoPro was relying on these retailers to help promote the new camera, but when those retailers failed to get enough units, they pulled back on their marketing.

The impact on sales was “significant,” Woodman said.

“Unfortunately, all of those retailers understandably felt inclined to remove GoPro from their promotions,” he acknowledged. “We could not get them enough inventory to warrant the spend that they were going to make.”

Additionally, Woodman said GoPro had reduced some of its own marketing for the new camera in December until it knew it could make enough cameras to fill the demand.

The double whammy of a limited supply of the new cameras plus a lack of promotions resulted in the company missing its revenue targets for the quarter, Woodman explained.

For more about GoPro, watch:

On the bright side, Woodman said that GoPro still has “very good relationships with its retailers,” having just met with many of them at the recent CES electronics show in January. But the company still predicted only $190 million to $210 million in first quarter revenue, far short of the $268 million that analysts had expected.

GoPro’s share fell 12% to $9.60 in after-hours trading on Thursday after the earnings announcement.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

mcdermott
AIAI agents
Your company’s AI could delete everything in 9 seconds. ServiceNow wants to be the kill switch
By Nick LichtenbergMay 6, 2026
37 minutes ago
Gas crisis? Kelp could be the biofuel answer to high gas prices, but only if the government removes some red tape
Environmentgas prices
Gas crisis? Kelp could be the biofuel answer to high gas prices, but only if the government removes some red tape
By The Associated Press, Ana Georgescu and Zoe BeketovaMay 6, 2026
1 hour ago
Inside Home Depot’s marketing playbook: weather signals, influencers, and an app to drive bigger baskets
C-SuiteMarketing
Inside Home Depot’s marketing playbook: weather signals, influencers, and an app to drive bigger baskets
By Ruth UmohMay 6, 2026
1 hour ago
anis
CommentaryVenture Capital
AI, robotics, climate tech: How VCaaS helps corporations enter deep tech safely
By Anis UzzamanMay 6, 2026
2 hours ago
Current price of Ethereum for May 6, 2026
Personal FinanceEthereum
Current price of Ethereum for May 6, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 6, 2026
3 hours ago
mckinsey
CommentaryProductivity
The U.S. leads in 14 of 18 industries shaping the future economy — but the lead isn’t guaranteed
By Kevin Russell, Chris Bradley and Kweilin EllingrudMay 6, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

Current price of oil as of May 5, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 5, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 5, 2026
1 day ago
Clean energy's winning argument is the one it refuses to make
Commentary
Clean energy's winning argument is the one it refuses to make
By David CraneMay 5, 2026
1 day ago
A Michigan farm town voted down plans for a giant OpenAI-Oracle data center. Weeks later, construction began
Magazine
A Michigan farm town voted down plans for a giant OpenAI-Oracle data center. Weeks later, construction began
By Sharon GoldmanMay 6, 2026
8 hours ago
Tokyo is throwing out its strict office dress code and asking workers to wear shorts amid the war in Iran energy crisis
Success
Tokyo is throwing out its strict office dress code and asking workers to wear shorts amid the war in Iran energy crisis
By Emma BurleighMay 5, 2026
23 hours ago
Economists have found an answer to slowing cognitive decline: avoid retiring early, study finds
Economy
Economists have found an answer to slowing cognitive decline: avoid retiring early, study finds
By Sasha RogelbergMay 5, 2026
23 hours ago
Gen Z workers say showing up 10 minutes late to work is as good as on time—but baby boomer bosses have zero tolerance for tardiness, research reveals
Success
Gen Z workers say showing up 10 minutes late to work is as good as on time—but baby boomer bosses have zero tolerance for tardiness, research reveals
By Orianna Rosa RoyleMay 5, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.