One of the things necessary to turn the GDP numbers is a change in production schedules of factories. At first, all that will occur is a cessation of the cuts in production schedules. This is probably already at work and explains some of the better economic statistics lately. The stats are not signaling growth but […]
https://northlakecapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/nl_logo.gif00Steve Birenberghttps://northlakecapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/nl_logo.gifSteve Birenberg2009-04-08 09:56:472009-04-08 09:56:47Inventories Coming Down is Bullish
I’ve written catuious commentary since Monsters vs. Aliens opened to $59 million in North America, in line with analyst estimates. The second weekend saw a drop of 45%, which is on the high side. The film is tracking close to Ice Age 2 over the past week but is $10 million behind overall. Ice Age […]
https://northlakecapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/nl_logo.gif00Steve Birenberghttps://northlakecapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/nl_logo.gifSteve Birenberg2009-04-08 09:20:482009-04-08 09:20:48Monsters vs. Aliens Falling Short
The box office boom is clearly a plus for theater owners how collect about 45% of ticket revenues and get more high margin concession sales. For studios, the boom is not clear cut. It depends on which studios and are producing the hits and most importantly, the profitability of individual films and the overall annual […]
https://northlakecapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/nl_logo.gif00Steve Birenberghttps://northlakecapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/nl_logo.gifSteve Birenberg2009-04-07 12:10:442009-04-07 12:10:44Profits Not Box Office Matter to Movie Studios
I’ll bet you would be shocked to learn that there is a media stock trading above its mid-September, pre-crash levels. It’s true. Discovery Communications (DISCA) is up about 5% thanks to a restructuring from a tracking stock to a regular stock, two positive quarterly earnings surprises, strong ratings for its TV networks, and still positive […]
I was hoping for a stronger defense by the analyst community after NIHD fell 18% yesterday following pre-announcement of lower than expected 1Q09 subscriber growth. The stock caught two downgrades and one analyst who has a buy lowered his price target. Goldman reiterated the buy noting that the change was minimal relative to its own […]
The WSJ is reporting that TWX has asked bondholders for consent to amend covenants. The amendments essentially switch collateral on the bonds from AOL to HBO. The idea is to set up AOL for a spin-off as a debt-free company. I’ve written often on TWX noting that any divestiture of AOL will be positive for […]
NIHD is down 19% after announcing its 1Q subscriber figures. The numbers were below expectations and the company lowered its full year subscriber forecasts. Especially troubling was weakness in Mexico, the company’s largest and most challenging market. No change was made to full year financial guidance but an update was promised on the 4/23 1Q […]
The box office boom kicked into top gear this weekend as Fast and Furious opened to $72.5 million, shattering expectations and the prior record for April. According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, the weekend was up an astounding 89.8% for the top 12 films. The top two films pulled in $106 million, up 10.8% from the entire slate […]
On Thursday the Wall Street Journal ran a major story discussing how the Hollywood studios are trying to cut back on the huge payouts to movie stars. David Poland of the Hot Blog and Movie City News did a follow-up which linked to articles by Gabriel Snyder at Gawker and Kim Masters of The Daily […]
https://northlakecapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/nl_logo.gif00Steve Birenberghttps://northlakecapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/nl_logo.gifSteve Birenberg2009-04-03 09:22:162009-04-03 09:22:16Movie Star Salary Control Just One Way Studios Are Coping
I sold all the shares clients received last week in Time Warner Cable (TWC) as a dividend from Time Warner (TWX). For each share of TWX owned prior to the 1 for 3 reverse split, clients received .03867 shares of TWC. For the long-term, I think the market is undervaluing cable stocks but I fear […]
https://northlakecapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/nl_logo.gif00Steve Birenberghttps://northlakecapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/nl_logo.gifSteve Birenberg2009-04-02 09:26:512009-04-02 09:26:51Housekeeping: Sold Time Warner Cable
Inventories Coming Down is Bullish
One of the things necessary to turn the GDP numbers is a change in production schedules of factories. At first, all that will occur is a cessation of the cuts in production schedules. This is probably already at work and explains some of the better economic statistics lately. The stats are not signaling growth but […]
Monsters vs. Aliens Falling Short
I’ve written catuious commentary since Monsters vs. Aliens opened to $59 million in North America, in line with analyst estimates. The second weekend saw a drop of 45%, which is on the high side. The film is tracking close to Ice Age 2 over the past week but is $10 million behind overall. Ice Age […]
Profits Not Box Office Matter to Movie Studios
The box office boom is clearly a plus for theater owners how collect about 45% of ticket revenues and get more high margin concession sales. For studios, the boom is not clear cut. It depends on which studios and are producing the hits and most importantly, the profitability of individual films and the overall annual […]
Discovery Communications Catches a Downgrade
I’ll bet you would be shocked to learn that there is a media stock trading above its mid-September, pre-crash levels. It’s true. Discovery Communications (DISCA) is up about 5% thanks to a restructuring from a tracking stock to a regular stock, two positive quarterly earnings surprises, strong ratings for its TV networks, and still positive […]
NII Holdings Gets Downgrades
I was hoping for a stronger defense by the analyst community after NIHD fell 18% yesterday following pre-announcement of lower than expected 1Q09 subscriber growth. The stock caught two downgrades and one analyst who has a buy lowered his price target. Goldman reiterated the buy noting that the change was minimal relative to its own […]
TWX Takes Another Step Toward Ridding Itself of AOL
The WSJ is reporting that TWX has asked bondholders for consent to amend covenants. The amendments essentially switch collateral on the bonds from AOL to HBO. The idea is to set up AOL for a spin-off as a debt-free company. I’ve written often on TWX noting that any divestiture of AOL will be positive for […]
NII Holdings Guides Subscribers Lower
NIHD is down 19% after announcing its 1Q subscriber figures. The numbers were below expectations and the company lowered its full year subscriber forecasts. Especially troubling was weakness in Mexico, the company’s largest and most challenging market. No change was made to full year financial guidance but an update was promised on the 4/23 1Q […]
Box Office Accelerates Furiously
The box office boom kicked into top gear this weekend as Fast and Furious opened to $72.5 million, shattering expectations and the prior record for April. According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, the weekend was up an astounding 89.8% for the top 12 films. The top two films pulled in $106 million, up 10.8% from the entire slate […]
Movie Star Salary Control Just One Way Studios Are Coping
On Thursday the Wall Street Journal ran a major story discussing how the Hollywood studios are trying to cut back on the huge payouts to movie stars. David Poland of the Hot Blog and Movie City News did a follow-up which linked to articles by Gabriel Snyder at Gawker and Kim Masters of The Daily […]
Housekeeping: Sold Time Warner Cable
I sold all the shares clients received last week in Time Warner Cable (TWC) as a dividend from Time Warner (TWX). For each share of TWX owned prior to the 1 for 3 reverse split, clients received .03867 shares of TWC. For the long-term, I think the market is undervaluing cable stocks but I fear […]