The pandemic will never end in some respects. It will never end in terms of its revolutionary impact on the format of healthcare, for example. Telehealth deregulation won’t be revoked, which reshapes the sector. It will also never end in terms of the third and fourth tier adoption of e-commerce that has arisen – people who never had accepted the notion of shopping online but were exposed, out of necessity, during the pandemic, and are now fully aware of the convenience.
It will also never end in terms of the adoption of streaming entertainment services. The streaming play is here to stay. And the numbers have only upside ahead because most of the world’s population is still unharvested fruit for this space.
For investors focused on evergreen secular investment themes, the streaming media thesis is ripe for the picking as consolidation, new market expansion, new demographic adoption, and innovative modeling all accelerate with the infusion of capital chasing this growth curve.
This has big implications for stocks in the streaming media space, including Roku Inc (NASDAQ:ROKU), Loop Media Inc (OTC US:LPTV), Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS), Netflix Inc (NASDAQ:NFLX), Curiositystream Inc (NASDAQ:CURI), and Fubotv Inc (NYSE:FUBO). We take a closer look at some of the more interesting catalysts in play in the space below.
Curiositystream Inc (NASDAQ:CURI) bills itself as a media and entertainment company that reaches approximately 20 million paying subscribers worldwide and is home to award-winning original and curated factual films, shows and series covering science, nature, history, technology, society and lifestyle.
CURI operates Curiosity Stream, the largest independent streaming service, available in more than 175 countries worldwide; Curiosity Channel, the linear television channel available via global distribution partners; and Curiosity Studios, which oversees original programming.
Curiositystream Inc (NASDAQ:CURI) recently announced, along with Fubotv Inc (NYSE:FUBO), a multi-year distribution partnership. Through the agreement, the linear channel, Curiosity Channel, will launch today for fuboTV viewers in the U.S., and the Curiosity Stream VOD service will roll out for viewers in both the US and Canada in the coming weeks.
“We are delighted to be part of the fuboTV family and contribute to their customer-centric OTT streaming service,” said Brandon Fong, Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Distribution for Curiosity Stream. “As the leading factual entertainment service, Curiosity is well positioned to amplify fuboTV’s value proposition to cord cutters and consumers who want to know more about the world around them.”
The context for this announcement is a bit of a bid, with shares acting well over the past five days, up about 4% in that timeframe. Shares of the stock have powered higher over the past month, rallying roughly 8% in that time on strong overall action.
Curiositystream Inc (NASDAQ:CURI) had no reported sales in its last quarterly financial data. That said, the company has a strong balance sheet, with cash levels exceeding current liabilities ($106.2M against $38M).
Loop Media Inc (OTC US:LPTV) is one of the most interesting small-cap players in the streaming media space due to its innovative model and top-tier partnerships. The company bills itself as the only competitor in the U.S. licensed to stream music videos directly to consumers and venues out of home through its proprietary Loop Player for businesses and interactive mobile and TV apps for consumers.
LPTV’s content reaches thousands of out-of-home (OOH) locations including hotels, bars/restaurants, office buildings, and retail businesses, as well as millions of consumers in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America through its apps for iOS, Android, and Huawei, as well as connected TVs and Smart TVs. To date, these include Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, AT&T TV, Hisense, JVC, LG, Philips, Roku, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, VIZIO, and free ad-supported TV platforms TIVO+, Plex, DistroTV, and GSTV.
Loop Media Inc (OTC US:LPTV) most recently announced a significant expansion of its existing partnership with Roku, Inc. Loop will bring its fully-dedicated The Wiggles Channel exclusively, initially to Roku® beginning August 19th. Now, through Loop Media, The Roku Channel will be the home for 24/7 availability of one of the world’s most popular children’s entertainment groups. Launched in 2017, The Roku Channel is the home for free entertainment on America’s No. 1 TV streaming platform based on hours streamed (Hypothesis Group, April 2021).
This follows the company’s recent partnership announcement to bring several customized Loop Media music video channels to Roku customers. The Wiggles are one of the most successful global children’s franchises of all time. For the past thirty years, The Wiggles have educated, entertained, and enriched the lives of millions of pre-schoolers (and their parents) all over the globe. Today, generations of fans that grew up watching are sharing their love of The Wiggles with their own children. Loop’s dedicated streaming and broadcast channel for The Wiggles, first available on Roku, will initially air content from the original Wiggles, featuring Greg, Anthony, Murray and Jeff. It will include series such as “Wiggle TV” and “The Wiggles Show,” as well as specials such as “Wiggle Time!”, “Yummy, Yummy” and “Baby Antonio’s Circus.”
“The Wiggles brand has established itself as a global powerhouse for decades in the children’s world, delighting kids and parents alike through song and dance,” said Ashley Hovey, Director, The Roku Channel AVOD. “We are thrilled to bring this family-friendly, sought-after content to the millions of engaged users on The Roku Channel just in time for Kids & Family’s second anniversary. It’s a great way to celebrate this milestone!”
Loop Media Inc (OTC US:LPTV) CEO Jon Niermann also noted, “Roku has been a fantastic partner to Loop Media for our streaming music video channels, so we are pleased that they are our inaugural partner for this channel launch. The Wiggles Channel is something that we are very excited about and grateful to have the opportunity to produce and distribute. This is another fantastic, curated revenue-generating channel for Loop Media, and is one that will entertain kids and families globally like few other kids branded channels can.”
Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) is one of the most well-known large-cap entertainment players in the market. It’s also a major piece of the streaming media puzzle, with its new Disney Plus platform and its Hulu business.
The company operates through multiple segments, including Media Networks, Parks, Experiences and Products, Studio Entertainment and Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI).
Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) recently announced the first-ever World Princess Week, a special global event that kicks off Aug. 23, celebrating the courage and kindness exemplified by Disney Princess heroes and aimed to inspire fans around the world to display the same attributes in their daily lives. As part of the year-long Ultimate Princess Celebration, World Princess Week will offer fans new products, digital content, a Disney Princess Hotline presented by shopDisney, unique offerings at Disney Parks and Resorts, a Disney Channel special, retail activations and more.
“More than ever, the world needs strong examples of courage and kindness – characteristics exemplified by Disney Princess heroes and Frozen queens,” said Stephanie Young, president, Disney Consumer Products, Games and Publishing. “Through all of our products and experiences, we are beyond thrilled to bring this celebration to fans and families across the globe and, in the process, help inspire people the world over to have the courage to be kind.”
The context for this announcement is a bit of a bid, with shares acting well over the past five days, up about 2% in that timeframe. DIS shares have been relatively flat over the past month of action, with very little net movement during that period.
Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) managed to rope in revenues totaling $17B in overall sales during the company’s most recently reported quarterly financial data — a figure that represents a rate of top line growth of 45.2%, as compared to year-ago data in comparable terms. In addition, the company is battling some balance sheet hurdles, with cash levels struggling to keep up with current liabilities ($16.1B against $27.4B, respectively).
