Just before Thanksgiving I highlighted my concerns that holiday spending on DVDs could be weaker than expected. At the time, I identified two potential problems. First, the studios have to deal with a generally weak holiday spending environment. Second, the amazing success of the box office this summer put a glut of high profile DVDs […]
https://northlakecapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/nl_logo.gif00Steve Birenberghttps://northlakecapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/nl_logo.gifSteve Birenberg2007-12-18 07:39:242026-03-17 16:59:00DVD Sales Mixed So Far
Proving once again that people will buy tickets when there is appealing in the theatres, the weekend box office rose 38% for the top twelve films according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. It’s easy to point to home theatres or digital distribution but this past weekend and last summer showed that demand for the movie theatre experience remains […]
I am surprised that the talks broke off between writers and producers. When the strike was launched there was a lot of discussion on both sides about how close they were to a deal. I figured that when they decided to start up negotiations again under a strict blackout a deal was at hand. My […]
https://northlakecapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/nl_logo.gif00Steve Birenberghttps://northlakecapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/nl_logo.gifSteve Birenberg2007-12-13 10:53:052026-03-17 16:59:00The Writer’s Strike Is About To Bite
I’m back in Chicago and have had some time to digest the UBS Media and Communications Conference. Below are brief comments from every presentation I attended. As you read, keep in mind that I found the general background of the conference to be cautious. This impression is based mostly on the uncertain advertising environment and […]
Morgan Stanley, which was early, aggressive, and correct with a bearish outlook for cable stocks upgraded its industry outlook yesterday to attractive. Comcast was raised from a sell to a buy. Here is a summary from the morning notes on Comcast: “We base our upgrade on three factors. First, concerns over a maturing product set […]
There were no changes to Northlake’s Market Cap and Style models for December. The signals remain on large cap and growth. As a result, client portfolios continue to own the S&P 500 (SPY) and the Russell 1000 Growth (IWD). It looks like we could get a move in the Market Cap signal fairly soon, however. […]
I enjoyed going on TV with my buddy Cody Willard. Unfortunately, since I debated Comcast with Cody and took the bull side, I’ll probably never get invited back! Not much I can say at this point other than admit the bullish stance I took in July when the stock was $27 was wrong. Nevertheless, I […]
https://northlakecapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/nl_logo.gif00Steve Birenberghttps://northlakecapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/nl_logo.gifSteve Birenberg2007-12-06 12:35:542026-03-17 16:59:00I Was Wrong On Comcast
The spectrum auction and build out rules in Canada are more favorable than expected for new entrants. As a result, Rogers Communications are trading down by 10% today. I have already seen two downgrades of the shares. Even with more favorable provisions for new entrants into the Canadian wireless market, I suspect that any impact […]
https://northlakecapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/nl_logo.gif00Steve Birenberghttps://northlakecapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/nl_logo.gifSteve Birenberg2007-11-29 12:05:012026-03-17 16:59:00Rogers Hit Hard
A strong opening for Disney’s Enchanted, a surprisingly good opening for This Christmas, and decent showing for another 6 to 8 films led the box office to an up weekend following two straight negative weekend comparisons. The top 12 films pulled in 4.4% more than a year ago according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. The depth of films […]
Dow Jones ran a news story on Tuesday noting that Verizon was raising the price of its FiOS TV service purchased outside the bundle by 12% for 2008. This is the second consecutive year that Verizon has raised FiOS TV prices. Wait a second. I thought that FiOS TV was going to set off a […]
DVD Sales Mixed So Far
Just before Thanksgiving I highlighted my concerns that holiday spending on DVDs could be weaker than expected. At the time, I identified two potential problems. First, the studios have to deal with a generally weak holiday spending environment. Second, the amazing success of the box office this summer put a glut of high profile DVDs […]
A Legendary Weekend At The Box Office
Proving once again that people will buy tickets when there is appealing in the theatres, the weekend box office rose 38% for the top twelve films according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. It’s easy to point to home theatres or digital distribution but this past weekend and last summer showed that demand for the movie theatre experience remains […]
The Writer’s Strike Is About To Bite
I am surprised that the talks broke off between writers and producers. When the strike was launched there was a lot of discussion on both sides about how close they were to a deal. I figured that when they decided to start up negotiations again under a strict blackout a deal was at hand. My […]
UBS Media Conference Recap
I’m back in Chicago and have had some time to digest the UBS Media and Communications Conference. Below are brief comments from every presentation I attended. As you read, keep in mind that I found the general background of the conference to be cautious. This impression is based mostly on the uncertain advertising environment and […]
Morgan Stanley Upgrades Comcast
Morgan Stanley, which was early, aggressive, and correct with a bearish outlook for cable stocks upgraded its industry outlook yesterday to attractive. Comcast was raised from a sell to a buy. Here is a summary from the morning notes on Comcast: “We base our upgrade on three factors. First, concerns over a maturing product set […]
December 2007 Model Signals
There were no changes to Northlake’s Market Cap and Style models for December. The signals remain on large cap and growth. As a result, client portfolios continue to own the S&P 500 (SPY) and the Russell 1000 Growth (IWD). It looks like we could get a move in the Market Cap signal fairly soon, however. […]
I Was Wrong On Comcast
I enjoyed going on TV with my buddy Cody Willard. Unfortunately, since I debated Comcast with Cody and took the bull side, I’ll probably never get invited back! Not much I can say at this point other than admit the bullish stance I took in July when the stock was $27 was wrong. Nevertheless, I […]
Rogers Hit Hard
The spectrum auction and build out rules in Canada are more favorable than expected for new entrants. As a result, Rogers Communications are trading down by 10% today. I have already seen two downgrades of the shares. Even with more favorable provisions for new entrants into the Canadian wireless market, I suspect that any impact […]
Weekend Box Office Turns Up
A strong opening for Disney’s Enchanted, a surprisingly good opening for This Christmas, and decent showing for another 6 to 8 films led the box office to an up weekend following two straight negative weekend comparisons. The top 12 films pulled in 4.4% more than a year ago according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. The depth of films […]
Verizon Raises Prices
Dow Jones ran a news story on Tuesday noting that Verizon was raising the price of its FiOS TV service purchased outside the bundle by 12% for 2008. This is the second consecutive year that Verizon has raised FiOS TV prices. Wait a second. I thought that FiOS TV was going to set off a […]