Hot Media Stocks To Buy Right Now

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The vulnerabilities��r rather, perceived vulnerabilities��f emerging markets 颅have been the focus of heightened discussions over the past few months. Concerns about the health of emerging markets came on the heels of political upheavals in Egypt, economic deceleration in China and protest demonstrations in Brazil and Turkey this summer.

I think too many investors have failed to put those events and developments in the proper context. Rather, they have come to the conclusion that emerging markets are finished, particularly, they say, as the US Federal Reserve (Fed) is expected to turn off the money tap, depriving emerging markets of needed liquidity to protect their weakening currencies and pay their debts. For the time being, the Fed has decided to keep the tap flowing, removing one immediate investor fear. But I think there are also other reasons why investors who doubt the emerging markets��story need better context.

Hot US Stocks To Watch For 2015: Time Warner Inc.(TWX)

Time Warner Inc. operates as a media and entertainment company in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Networks, Filmed Entertainment, and Publishing. The Networks segment provides domestic and international networks, premium pay and basic tier television programming services, and digital media properties, which primarily consist of brand-aligned Websites. Its premium pay television services consist of the multi-channel HBO and Cinemax premium pay television services. This segment provides programming to cable system operators, satellite service distributors, telephone companies, and other distributors; sells advertising; and licenses original programming to domestic and international television networks. The Filmed Entertainment segment produces and distributes feature films, television and other programming, and videogames; distributes home video products; and licenses rights to its feature films, television programming, and characters. T he Publishing segment publishes magazines and books; and operates various Websites, as well as engages in marketing services and direct-marketing businesses. This segment publishes magazines on style and entertainment, lifestyle, news, and sports. The company?s brands include TNT, TBS, CNN, HBO, Cinemax, Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, People, Sports Illustrated, and Time. Time Warner Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Nathaniel E. Bell/APA scene from Netflix's "House of Cards," starring Kevin Spacey and Jackie Sharp. NEW YORK -- Americans are turning away from live TV on the tube and tuning in to streaming services, a Nielsen report says. That's bad news for cable and satellite TV providers. Americans are increasingly watching TV shows and movies on Netflix (NFLX), Hulu, Amazon.com (AMZN) streaming and other services. CBS (CBS) and HBO (TWX) have announced standalone streaming services as well. About 45 percent of Americans stream television shows at least once a month, according to research firm eMarketer. That number is expected to increase to 53 percent or 175 million people by 2018, it says. According to the Nielsen report, which came out Wednesday, the average daily time spent watching live TV fell 12 minutes in the third quarter to four hours and 32 minutes. That means it dropped nearly 4 percent to 141 hours a month. Meanwhile, time spent watching streaming services jumped 60 percent to nearly 11 hours each month. That's still a small amount compared with live TV, but it is growing quickly. "Content is still king, but consumers are shaping their own content-discovery experience, and the evolving media landscape has not lessened consumer demand for quality, professionally produced content," Dounia Turrill, senior vice president of insights at Nielsen, said in a statement. "What has changed is the number and reliability of new media available to viewers." Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. More from The Associated Press
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• [By Dan Carroll]

  Oblivion, which was released internationally a week ago, has now pulled in more than $150 million around the world to eclipse its estimated $120 million�budget. It easily outpaced the domestic box office's No. 2 film for the weekend, the Jackie Robinson-inspired biographical film 42, distributed by Time Warner (NYSE: TWX  ) subsidiary Warner Brothers. 42, in its second weekend, picked up just over $18 million in sales in the U.S. this weekend, bringing its box office run to over $50 million. It has no international sales.

• [By Reuters]

  Wendy Maeda/The Boston Globe via Getty Images NEW YORK -- Walgreen is moving 120,000 employees to a private health insurance exchange from coverage provided directly from carriers, the company will announce Wednesday. The pharmacy chain will join 17 other large employers on the Aon Hewitt Corporate Health Exchange as part of a growing movement to offer employees fixed dollar amounts to purchase their own plans on such exchanges. The end-cost to employees depends on the plan chosen, but they typically get more options than under traditional arrangements. Private exchanges mimic the coverage mandated as part of the Affordable Care Act. Enrollment in the public exchanges starts Oct. 1. "What happens to employer contributions over time? Will they put in as much as they put in the past? These are unanswered questions but potential negatives," says Paul Fronstin, a senior research associate with the Employee Benefit Research Institute. The benefit to Walgreen and other employers is unknown at this point, as their cost-savings aren't clear. Of the 180,000 Walgreen (WAG) employees eligible for health care insurance, 120,000 opted for coverage for themselves and 40,000 family members. Another 60,000 employees, many of them working part-time, weren't eligible for health insurance. Aon Hewitt (AON) says other participants in its program include retailer Sears Holding (SHLD) and Darden Restaurants (DRI). These new additions raise enrollment to 330,000 from 100,000 last year, and Aon Hewitt estimates enrollment will jump to 600,000 next year, a fivefold increase from 2012. By 2017, nearly 20 percent of employees nationwide could get their health insurance through a private exchange, according to Accenture Research (ACN). A recent report by the National Business Group on Health said that 30 percent of large employers are considering moving active employees to exchanges by 2015. Other major providers of private exchanges include Mercer, a division of Marsh & Mc

Hot Media Stocks To Buy Right Now: Comcast Corporation(CMCSA)

Comcast Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides entertainment, information, and communications products and services in the United States and internationally. Its Cable Communications segment provides video, high-speed Internet, and phone services to residential and business customers. As of June 30, 2011, its cable systems served approximately 22.5 million video customers, 17.5 million high-speed Internet customers, and 9.1 million phone customers. The company?s Cable Networks segment operates cable entertainment networks, such as USA Network, Syfy, E!, Bravo, Oxygen, Style, G4, Chiller, Sleuth, and Universal HD; news and information networks, including CNBC, MSNBC, and CNBC World; cable sports networks comprising Golf Channel and VERSUS; regional sports and news networks; international entertainment, and news and information networks, such as CNBC Europe, CNBC Asia, and Universal Networks International portfolio of networks; cable television production oper ations; and digital media properties consisting primarily of brand-aligned Websites and other Websites, such as DailyCandy, Fandango, and iVillage. Its Broadcast Television segment operates the U.S. broadcast networks, NBC and Telemundo; 10 NBC and 15 Telemundo owned local television stations; broadcast television productions; and related digital media properties. The company?s Filmed Entertainment segment operates Universal Pictures, which produces, acquires, markets, and distributes filmed entertainment and stage plays worldwide in various media formats for theatrical, home entertainment, television, and other distribution platforms. Its Theme Parks segment operates Universal Studios Hollywood park and Wet ?n Wild water park, as well as licenses intellectual properties and provides services to third parties that own and operate Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Singapore. Comcast Corporation was founded in 1963 and is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Stelter]

  In the eight-minute recording, the unnamed Comcast (CMCSA) employee badgered Block with questions such as "Why is it that you're not wanting to have the No. 1-rated Internet service, No. 1-rated television service available?"

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Getty Images He might be a humble yellow cleaning accessory, but one Hollywood studio expects to extract big silver-screen profits from SpongeBob SquarePants. The upcoming feature-film sequel "SpongeBob SquarePants 2" will be the first effort from Viacom's (VIA) (VIAB) Paramount Animation unit. The division's debut movie will feature an unusual slant -- it will be a relatively rare blend of animation and live action. Drawing Its Own Future Viacom has been at this for a while. It launched Paramount Animation in mid-2011, on the back of its go-it-alone success "Rango" (which was branded under the umbrella Paramount name). The out-there Western was not only a box office hit, raking in $246 million in global ticket sales against an estimated production budget of $135 million. It also collected an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. The following year, the studio's distribution deal with DreamWorks Animation (DWA) expired, leaving it without a steady flow of cartoon titles. Bringing animation in-house was a natural move to stay in the game. But apparently not an easy one. Less than six months after being born, Paramount Animation lost its top executive when the division's president, David Stainton, resigned for "personal reasons." Still, the company was clearly determined to push ahead, and development of the "SpongeBob" sequel rolled along. Cleaning Up at the Box Office Mr. SquarePants is an obvious choice for a debut. Paramount Animation doesn't have to worry about pricey licensing fees, because parent Viacom already holds the rights. SpongeBob has been a longtime staple of the company's Nickelodeon TV network, where it's one of the highest-rated kid shows on basic cable. And Paramount knows the franchise can succeed on the big screen. "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" (like "Rango," made under the Paramount name) sold more than $140 million worth of tickets worldwide during its 2004 theatrical release -- nearly five times its estimated production budget. I

• [By Alex Planes]

  The limit of that consolidation might finally be tested by last night's news that Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA  ) (NASDAQ: CMCSK  ) has made an offer to buy Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC  ) for $45.2 billion. According to Reuters, the new company would boast roughly 30 million video subscribers after divesting about 3 million. That's more than half of the 56.4 million American cable video subscribers last reported by the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA), and it's still about a third of the total pay-TV market when DISH Network's 20 million subscribers and DirecTV's�14 million subscribers are added to the tally.

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA) did report its earnings last Tuesday. Despite the gains, you would think that maybe market pressure would act as a drag on its stock. The addition of 43,000 video subscribers in the last quarter is very small, but still bucked declining trends elsewhere. With telecom providers, satellite TV, cord-cutters, and general internet TV options all around, Comcast should theoretically�be under subscriber pressure. And another big cable merger is just that much more competition. Still, Comcast is adding bundles to its customers and the revenue per customer is rising and is now approaching $160 per month. Comcast hit a new high of $54.70 on Friday and closed up 0.4% at $54.45 on the day. Shares are up almost 5% so far in 2014, and the stock is up 48% since the end of 2012.

Hot Media Stocks To Buy Right Now: Discovery Communications Inc(DISCA)

Discovery Communications, Inc. operates as a non fiction media and entertainment company worldwide. The company provides original and purchased programming across various distribution platforms. Its content covers science, exploration, survival, natural history, sustainability of the environment, technology, docu-series, anthropology, paleontology, history, space, archaeology, health and wellness, engineering, adventure, lifestyles, forensics, civilization, and current events. The company owns and operates nine national television networks in the United States, including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Investigation Discovery, Military Channel, Planet Green, Discovery Fit & Health, and Velocity. Discovery Communications also has interests in Oprah Winfrey Network, a pay-television network and Web site; The Hub that features original programming, game shows, and live-action series and specials; and 3net, a three-dimensional network. In addition, it o ffers network branded Web sites, and mobile and video-on-demand services; and distributes various national and pan-regional television networks. Further, the company develops and sells curriculum-based products and services to public and private K-12 schools, such as access to an online VOD service that includes curriculum-based tools, professional development services, and student assessment and publication of hardcopy curriculum-based content; and postproduction audio services to motion picture studios, independent producers, broadcast networks, cable channels, advertising agencies, and interactive producers. As of December 31, 2011, it operated approximately 150 distribution feeds in 40 languages. The company is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Harold L. Vogel]

  *Includes AMC (AMCX), Cablevision (CVC), Charter, Comcast Cable (CMCSA) and networks, Discovery (DISCA), Disney (DIS) cable networks, Time Warner Cable (TWC) and cable networks, Viacom (VIAB) networks.

• [By MONEYMORNING]

  Consider the case of Discovery Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA), the world's leading creator of documentary-style content. The company recently said it wants to upgrade to 4K for shows it runs on such networks as the Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, and Science.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Another day, another market spent looking for direction, even as� stocks drop thanks to big declines in American International Group (AIG),�Merck�(MRK),� Discover Communications (DISCA), Target (TGT) and Twitter (TWTR).

• [By Will Ashworth]

  Somebody will buy Scripps Networks Interactive (SNI), given that HGTV and Food Network are both in the top 20. It looked momentarily like Discovery Communications (DISCA) might be the suitor, but the company backed out of talks this past week, preferring to focus on overseas expansion.

Hot Media Stocks To Buy Right Now: Liberty Global Inc.(LBTYA)

Liberty Global, Inc. provides video, broadband Internet, and telephony services primarily in Europe and Chile. The company offers broadband services over cable distribution systems, including video, broadband Internet, and telephony; and video services through direct-to-home satellite, or through multichannel multipoint distribution systems. Its analog video services comprise basic and expanded basic programming; and digital cable services include basic and premium programming, digital video recorders, and high definition programming, as well as pay-per-view programming, such as video-on-demand and near video-on-demand. In addition, the company offers voice-over-Internet-protocol and circuit-switched telephony services, as well as mobile telephony services using third-party networks. Further, it owns programming networks that provide video programming channels to multi-channel distribution systems owned by the company and the third parties. As of December 31, 2011, the com pany owned and operated networks that passed 33,262,100 homes; and served 18,405,500 video subscribers, 8,159,300 broadband Internet subscribers, and 6,225,300 telephony subscribers. Liberty Global, Inc. was founded in 2004 and is based in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sam Robson]

  LONDON -- In the latest edition of this long-running story, it has been suggested that�Vodafone� (LSE: VOD  ) (NASDAQ: VOD  ) could use a substantial amount of the money it would receive from selling its stake in Verizon Wireless to fund a takeover of�Liberty Global� (NASDAQ: LBTYA  ) .

Hot Media Stocks To Buy Right Now: DISH Network Corporation(DISH)

DISH Network Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides direct broadcast satellite (DBS) subscription television services in the United States. It offers programming that includes approximately 280 basic video channels, 60 Sirius satellite radio music channels, 30 premium movie channels, 35 regional and specialty sports channels, 2,800 local channels, 250 Latino and international channels, and 55 channels of pay-per-view content. The company also offers local HD channels in approximately 160 markets and 215 national HD channels; and receiver systems, including a small satellite dish, digital set-top receivers, and remote controls. In addition, it provides DISHOnline.com, which enables DISH Network subscribers to watch 150,000 movies, television shows, clips, and trailers; DISH Remote Access that enables subscribers to remotely manage their DVRs using compatible mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops through their broadband-connected receiver; and Go ogle TV that enables DISH Network subscribers to search the Internet, check email, interact with social media, and find additional online programming content while simultaneously watching television. As of March 31, 2011, the company had approximately 14.191 million customers. DISH Network provides receiver systems and programming through direct sales channels; and independent third parties, such as small satellite retailers, direct marketing groups, local and regional consumer electronics stores, nationwide retailers, and telecommunications companies. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael Lewis]

  Dish Network (NASDAQ: DISH  ) had a challenging if ultimately disappointing 2013. The company has relentlessly pursued various mergers and acquisitions in hopes of leveraging its significant portfolio of airwaves to create a national broadband network. In the first couple months of 2014, the situation has only become more difficult. Luckily, Dish Network's operating business remains strong, with average revenue per user, or ARPU, rising healthily and generating needed cash flow for the nation's third largest pay-TV provider. Investors and analysts are not ultimately interested in Dish's core satellite TV business -- they want to know if and how the company will make its leap into head-on competition with the major telecoms. Is Dish any closer to its ambitious goal today?

• [By Alex Planes]

  The company's latest earnings report brought nods of approval from Fool contributor Michael Lewis, who pointed out strong earnings and strong growth in Latin America as key reasons why DIRECTV is set to outpace competitor DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH  ) , which has been a little distracted with its efforts to buy two debt-laden telecom companies. Neither company has a particularly light debt load, but expanding into a dramatically different (but no less cash-hungry) business could trip DISH up and give DIRECTV the opening it needs to take some of DISH's market share.

• [By Dan Radovsky]

  Clearwire's (NASDAQ: CLWR  ) board of director's has unanimously recommended stockholders accept DISH Network's (NASDAQ: DISH  ) tender offer of $4.40 a share for all outstanding Clearwire shares, the company announced yesterday.