Investing in Entertainment Stocks

Disney has a collection of entertainment franchises and a library of classic film and television series that trounce those of every other company on the planet. The company showed the enduring value of its properties amid the COVID-19 pandemic with the explosive growth of its Disney+ streaming service.

The rapid rise of Disney+ has highlighted its long-term growth potential in the streaming space and the value of the company’s franchises. Disney's other business segments -- such as its film business and theme parks -- also appear to be recovering from pandemic-related pressures.

With Star Wars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Pixar catalog, and a long list of others, the House of Mouse has more valuable entertainment properties than it’s possible to mention here. Disney's assets enable it to adapt and thrive amid significant changes in the entertainment landscape.

The global video game industry has enjoyed tremendous growth over the past decade, and Take-Two Interactive has been one of the medium’s biggest winners. The publisher is best known for series including Grand Theft Auto, NBA 2K, and Red Dead Redemption, and it also has a deep catalog of other gaming franchises that are capable of putting up solid performances.

After establishing a leading position in the console-and-PC gaming markets, Take-Two is setting its sights on delivering big growth in mobile. Thanks in part to its move to acquire mobile-game leader Zynga, the company has been able to reach an even wider audience.

In addition to bringing new gaming properties under its corporate umbrella, the Zynga acquisition is allowing Take-Two to bridge more of its own properties to smartphone and tablet platforms and get the most out of its franchise catalog. The company has shown it can sustain hit series and develop fresh ones, and the big mobile-gaming push could help take the business to the next level.

Electronic Arts was founded roughly four decades ago, and it’s played a role in shaping the gaming industry ever since. The company is a leader in sports and licensed game content. It’s scored big wins with franchises including Madden NFL, EA Sports FC, and games based on Disney’s Star Wars property. In addition to titles built around popular third-party licenses, the company is responsible for original franchises, including The Sims, Battlefield, and Apex Legends.

Electronic Arts is positioned to benefit as in-app spending continues to rise. Console-and-PC games are increasingly sold digitally instead of through physical retailers such as GameStop (NYSE:GME) and Walmart (NYSE:WMT).

EA is also making big bets on the mobile market that could deliver substantial payoffs over the long run. With a strong collection of properties, development resources, and industry tailwinds at its back, Electronic Arts looks poised to capitalize on rising demand for interactive entertainment.

Tencent is China’s biggest technology and media conglomerate. The company is the world’s largest video game publisher by revenue and owns huge franchises, including League of Legends, Honor of Kings, and Clash of Clans. The company also holds substantial equity stakes in many leading gaming companies, including Fortnite creator Epic Games. Tencent will likely continue to acquire companies that further strengthen its leadership position in interactive entertainment.

Video games aren’t the only segment of the entertainment sector in which Tencent participates. The company has its own movie production studio and a wide range of investments across the film and music industries. It also owns stakes in several social media platforms, including Snap (NYSE:SNAP), Huya (NYSE:HUYA), and Reddit (NYSE:RDDT).

Tencent has a diverse collection of businesses, all of which offer growth drivers in their own right and strengthen the company’s entertainment businesses. Tencent owns WeChat -- another social media platform that's also a messaging service, e-commerce platform, payments processor, and more. WeChat has roughly 1 billion active users, which helps Tencent monetize its own entertainment content and generate revenue from third parties in the entertainment industry.

FuboTV delivers premium sports programming as a streaming service. Live sports broadcasts are one of the biggest remaining draws for cable and satellite television providers, but the consumption of sports content will likely migrate to streaming formats. Fubo wants to spearhead that transition.

Fubo differentiates itself by concentrating on serving sports enthusiasts. The company aims to reach customers who are willing to pay premium prices for expansive content offerings, with basic plans starting at roughly $85 per month. The sports-focused streaming platform is subscribing users at a rapid clip.

FuboTV is still a relatively young company, and the stock probably is not a great fit for investors with low risk tolerances. The company does have some other intriguing growth opportunities, including a big partnership with Disney and efforts to expand into the burgeoning online sports betting industry. Successfully integrating sports betting into Fubo's platform offerings could further boost engagement by its target audience and improve monetization.

As the global middle class expands, demand for entertainment products and services is rising at an attractive pace. Demand for entertainment content has also historically been relatively resilient, even during periods of economic uncertainty and downturn. Investors may want to look into entertainment stocks as a way to capitalize on this growth and persistent demand.

Entertainment stocks are shares of companies that derive substantial portions of their revenues from the entertainment industry. These companies may operate in other industries and sectors too, but entertainment stands out as core to their operations. Investors who take a buy-and-hold approach to leaders in entertainment could profit significantly over time.

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