Tonight brings the Primetime Emmy awards. So, to capture the spirit, I decided to look at the highest-performing TV stocks of the past year and name a winner -- a stock I'd "buy" in CAPS to hold for the next year.
Now, without further ado, the nominees:
21st Century Fox |
** |
31.6% |
Fox, FX, Fox News, Fox Sports |
AMC Networks (AMCX -1.30%) |
*** |
58.4% |
AMC, IFC, WE tv, Sundance |
CBS |
*** |
47.9% |
CBS, Showtime |
Comcast |
** |
22.6% |
NBC, USA, Syfy, Bravo |
Discovery Communications (DISCK) |
***** |
34% |
Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet |
Netflix |
** |
443% |
Netflix |
Starz |
**** |
(73.8%) |
Starz, Encore |
Time Warner (TWX) |
** |
40% |
TNT, TBS, CW, Cartoon Network, CNN, HBO |
Viacom |
**** |
52.9% |
MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, BET, CMT |
Walt Disney (DIS 1.14%) |
***** |
23.3% |
ABC, ESPN, Disney Channel |
I know, I've excluded Amazon.com from the list. We're just too early in the company's development process for original series to seriously consider the e-tailer a "TV stock."
Which of the remainder do I like best right now? I'll stick with five-star-rated Disney, which we own in the Beyers Family Portfolio. More on why in a minute. First, it's worth noting that Fools like Shark Week creator Discovery about as much, and that's despite a dalliance with dubious programming choices.
Now, back to my top pick and two runners-up. Disney gets the investing Emmy for its light touch with Marvel, which has allowed studio boss Kevin Feige to hire top-notch talent for handling the company's superhero assets. The formula should play just as well on TV, when Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. makes its debut Tuesday on ABC.
AMC ranks second on my list, and not just because I'm a fan of The Walking Dead. The network has more than 60 properties in development, and that includes what could be lucrative spinoffs of both TWD and new-found ratings winner Breaking Bad.
And third? Put me down for Time Warner. While the company's DC Entertainment subsidiary has suffered some well-deserved controversy (this article has more), efforts to create franchises around its iconic characters are taking hold -- notably, Man of Steel, which earned more than $660 million at the worldwide box office, and Arrow, a ratings winner for the CW network that's slowly becoming a springboard for new properties.
Now it's time for me to rate Disney in CAPS. Then it's your turn to weigh in. Which stock would you give an investing Emmy to? Which TV stocks do you own? Leave your thoughts in the comments box below.