It's a complicated time to be a media company. Actors and screenwriters from coast to coast have brought the multibillion industry to a shuttering halt as they fight for better streaming residuals, higher pay and protections against metastasizing artificial intelligence use cases. The backdrop has created an unfamiliar setup for the coveted fall TV lineup — historically one of the busiest stretches of the year, and a time for studios to showcase their latest potential hits.
mountain Netflix shares since the start of 2023 The longest player in the space, Netflix's built a vast library, and made itself synonymous with the word streaming. Along with its own content slate, Netflix's also acquired even more programming over the years from distributors to keep audiences entertained, and more importantly – paying. This years-long head start leaves many competitors playing a game of catch up and a gap that could take years to bridge.
mountain Paramount shares have fallen more than 19% since the start of the year "The NFL is always the biggest thing on TV," John Hodulik, a telecom analyst at UBS, told CNBC's " Worldwide Exchange " earlier this month. These games could prove to be even more valuable as consumers enter a sparse fall lineup and benefit sports-heavy names such as ESPN and Fox, he said.
mountain Comcast shares since the start of 2023 Despite some near-term challenges as consumer tamp down spending, Nispel regards Comcast's theme park business as a key cash generator and platform to further monetize its content. Comcast shares have seen a stellar 2023 so far, rising nearly 31%. While the upside looks capped, the average price target implies another 7.6% upside ahead.