The transition of TV into the digital age took a big step in 2016. In addition to streaming services like Netflix, Inc. NFLX 0.56% and Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN 1.99%’s Prime Video, over-the-top TV bundles like DISH Network Corp DISH 0.99%’s Sling TV and Sony Corp (ADR) SNE 0.84%’s PlayStation Vue burst onto the scene this year.
Here’s a look at which media companies dominated the TV landscape this year.
Ratings
Above all else, advertisers care about a show’s audience. These are the five highest-rates shows of 2016:
- “The Big Bang Theory” (CBS Corporation CBS 1.82%).
- “NCIS” (CBS).
- “The Walking Dead” (AMC Networks Inc AMCX 0.86%).
- “Bull” (CBS).
- “NCIS: New Orleans” (CBS).
In terms of total viewers, it seems clear that CBS was the network of the year this year.
Awards
Compelling programming is what wins over viewers in the long-term. Time Warner Inc TWX 0.36%’s HBO took home the 2016 Emmy Awards for both Outstanding Comedy Series (“Veep”) and Outstanding Drama Series (“Game of Thrones”). Overall, there were 14 total nominees in these two top categories. Here’s a breakdown of which companies got the most nominations:
- Netflix: 3.
- Time Warner: 3.
- Walt Disney Co DIS 1.49%: 2.
- Amazon: 1.
- AMC Networks: 1.
- CBS: 1.
- Comcast Corporation CMCSA 0.17%: 1.
- Twenty-First Century Fox Inc FOXA 1.79%: 1.
Revenue
Ratings and awards are all ultimately all about generating revenue. In terms of trailing 12-month revenue growth in 2016, Amazon and Netflix are head-and-shoulders above the competition at 19.6 and 20.6 percent, respectively. Of course, Prime Video is only a tiny fraction of Amazon’s overall business.
Looking at the more traditional TV competitors, Comcast and AMC Networks led the way this year with 5.5 and 4.8 percent revenue growth, respectively.
Viacom, Inc. VIAB 0.83% is the only company mentioned with negative revenue growth in 2016 (-4.5 percent).
Share Price
All of the numbers above are certainly important, but investors only care about one thing: stock price. In the past year, Time Warner has been the best major media network stock, climbing 50.1 percent in a year that AT&T Inc. T 1.99% agreed to an $85.4 billion buyout.
CBS was…
Click here to continue reading
Want to learn more about how to profit off the stock market? Or maybe you just want to be able to look sophisticated in front of your coworkers when they ask you what you are reading on your Kindle, and you’d prefer to tell them “Oh, I’m just reading a book about stock market analysis,” rather than the usual “Oh, I’m just looking at pics of my ex-girlfriend on Facebook.” For these reasons and more, check out my book, Beating Wall Street with Common Sense. I don’t have a degree in finance; I have a degree in neuroscience. You don’t have to predict what stocks will do if you can predict what traders will do and be one step ahead of them. I made a 400% return in the stock market over five years using only basic principles of psychology and common sense. Beating Wall Street with Common Sense is now available on Amazon, and tradingcommonsense.com is always available on your local internet!
