December 20, 2024
BCE Inc .’s BCE subsidiary Bell Media has partnered with Point Grey Pictures and Lionsgate Studios Corp. LION to develop and produce a new scripted television series. This collaboration, established through Lionsgate's first-look deal with Point Grey, marks Point Grey's first venture into creating a scripted show for the Canadian market.
This announcement coincides with the upcoming March premiere of The Studio, a half-hour comedy from Point Grey and Lionsgate, on Apple TV+. Point Grey is renowned for its work on hit TV and film projects such as The Boys, Sausage Party, Good Boys, Neighbors and the recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film Mutant Mayhem, among others.
This partnership strengthens BCE’s collaboration with LION and is expected to create impactful Canadian content alongside the immensely talented team at Point Grey Pictures, with a global appeal.
The Point Grey team expressed their dedication to creating innovative, engaging projects, humorously comparing the collaboration's potential to "syrup from a well-tapped maple tree.”
BCE, Inc. price-consensus-chart | BCE, Inc. Quote
This deal complements an existing co-development agreement between LION and Bell Media to create comedy and drama series for the global market, reinforcing their shared commitment to delivering standout entertainment.
Bell Media delivered a strong performance in the third quarter, with operating revenues increasing 10.1% to C$782 million. The expansion was driven by advertising growth of 7.9%, bolstered by digital advertising, the OUTEDGE Media Canada acquisition and strong TV sports specialty performance. Subscriber revenue increased 13.5%, supported by retroactive contract adjustments and growth in Crave and sports streaming services.
Total digital revenues surged 19%, fueled by crave subscription growth of 12% which is driven by a 34% increase in direct-to-consumer streaming subscribers. A 45% increase in sports streaming subscribers was supported by premium sports content. The segment’s adjusted EBITDA rose 25.1% to C$254 million, with margins improving to 32.5%, reflecting revenue growth and cost management.
Recently, Bell Media collaborated with Shopsense AI to offer millions of Canadian viewers a cutting-edge second-screen shopping experience. Shopsense, a pioneer in shoppable TV technology, is expanding its reach beyond the United States for the first time, integrating its innovative Commerce OS into Canadian programming. The partnership, debuting on CTV’s The Good Stuff with Mary Berg and Etalk, is poised to bolster Canadian audiences' engagement with television content.
With this deal, Bell Media joins a strong list of Shopsense partners, including industry giants such as Paramount, Univision, Tastemade and Nexstar Media Group (The CW). Through its collaboration with Shopsense AI, Bell Media aims to elevate the television experience by integrating interactive shopping opportunities into its programming. The initiative leverages Shopsense AI’s Commerce OS technology, which empowers broadcasters to seamlessly integrate shoppable features into TV content.
However, BCE’s performance is hurt by declining sales in the Bell CTS division. Due to lower-than-anticipated product revenues and continued pricing pressures in wireless, BCE has tweaked its 2024 revenue forecast from a growth range of 0-4% to a decline of around 1.5%. Tight regulatory standards, a debt-laden balance sheet and price competition continue to weigh on BCE’s overall performance.
BCE currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Shares of the company have plunged 40.3% in the past year compared with the industry's decline of 14%.
Some better-ranked stocks from the broader technology space are InterDigital, Inc. IDCC and Celestica Inc. CLS. IDCC and CLS presently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here .
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for InterDigital’s 2024 earnings per share (EPS) is pegged at $15.22, unchanged in the past seven days. IDCC earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 163.7%. The company’s long-term earnings growth rate is 15%. Its shares have jumped 60.7% in the past six months.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate Celestica’s 2024 EPS is pegged at $3.85. CLS earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 13.21%. In the last reported quarter, CLS delivered an earnings surprise of 10.64%. Its shares have jumped 66.4% in the past six months.
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