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☆ Why Wall Street is skeptical about Comcast's proposal to ditch its cable networks and pair Peacock with a competitor
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-01 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Comcast's Mike Cavanagh said the company will explore ditching its cable networks. AdvertisementComcast said this week it might separate from its cable networks and marry off its streaming service. Mike Cavanagh, Comcast's president, floated the idea Thursday of spinning out cable networks like CNBC and MSNBC into a new firm while holding on to NBC. Several industry analysts said that Comcast could increase its valuation by divorcing itself from its declining cable networks, as it would help emphasize its burgeoning streaming business. "The cable networks likely have little value on their own.

Persons: Comcast's Mike Cavanagh, Peacock, —, Mike Cavanagh, Cavanagh, Jessica Reif Ehrlich, isn't, John Hodulik, Craig Moffett, Moffett, Insider's Peter Kafka, Michael Hodel, Tim Nollen, Rich Greenfield, Greenfield, it's, David Zaslav, WBD, NBCU, Brandon Katz, Max, Katz Organizations: Wall Street, Service, Comcast, CNBC, MSNBC, NBC, Disney, ABC, Bank of America, Warner Bros, UBS, Morningstar, Lightshed Partners, Starz, WBD's, NBA, Paramount, Max Locations: MoffettNathanson, USA

☆ Analysts are getting more bullish on Netflix ahead of earnings
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-11 | by ( Sean Conlon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Netflix is less than a week away from issuing its third-quarter results, and some analysts think the stock is poised for more upside ahead. With a buy rating on the stock, Hodulik's target of $750 implies more than 2% upside from Thursday's close. Hodulik's forecast of double-digit growth comes as Netflix has already reported stronger-than-expected results for the previous two quarters this year. NFLX YTD mountain NFLX, year-to-date Other analysts are even more bullish on the name heading into earnings. Netflix has an average target of $708.75, implying about 3% downside, as of Thursday's close.

Persons: John Hodulik, Morgan Stanley, Oppenheimer, Benjamin Swinburne –, Jed Kelly, Kelly Organizations: Netflix, UBS, Squid, NFL Locations: 4Q23, U.S, United Kingdom, France

☆ Disney proxy battle heats up: Here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailDisney proxy battle heats up: Here's what you need to knowJohn Hodulik, UBS media and telecom analyst, and James Stewart, New York Times columnist, join 'Power Lunch' to discuss what to expect from Disney's proxy battle, the outlook for Disney's direct-to-consumer business, and more.

Persons: John Hodulik, James Stewart Organizations: UBS, James Stewart , New York Times Locations: James Stewart ,

☆ It's a do-or-die moment for debt-riddled Warner Bros. Discovery's live-sports strategy as it vies for NBA rights
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

WBD generated $6.2 billion of free cash flow through 2023 and likely shelled out around $1.4 billion of that for NBA games. Analysts estimate that figure would be closer to $2 billion if WBD re-ups its NBA package. WBD wants a big NBA deal, despite Wall Street's wishesSixteen months ago, Zaslav said WBD didn't "have to have" the NBA. NBA ratings have been lackluster lately, with national TV games averaging 1.6 million viewers in the last two seasons. Zaslav's latest public remarks on the NBA negotiations reflect that.

Persons: —, Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, Tim Nollen, Max, Jason Bazinet, WBD, David Zaslav, it's, Jessica Reif Ehrlich, Wall, Zaslav, John Hodulik, Chuck, Ernie Johnson Organizations: Service, Basketball Hall of Famers, NBA, TNT, ESPN, Warner Bros, Business, Media, Amazon, NBC, Comcast, Apple, Netflix, WWE, Macquarie, Disney, Fox, Cable, Citigroup, Warners, of America, Street, Zaz, UBS Locations: Shaq

Berenberg increased its price target on Eli Lilly on the back of expected strong sales of its weight loss drug, Zepbound. The firm kept its $21 price target, saying shares are "ready to inflect" with hardware cost deflation and investment tax credit boosting growth. Danely's $820 price target on the buy-rated blockbuster chipmaker suggests 3.6% potential upside for shares since Monday's close. — Pia Singh 5:38 a.m.: Berenberg hikes Eli Lilly price target Eli Lilly has been on a tear this year, and Berenberg expects even more gains from here. Analyst Kerry Holford reiterated his buy rating on the stock and raised his price target to $850 from $680.

Persons: Berenberg, Eli Lilly, John Hodulik, Hodulik, — Pia Singh, Wells, Steven Cahall, Cahall, ROKU, Fred Imbert, BofA Evercore, James West, Christopher Danely, Danely, Goldman Sachs, Edward Jones, James Shanahan, Goldman, Marcus, Apiro Dounls, Sunoco, Kerry Holford, Holford, Zepbound Organizations: CNBC, pharma, Nvidia, Citi, Sunoco, NuStar Energy, Netflix, UBS, Vizio, CTV, ISI, BofA, BofA Evercore ISI, Bank of America, Micron Technology, NuStar, SUN Locations: Wells, Sunrun, Monday's

☆ Netflix has a stranglehold on its competition, but the streaming wars aren't over. Here's how Disney and Amazon could dethrone the dominant streamer.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"Netflix won the streaming wars in 2009 when they started streaming," said Tim Nollen, a media analyst at Macquarie. "I think it's a little bit ridiculous, to be honest," Bazinet said when asked if Netflix has won the streaming wars. AdvertisementHow Hollywood can beat Netflix at its own gameHollywood stalwarts can compete in streaming, Bazinet argued — provided the media industry first consolidates even further. The two biggest threats right now are Disney — which has about 220 million subscribers across Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ — and Amazon. Nollen said Amazon would flood the market with cheap ads and crush its competition like it did in e-commerce.

Persons: —, That's, Jason Bazinet, Tim Nollen, They've, Bazinet, overreacted, Jessica Reif Ehrlich, Reif Ehrlich, Nielsen Bazinet, Joe Bonner, Bonner, John Hodulik, Hodulik, I'm, Macquarie's, Nollen, it's Organizations: Service, Netflix, Business, Citigroup, Disney, Paramount, Macquarie, Hollywood, Bank of America, Nielsen, ESPN, Argus Research, Hulu, UBS, Amazon Locations: Hulu

☆ Licensing to Netflix has become a big business for studios again, but some insiders worry it could backfire
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Lucia Moses | James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewCash-hungry entertainment studios are back in the content licensing game, sending their valuable shows like HBO's "Sex and the City" and Disney's "Grey's Anatomy" back to Netflix. Licensing has historically been a mainstay of entertainment companies, except for a brief period when many hoarded content while they built up their own streaming services. "It's the future," said Dan Cohen, the chief content licensing officer at Paramount. Netflix and other entertainment companies that sought full ownership of content as they built up their streaming services are now becoming more agnostic about it. But, for now, the major entertainment companies don't have much of a choice.

Persons: —, Mike Pears, Pears, Jessica Reif Ehrlich, Dan Cohen, Reif Ehrlich, Mitch Metcalf, Metcalf, Meeka Bondy, Perkins, John Hodulik, Tim Nollen, Netflix's, it's, Nollen Organizations: Service, Netflix, Business, AMC, Apple, Warner Bros . Discovery, Paramount, Bank of America, ABC, NBC, Metcalf Entertainment Intelligence, UBS, CBS, Macquarie, Hulu

☆ NFL's Black Friday game is the latest warning sign for traditional TV
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Drew Richardson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

And with the game streaming the day after Thanksgiving, Amazon could capture some of the holiday viewership, which broke records last year. ESPN's pivotESPN has long ruled sports programming on traditional TV. Yet even as the streaming trend picks up, sports programming is helping keep cable and traditional TV alive, for the moment. Earlier this year, data firm Nielsen reported that traditional TV made up less than half of overall TV usage in July. A FOX Sports TV camera operator during the week 5 NFL game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 11, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Persons: Jacob Kupferman, National Football League's, it's, Brian Rolapp, CNBC's Julia Boorstin, Garth Brooks, Nielsen, Tim Nollen, John Hodulik, Bob Iger, CNBC's Boorstin, Patrick, David J, Griffin Organizations: Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, National Football, Amazon's, NFL, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, Fox, CBS, NBC, YouTube, Warner Bros, ESPN, UBS, Disney, Fox Sports, FOX Sports, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Mercedes, Benz, Getty Locations: Atlanta , Georgia

☆ 'They crushed it.' Analysts cheer Netflix's strong third-quarter earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Netflix 's better-than-expected quarterly earnings has analysts cheering the company's new subscriber growth initiatives, keeping them optimistic on the stock's growth potential. Yoon increased his price target to $390 from $375, implying 12.6% upside potential from Wednesday's close. Shares already rallied more than 13% Thursday during premarket trading, surpassing his price target. Anmuth raised his price target to $480 from $455, implying shares could jump 38.6% from Wednesday's close. UBS, Citi and Evercore all reiterated their price targets of $500 on shares, while Bank of America kept its $525 target price.

Persons: Bernstein, Laurent Yoon, Yoon, Goldman Sachs, Eric Sheridan, Doug Anmuth, Anmuth, Brian Kraft, Kraft, John Hodulik, Hodulik, Jessica Reif Ehrlich, Mark Mahaney, Mahaney, –, Michael Bloom Organizations: Netflix, ARM, JPMorgan, Deutsche, Bloomberg, UBS, Citi, Bank of America, of America, Global, Revenue Locations: U.S, Wednesday's

☆ As Hollywood strikes press on, Wall Street weighs in on the outlook for TV, streaming stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

At the same time, legacy media companies face off against another well-known demon: cord-cutting. Technology companies such as Apple and Amazon can lean on their respective hardware and e-commerce businesses, said Paul Fanelli, a research analyst at Gabelli Funds. Even so, Wall Street sees only a handful of pure-play winners in the TV and streaming space winning consumer attention over the long run. Already, the technology companies have shown some promise. Consumers are increasingly forgoing pay TV packages from cable companies and opting for bundles from companies like Alphabet, he said.

Persons: Rosenblatt, Barton Crockett, It's, Netflix's, Ken Leon, Hollywood's, Leon, Jamie Lumley, Paul Fanelli, it's, Apple's, Amazon's, That's, Needham, Laura Martin, Martin, —, John Hodulik, CNBC's, bode, Crockett, NBCUniversal's Peacock, Brandon Nispel, Nispel, Disney's hasn't, Fanelli, that's Organizations: Netflix, Apple, Paramount, Sky, Third, Gabelli, Warner, UBS, ESPN, Fox, NFL, Hulu, YouTube, KeyBanc, Comcast, Disney, Warner Bros, Max, DIS, Rosenblatt, ABC, Nexstar, CNBC Locations: France, United Kingdom

Legacy media companies like Disney , Warner Bros. Netflix was the first streamer to report a loss in subscribers in 2022, sending its stock and other media companies spiraling. Media companies also have begun slashing content spending budgets. Yet streaming remains the focus for all of these companies as consumers rapidly cut the cord and opt for streaming. Legacy media companies scrambled to follow suit, unsure if the model actually worked.

Persons: Mario Tama, it's, Steven Schiffman, NBCUniversal, Bob Iger, Ken Solomon, Solomon, Marc DeBevoise, John Hodulik, hasn't, —, Hulu —, Peacock, Max —, HBO Max, — Ryan Murphy, Shonda, Kenya Barris, David Benioff, Weiss —, Jonathan Miller, Shonda Rhimes, Presley Ann, Patrick McMullan, Bart Simpson, esports, DeBevoise, Peter Csathy Organizations: Netflix, Getty, North, Georgetown University, Legacy, Disney, Warner Bros, Discovery, Paramount, Media, Marvel, Tennis Channel, Sinclair, Companies, UBS, CBS, HBO, Max, Hulu, Integrated Media, Trek, Universal Studios Television, Getty Images Disney, Wars, Fox, Hollywood's, Creative Media, Charter Communications, ESPN, & $, + + Locations: Los Angeles, North American, J.J, Abrams, Kenya, Beverly Hills , CA, Georgetown

☆ The return of football signals the potential for growth at media companies, says UBS
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe return of football signals the potential for growth at media companies, says UBSJohn Hodulik, Telecom Analyst at UBS, discusses how the NFL season kickoff impacts the TV and streaming industry.

Persons: UBS John Hodulik Organizations: UBS, Telecom, NFL

☆ UBS shares the only 4 media stocks worth buying now as the cable bundle collapses, the Disney-Charter conflict gets ugly, and streaming growth slows
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Media analysts say this dispute could be the beginning of the end for the cable bundle. After a decade of steady decline, the pay TV bundle now appears to be on life support. Charter refuses to pay Disney's higher asking price for its family of networks, including ESPN, without including Disney+ and Hulu in the bundle. The cable giant also wants its customers to have a Disney-free option for a reduced price, which may also be a non-starter. Otherwise, it plans to send its pay TV customers elsewhere.

Persons: Tim Nollen, That's, Jessica Reif Ehrlich, John Hodulik, Hodulik Organizations: Disney, Media, UBS, ESPN, Hulu, Macquarie, Bank of America, Netflix, Charter Locations: imploding

☆ Here's how analysts say to trade Disney ahead of its earnings announcement
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

DIS YTD mountain Disney shares' YTD performance Ahead of the company's quarterly release, several Wall Street analysts have lowered their performance forecasts. The new price target suggests shares could rally 45% from Tuesday's close. He cut his price target to $105 from $110. Finally, Deutsche Bank analyst Bryan Kraft lowered his price target, citing lower advertising revenue and underperformance at the box office. His new price target is $120, down from $131.

Persons: Wednesday's, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Brett Feldman, John Hodulik, Vijay Jayant, Morgan Stanley, Benjamin Swinburne, Bryan Kraft, Kraft, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Disney, Investors, Penn Entertainment, ESPN, ESPN Bet, Disney World's, UBS, Hollywood, Deutsche Bank, Kraft Locations: Tuesday's

☆ Strikes won't hurt Netflix as much because it does a lot of international production: UBS's Hodulik
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailStrikes won't hurt Netflix as much because it does a lot of international production: UBS's HodulikJohn Hodulik, UBS Telecom & Cable analyst, joins 'Closing Bell Overtime' to talk Netflix earnings, the impact of the Hollywood strikes and AT&T's rebuttal of the WSJ report.

Persons: UBS's, John Hodulik Organizations: Netflix, UBS Telecom & Cable, Hollywood

☆ UBS hikes Netflix price target ahead of earnings, says shares can jump nearly 20%
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Investors can expect a strong showing for Netflix during earnings season, UBS said. Netflix shares rose 0.6% in the premarket. NFLX 1D mountain Netflix shares 1-day "We are raising estimates following positive data on paid sharing. Checks on engagement, downloads & search interest were all constructive for the newly launched paid sharing markets," Hodulik wrote Tuesday. Netflix shares are already outperforming this year, up nearly 50%.

Persons: John Hodulik, Hodulik, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Netflix, UBS Locations: Tuesday's, Canada

April 19 (Reuters) - Netflix Inc's (NFLX.O) shares fell nearly 3% on Wednesday after the streaming pioneer forecast current-quarter revenue and profit below Wall Street estimates, hit by a delay in the wider roll-out of its solution to password sharing. The company will now launch paid sharing widely, including in the U.S., between April and June. It reported a rise in subscriber growth in the first quarter in Canada - one of the markets where it has cracked down on password sharing. The move is expected to result in some knee-jerk churn and near-term earnings risks but should ultimately pay off, analysts said. "The next few months will likely be noisy as paid sharing headline risk grows louder, but we'd be buyers of related pullbacks," J.P.Morgan analyst Doug Anmuth said.

Revenue and earnings for the first quarter came in roughly in line with the average analyst estimates from Refinitiv. Shares of Netflix dropped as much as 11% in after-hours trade following the report but recovered to gain 1.4%. From January through March, Netflix added 1.75 million streaming subscribers, missing analyst estimates of 2.06 million additions. The clampdown on password sharing will begin in the United States during the current quarter, Netflix said. UBS media analyst John Hodulik wrote that the password- sharing crackdown could well fuel Netflix's nascent advertising business, as it drives these "sharers" to the lower-priced version of the service.

Revenue and earnings for the first quarter, revealed in an earnings report on Tuesday, came in roughly in line with Wall Street expectations, according to analyst estimates from Refinitiv. From January through March, Netflix added 1.75 million streaming subscribers, missing analyst estimates of 2.06 million additions. Wall Street had been projecting $8.476 billion for revenue and $3.05 for diluted EPS. The company has said 100 million households are sharing passwords, including about 30 million households in the U.S. and Canada. If Netflix could convert 100% of those password-sharers, that would generate $4.4 billion in incremental revenue, according to MoffettNathanson estimates.

☆ UBS says these stocks posted high-quality earnings this season
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Now that Wall Street is about to close the books on yet another earnings season, it's time to see which names posted higher-quality earnings than others, according to UBS. In the S & P 500, about 86% of companies reported quarterly earnings thus far, according to FactSet data. However, UBS' strategist Keith Parker worries that earnings quality is an "overhang," saying the divide between earnings and operating cash flow for companies points to roughly 15% earnings-per-share downside for at-risk stocks. These stocks are in the S & P 1500, have a market cap greater than $3 billion, excluding stocks in financial, real estate and utilities. Meanwhile, Humana demonstrated strong earnings quality because of its leading position in the Medicare Advantage market, according to UBS analyst Kevin Caliendo.

☆ Streaming is the future for Disney's return to profitability, says UBS' John Hodulik
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailStreaming is the future for Disney's return to profitability, says UBS' John HodulikUBS Telecom Analyst John Hodulik gives his thoughts on Disney's earnings report.

☆ UBS says seek income as market upside is over and names 10 attractive dividend payers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Here's 10 that made the list: AT & T made the list with a dividend yield of 5.5%. UBS has a buy rating on the telecommunications stock with a price target of $24, implying 10.7% upside over Thursday's close. Also rated a buy, UBS raised its price target by $2 in January to $56. American Electric Power , meanwhile, has a 3.6% dividend yield. UBS has a buy rating and a $113 price target, meaning the utility could rally 19.5% from Thursday's close.

☆ Cox launches mobile business, joining Comcast, Charter, Altice
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

In this photo illustration, the Cox Communications logo is displayed on a smartphone screen. Cox Communications is ringing in the new year with the official launch of its mobile business. The privately held cable and internet operator plans to announce the national launch of Cox Mobile Thursday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Cox has trailed peers like Comcast , Charter Communications and Altice USA , which started offering mobile service to their customers in recent years and have been adding customers at a fast clip. Like Comcast and Charter's services, Cox Mobile will only be available to new and existing customers.

☆ 2022 was tough for media stocks like Netflix and Disney, and 2023 doesn't look good, either
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

On top of that, companies are contending with lower ad revenue and more cord cutting. Tightening ad marketOn top of this, the ad market has worsened. Paramount missed third-quarter estimates after its ad revenue dropped, with its stock hitting a low in the following days. "We also anticipate that advertising streaming will become more important in the year to come," Solomon Partners' Boidman said. For media companies like Comcast and Charter Communications , lagging subscriber growth on the broadband front, rather than the pay-TV business, weighed more significantly on their stocks.

☆ Wall Street cuts Disney targets on earnings miss but sees the company as a long-term winner
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Carmen Reinicke | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

While a slew of analysts lowered their price targets and future expectations for Disney earnings, many remained bullish on the company, insisting that it's poised to be a winner in the future of streaming. " The firm kept its buy rating on shares but lowered its price target to $122 from $135. Shares of Disney have shed about 35% year to date. Until the division reaches profitability, there could be more pain for investors up to the turning point for the company. Barclays, which has a neutral rating on shares of Disney, sees shares falling further.

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