Best Media Companies For 2014

NEW YORK ��The ex-finance chief for Ponzi scheme architect Bernard Madoff took the witness stand against five former co-workers Monday and began to sketch evidence that allegedly enmeshes them in the fraud.

Appearing as the star prosecution witness, Frank DiPascali, 57, testified he played an essential role in the decades-long scheme that stole more than $17 billion from thousands of charities, celebrities, ordinary investors, financial firms and other entities.

Testifying nearly five years to the date the longest-running Ponzi scheme in financial history finally collapsed, DiPascali did not immediately accuse the five former co-workers of being knowing participants in the scheme ��as they stand charged.

But DiPascali ��dressed in a light gray suit and speaking with a gravely New York accent ��described how he first saw evidence of the scam shortly after joining Madoff's firm in 1975.

Hot Defense Stocks To Own 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]

    Paul Schiraldi/Netflix/APThe second season of "Orange Is the New Black" debuts on Netflix on June 6. Binge viewing is about to get a little more expensive. True to its word, Netflix (NFLX) announced on Friday that the rate for its streaming plan will go up a buck to $8.99. Netflix is freezing rates for current members at $7.99 a month for the next two years. Netflix closed out its latest quarter with more than 35 million domestic subscribers and more than 48 million members worldwide. That's a lot of people with an incentive to stick around, but it's not as if $8.99 a month will scare potential viewers away. Netflix is still one of the best deals in premium video entertainment, and it knows it. 17.5 Channels of Quality Entertainment Letting Netflix go is easy. It's a simple service to cancel. The rub comes in finding cheaper ways to entertain oneself. Forget cable and satellite television. Those tabs can run into the triple digits, and that's with most channels going unwatched. Ratings tracker Nielsen put out a shocking metric last week, reporting that families in this country average only watch 17.5 of the 189 TV channels in their subscription plans. Yes, we're watching just 9 percent of the channels that we pay for. There are other forms of premium entertainment, of course. Time Warner's (TWX) HBO is the largest premium movie channel. It's home to "Game of Thrones," "Girls," "Veep" and a rotating slate of fresh home video releases. Subscribers have access to HBO Go, tapping the channel's vault of classic HBO shows and content for your streaming pleasure. But HBO costs nearly twice as much as Netflix. Oh, and you also need to have an existing cable or satellite television plan. HBO Go is a standalone offering in select foreign markets. Amazon.com (AMZN) has a growing catalog of streaming content that it makes available at no extra cost to members of its Amazon Prime loyalty shopping club. It can no longer be considered Netflix Lite, either, especiall

  • [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

    While Time Warner is expensive relative to its historical price to earnings multiple, it is still relatively cheap compared to competitors like Discovery and CBS. There is talk of a possible merger between Time Warner and Liberty Media, which would boost the share price, but that’s just speculation at this point. Many analysts predict Time Warner will move toward the mid- to high-sixties in the near-term. Revenues should benefit from an impressive lineup of summer films. Additionally, Time Warner�� competitive advantage is relatively safe as there are high barriers-to-entry in creating profitable media content. With a healthy and growing dividend to boot, Time Warner is an OUTPERFORM.

Best Media Companies For 2014: 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 Ben Levisohn]

    Like a spring that launches itself into the air after the pressure is released, the stock market has jumped higher as Vladimir Putin dialed back the tension in Ukraine. Walt Disney (DIS), American Express (AXP), Goldman Sachs (GS), Dish Network (DISH) and Delta Air Lines (DAL) helped lead the markets higher.

  • [By Anders Bylund]

    Intel's�longtime CEO, Paul Otellini, met with SoftBank leader Masayoshi Son, then voiced strong support for Son's Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S  ) buyout bid. "Son-sanas vision to build a high speed competitive third national network is very compelling," Otellini wrote to FCC chairman Julius Genachowski. He didn't point out any particular flaws in the competing bid from satellite TV vendor DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH  ) , but the letter did present a strong preference for SoftBank.

  • [By Tabitha Jean Naylor]

    Warren Buffett has also been a very busy man as of late. One share of his company's stock sold for about $136,000 at the beginning of the year. It's now trading at about $173,000. Berkshire has diverse investments, owning stakes in companies from VeriSign (NASDAQ: VRSN), to DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH), to its newest holding Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM).

Best Media Companies For 2014: Cablevision Systems Corporation (CVC)

Cablevision Systems Corporation provides telecommunications and media services. It operates in two segments, Telecommunications Services and Other. The Telecommunications Services segment is involved in television business, including video, high-speed data, and VoIP operations, as well as the provision of commercial data and voice services. The Other segment offers Newsday, a daily newspaper; amNewYork, a free daily newspaper; and Star Community Publishing, a group of weekly shopper publications; and newsday.com and exploreLI.com. This segment also engages in motion picture theatre business, Clearview Cinemas; provision of the News 12 Networks, a regional news programming services; and the MSG Varsity network, a network covering high school sports and activities, and other local programs, as well as cable television advertising. Cablevision Systems Corporation was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Bethpage, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Alyce Lomax]

    All in the family
    Cablevision� (NYSE: CVC  ) is family-controlled, so maybe nepotism is to be expected. Recently, in a bizarre turn of events, CEO James Dolan expanded the corporate responsibilities of his wife, Kristin. Although that sounds like a clear conflict of interest, it's a little stranger still since the company had disclosed that the couple had separated. Meanwhile, Dolan's brother-in-law, Brian Sweeney, has been awarded with a promotion to spearhead corporate strategy.

Best Media Companies For 2014: 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 Amy Thomson]

    Vodafone has already expanded beyond wireless service, and in June beat John Malone�� Liberty Global (LBTYA) Plc to take over Germany�� Kabel Deutschland Holding AG. (KD8) Vodafone and Verizon accelerated talks on the stake sale after the Kabel Deutschland offer, which put additional pressure on the British company�� finances, a person familiar with the matter said.

  • [By Alex Webb]

    Kabel Deutschland is a key part of Vodafone�� expansion strategy as the carrier looks for ways to boost revenue and lock in customers with Internet and television offers in addition to wireless service. Kabel Deutschland is the biggest cable company in Germany, Vodafone�� largest market, and had drawn a rival bid from John Malone�� Liberty Global Plc. (LBTYA)

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