Latest news with #Creutz
Business Insider
02-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Analysts' Top Communication Services Picks: Live Nation Entertainment (LYV), Roku (ROKU)
There's a lot to be optimistic about in the Communication Services sector as 2 analysts just weighed in on Live Nation Entertainment (LYV – Research Report) and Roku (ROKU – Research Report) with bullish sentiments. Protect Your Portfolio Against Market Uncertainty Discover companies with rock-solid fundamentals in TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter. Receive undervalued stocks, resilient to market uncertainty, delivered straight to your inbox. Live Nation Entertainment (LYV) TD Cowen analyst Doug Creutz reiterated a Buy rating on Live Nation Entertainment yesterday and set a price target of $166.00. The company's shares closed last Thursday at $131.34. According to Creutz is a 5-star analyst with an average return of 16.5% and a 63.3% success rate. Creutz covers the NA sector, focusing on stocks such as Paramount Global Class B, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group. Live Nation Entertainment has an analyst consensus of Strong Buy, with a price target consensus of $168.56, which is a 26.4% upside from current levels. In a report issued on April 28, Susquehanna also initiated coverage with a Buy rating on the stock with a $155.00 price target. Roku (ROKU) In a report released yesterday, Ralph Schackart from William Blair maintained a Buy rating on Roku. The company's shares closed last Thursday at $67.27. According to Schackart is a 5-star analyst with an average return of 14.5% and a 59.1% success rate. Schackart covers the NA sector, focusing on stocks such as Alphabet Class C, Meta Platforms, and Vivid Seats. The word on The Street in general, suggests a Moderate Buy analyst consensus rating for Roku with a $94.19 average price target, representing a 33.9% upside. In a report issued on April 23, JMP Securities also upgraded the stock to Buy with a $95.00 price target.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Traditional TV Outlets Will Begin to Be Rolled Up by Private Equity in 2026, Analyst Predicts
Despite the initial view in Hollywood and on Wall Street that the Trump administration would accelerate consolidation in the media industry, that hasn't happened. Instead, the president has taken aim at media M&A like Paramount Global's pending $8 billion merger with Skydance Media. TD Cowen analyst Doug Creutz predicted in a Monday research note that it is unlikely consolidation between any of the major studios will occur in 2025, primarily due to regulatory issues. But he does see consolidation of linear networks being a possible outcome in the near-term, especially if Warner Bros. Discovery follows Comcast in spinning off its linear assets. 'We tend to think 2026 is a more likely timeframe, with private equity being the most likely consolidator,' Creutz wrote. In addition to consolidation, the firm said that traditional media companies should abandon their direct-to-consumer ambitions and return to being wholesalers. Creutz argued that the DTC model requires 'significant consumer acquisition spending' including overproduction of new shows and that bundling allows content producers to take more risks with projects that have narrower but deeper audience appeal. He added that consumers loved when streaming was cheaper than linear TV and had no ads, but the emergence of sporting events on streaming has raised prices and the introduction of ad tiers have made it a 'very different equation.' 'We think the only way the industry returns to real health is to give up on the standalone [direct-to-consumer] product dream and figure out a way to rebundle everyone's content together. In our view, standalone [streaming] is just fundamentally the wrong business model for TV,' he wrote. 'The battle here isn't streaming vs. linear, but unbundled vs. bundled. We do believe that recent moves toward bundling such as the Disney+/Max offer are directionally correct, though the end of the Venu venture was a step backwards. Ultimately, we think the industry will need to fully commit to the bundle in order to fix the currently broken economic model.' TD Cowen said that visibility on long-term streaming profitability remains low and that it expects a continued slowdown in subscriber growth compared to 2024, noting most of that growth came from bundling deals with cable providers. It also said further price increases will likely have a negative impact on churn rates due to content spending cuts. 'Media remains in the difficult position of its business model remaining in flux, with no clear answers on the horizon to the question of what TV/film/OTT value creation will look like in five or ten years. The addition of potential macro disruption to the mix doesn't help, particularly with linear advertising likely to lose share faster in a recession than in a healthy economy,' Creutz added. 'TV is beginning to look a lot like print and other ad verticals that have been hollowed out by digital. While our media companies are seeing growing digital ad revenue, we think the group is still several years away from growth in the latter meaningfully outweighing losses in the former.' The bank lowered its 2025 estimates on Disney from $93.9 billion in revenue and $17.1 billion in operating income to $93.7 billion and $16.9 billion, respectively. It also lowered Paramount's 2025 estimates from $29.3 billion in revenue and $3.1 billion in adjusted operating income to $28.4 billion and $2.9 billion, respectively. The post Traditional TV Outlets Will Begin to Be Rolled Up by Private Equity in 2026, Analyst Predicts appeared first on TheWrap. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
Motorcyclist dies after being thrown from bike when he struck a stone wall in Ledyard
A motorcyclist was killed when he veered off the road in Ledyard late Thursday and struck a stone wall. Emergency crews responded to the area of 44 Fanning Road at 9:52 p.m. after receiving a 911 call reporting a motorcycle crash, according to Capt. Ken Creutz of the Ledyard Police Department. The victim, identified as 34-year-old Julian R. Lorenzo of the Oakdale section of Montville, was found at the scene where he was pronounced dead, Creutz said. In addition to Ledyard police, the response at the scene included the Ledyard Fire Company, Gales Ferry Fire Company, Mashantucket Tribal Police and American Ambulance. Members of the Southeast Connecticut Regional Traffic Unit also responded to assist with the investigation. The initial investigation suggested Lorenzo was on a 2023 Harley-Davidson traveling east on Fanning Road when he veered off the roadway while negotiating a curve and struck a stone wall, according to Creutz. He was thrown from the bike and killed, Creutz said. In a statement issued Friday, Creutz said the Ledyard Police Department 'offers our sincere condolences to Mr. Lorenzo's family members and friends.' The crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information has been asked to contact Officer Heidi Schmidt at 860-464-6400.
Forbes
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Movie Theater Revenue Hurt By Simple Accessibility Failings, New Report Shows
With audiences well down on pre-pandemic levels, the mivie theater sector could bre doing a lot more ... More to bring customers with disabilities through the doors Despite a pledge last September from a North American movie theatre collective, which includes the likes of AMC, Regal Cinemas and Cineplex, to invest more than $2.2 billion on infrastructure upgrades, the industry is undoubtedly ailing. Battered and assailed by various crosswinds over the past few years, such as viewers pivoting to myriad streaming platforms supercharged by Covid, a cost-of-living crisis and the Hollywood strikes, it should come as little surprise that a leading industry analyst maintains a pessimistic outlook. In his latest analysis of the theatrical sector, which is often framed as a 'memo to Hollywood,' veteran TD Cowen analyst Doug Creutz recently warned of a 'negative feedback loop' that's showing little sign of abating. Basing his assessment on a 4% revenue drop from 2023 down to $8.57 billion and a 6% reduction in nationwide releases when compared to pre-pandemic times, Creutz wrote in his report, 'We have said for several years now that the outlook for a sustained recovery looks questionable, and that we don't think the existing global theatrical footprint can be supported solely by a handful of blockbusters.' Though certainly not claiming to be able to wipe away all the complex structural issues, one organization steadfastly believes that undertaking a few very simple steps when it comes to basic accessibility might go a long way to revitalizing the industry by allowing customers with disabilities to visit movie theaters more often. The Inevitable Foundation is a non-profit that invests in disabled writers and filmmakers with a focus on making the gilded environs of Hollywood more equitable and representative. Earlier this week the foundation released a report entitled 'The Adaptive Cinema Opportunity" in which the key takeaway is that 82% of those surveyed said that they would attend movie theaters more often if their accessibility needs were met. The detailed survey involved 107 participants who self-identified as disabled across a range of conditions, including those that were physical, sensory and cognitive or arising from neurodiversity. Somewhat surprisingly, 65% of disabled moviegoers stated that they would rather see a movie in a theater than at home. This is twice as high as the general population. Furthermore, 45% of disabled respondents reported having a movie theater pass in the past two years compared to just 13% of the general population. It should also be noted that patrons with disabilities are more likely to bring care assistants, partners or relatives with them to the movies, thereby further increasing revenues for venues. Despite this a mere 4% of respondents felt that they've always had their ideal accessibility needs met over the last 2 years. Some aspects of these results are surprising. For example, it could be assumed that disabled film fans might naturally lean more towards viewing at home due to enhanced accessibility and comfort. One explanation for preferring the theater experience could be that human beings naturally like to share emotional, high-octane communal experiences. Oftentimes, people with disabilities face barriers to many such activities, but cinema can be equitably enjoyed – provided, of course, that the accessibility is on the mark. Overall, it's naïve to think that the only thing preventing disabled patrons from visiting movie theaters is a lack of basic accessibility. In reality, the report makes it clear that many of the factors turning off non-disabled movie lovers are likely to apply in equal measure to disabled customers. These can include cost, time constraints and a perceived lack of good movie options. That aside, some of the recommendations in the report would appear to be quick, easy wins for theatres from an investment perspective. Some of these include making websites and online ticket purchasing options fully accessible while also ensuring that digital products include clear and easy-to-find accessibility information for the venues themselves. In terms of the physical spaces, site managers should consider taking an end-to-end approach encompassing the entire experience. This might start from providing more disabled parking places outside to having seats and places to rest in the lobby. Once inside the auditorium, seating options need to be evaluated carefully, from providing a choice of wheelchair spaces to the style of seats themselves – with recliner options likely to be popular with disabled patrons. Whilst the provision of captions and sensory-friendly experiences might address specific needs, many of the fairly inexpensive options detailed come down to basic universal design and can be helpful to everyone. As the report concludes, 'Going forward, the findings of this report make a compelling case for increased accessibility in movie theaters—not just as a matter of inclusivity, but as a significant business opportunity….By reimagining accessibility as an investment rather than a cost, theater owners and distributors can foster loyalty, build trust and capture an underserved market segment that holds $21 billion in discretionary income.' With figures like this on the table and given the current parlous state of the industry, surely the most pertinent question is whether movie theaters can afford not to be thinking about how best to welcome in their customers with different needs.
