Earlier in the week, CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS) sent out its earnings broadcast. Now it's time for Viacom, Inc. (NYSE: VIA) to tell investors how things are doing. CBS and Viacom, as I'm sure you know, used to be part of the same media conglomerate, but they went their separate ways to see if being apart would help shareholder value. So it's always fun to compare the two when they release their numbers (check out Brent Archer's coverage of CBS' quarter and his feelings in terms of stock strategy).
For the fourth quarter, Viacom, which competes with companies like The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), News Corp. (NYSE: NWS), General Electric Company (NYSE: GE)'s media asset NBC Universal, and Time Warner (NYSE: TWX), was expected to earn $0.83 per share. Earnings from continuing operations came in at $0.83 per diluted share. That was quite a nice rise compared to the $0.69 per diluted share from continuing operations booked one year ago. Plus, the revenue increase for the current quarter was a nifty 19%. For the full year, earnings from continuing operations rose a more subdued 10% to $2.41 per diluted stub; this performance was accomplished on a revenue gain of 18%.
Both media networks -- Viacom owns the MTV suite of cable channels -- and filmed entertainment -- Viacom owns Paramount -- posted strong double-digit revenue gains for the quarter and year. Drivers included films by DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (NYSE: DWA), which the company distributes -- those films would be Shrek the Third and Bee Movie. Also, Transformers helped to power results. Another product that tuned up the quarter was Rock Band. It was developed by Harmonix, which Viacom purchased for its MTV unit, and it is distributed by Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS). It's a rocking competitor to Activision's (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero concept.
Not bad, Viacom, not bad. The company is doing well with its collection of media properties (don't forget that it also owns Nickelodeon). And I have to say that Viacom is doing better with Rock Band than I may have expected, considering the price point of the item; then again, maybe I was secretly hoping for failure, considering that I own Activision shares!
So, are you a CBS person or a Viacom person? Maybe you own both. From where I sit, I think Viacom is the more exciting of the two post-split entities, but I'm not sure if it's going to break out of its trading range anytime soon. But, if you are looking for income to wait out a trading range, then you have to take a look at CBS, which currently yields around 4%.
Disclosure: I own shares in Activision, Disney, and General Electric.
If nothing else, gasoline prices are falling!
Closing Bell: Dow slump puts bulls on suicide watch; BAC, MS, F, FSLR all down, AMD up
I want to buy something, but . . .
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-19-2008 @ 11:05AM
JEARAMYA JOHNSON said...
jaramya johnson to cdavis
show details 11:53 AM (23 hours ago) Reply
DEAR MS DAVIS: MY NAME IS DR. JARAMYA JOHNSON. I HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED BY MY DAUGHTER WHO WORK FOR MTV A DIVISION OF VIACOM CO ABOUT A SEVERE DISCRIMINATION CASES IN THE HIRING OF OUR PEOPLE AT MTV OFFICE ON 1515 BROADWAY,NYC.THEY HAVE A COMPUTER DEPARTMENT WHERE THEY WORK ON THEIR PRIVATE SOFT WEAR. TWO AFRO AMERICAN CANAD ATE WHO HAD STUDIED COMPUTER PROGRAMING IN CITY COLLAGE CAME LOOKING FOR A JOB TO START AT $ 30,000.00 A YEAR AND WHERE TOLD THAT THERE IS NO JOBS AVAILABLE. YESTERDAY A 29 YEAR OLD JEWISH RUSSIAN FEMALE STARTED IN THAT DEPARTMENT WITH NO COMPUTER TRAINING, POOR ENGLISH ,DID NOT GO TO COLLAGE IN US., NEVER HELD A JOB IN THE US AT A STARTING SALARY OF $ 65,000.00 PER YEAR. SHE WAS BROUGHT BY THE RUSSIAN,JEWISH MANGER ABOUT 39 YEARS OLD ,WAS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AND HIRED BY HIM. MOST THE WORKERS ARE SAYING THAT HER QUALIFICATION IS THE SAME AS THE YOUNG WOMAN WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE GOVERN ER OF NY. STATE. THE NAME OF THIS NEW,BEAUTIFUL EMPLOYEE IS DALYIA REYNT ,29 YEARS OLD. SS. # 11394 9859. PLEASE MS. DAVIS YOU MUST HANDLE THIS WITH EXTREME CONFIDANTS. I DO NOT WANT MY DAUGHTER TO BE FIRED.IF WE CAN GET THIS EMPLOYEE REPLACED BY TWO TO THREE OF OUR PEOPLE AND I FIND THIS OUT-MY CO. WILL SEND AL S. $10,000.00 YEARLY DONATION.PLEASE KEEP ME INFORMED BY THE INTERNET ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN THIS CASE.WITH RESPECT AND ADMIRATION. JARAMYA JOHNSON
3-19-2008 @ 11:06AM
JEARAMYA JOHNSON said...
jaramya johnson to cdavis
show details 11:53 AM (23 hours ago) Reply
DEAR MS DAVIS: MY NAME IS DR. JARAMYA JOHNSON. I HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED BY MY DAUGHTER WHO WORK FOR MTV A DIVISION OF VIACOM CO ABOUT A SEVERE DISCRIMINATION CASES IN THE HIRING OF OUR PEOPLE AT MTV OFFICE ON 1515 BROADWAY,NYC.THEY HAVE A COMPUTER DEPARTMENT WHERE THEY WORK ON THEIR PRIVATE SOFT WEAR. TWO AFRO AMERICAN CANAD ATE WHO HAD STUDIED COMPUTER PROGRAMING IN CITY COLLAGE CAME LOOKING FOR A JOB TO START AT $ 30,000.00 A YEAR AND WHERE TOLD THAT THERE IS NO JOBS AVAILABLE. YESTERDAY A 29 YEAR OLD JEWISH RUSSIAN FEMALE STARTED IN THAT DEPARTMENT WITH NO COMPUTER TRAINING, POOR ENGLISH ,DID NOT GO TO COLLAGE IN US., NEVER HELD A JOB IN THE US AT A STARTING SALARY OF $ 65,000.00 PER YEAR. SHE WAS BROUGHT BY THE RUSSIAN,JEWISH MANGER ABOUT 39 YEARS OLD ,WAS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AND HIRED BY HIM. MOST THE WORKERS ARE SAYING THAT HER QUALIFICATION IS THE SAME AS THE YOUNG WOMAN WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE GOVERN ER OF NY. STATE. THE NAME OF THIS NEW,BEAUTIFUL EMPLOYEE IS DALYIA REYNT ,29 YEARS OLD. SS. # 11394 9859. PLEASE MS. DAVIS YOU MUST HANDLE THIS WITH EXTREME CONFIDANTS. I DO NOT WANT MY DAUGHTER TO BE FIRED.IF WE CAN GET THIS EMPLOYEE REPLACED BY TWO TO THREE OF OUR PEOPLE AND I FIND THIS OUT-MY CO. WILL SEND AL S. $10,000.00 YEARLY DONATION.PLEASE KEEP ME INFORMED BY THE INTERNET ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN THIS CASE.WITH RESPECT AND ADMIRATION. JARAMYA JOHNSON
3-19-2008 @ 11:08AM
JEARAMYA JOHNSON said...
jaramya johnson to cdavis
show details 11:53 AM (23 hours ago) Reply
DEAR MS DAVIS: MY NAME IS DR. JARAMYA JOHNSON. I HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED BY MY DAUGHTER WHO WORK FOR MTV A DIVISION OF VIACOM CO ABOUT A SEVERE DISCRIMINATION CASES IN THE HIRING OF OUR PEOPLE AT MTV OFFICE ON 1515 BROADWAY,NYC.THEY HAVE A COMPUTER DEPARTMENT WHERE THEY WORK ON THEIR PRIVATE SOFT WEAR. TWO AFRO AMERICAN CANAD ATE WHO HAD STUDIED COMPUTER PROGRAMING IN CITY COLLAGE CAME LOOKING FOR A JOB TO START AT $ 30,000.00 A YEAR AND WHERE TOLD THAT THERE IS NO JOBS AVAILABLE. YESTERDAY A 29 YEAR OLD JEWISH RUSSIAN FEMALE STARTED IN THAT DEPARTMENT WITH NO COMPUTER TRAINING, POOR ENGLISH ,DID NOT GO TO COLLAGE IN US., NEVER HELD A JOB IN THE US AT A STARTING SALARY OF $ 65,000.00 PER YEAR. SHE WAS BROUGHT BY THE RUSSIAN,JEWISH MANGER ABOUT 39 YEARS OLD ,WAS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AND HIRED BY HIM. MOST THE WORKERS ARE SAYING THAT HER QUALIFICATION IS THE SAME AS THE YOUNG WOMAN WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE GOVERN ER OF NY. STATE. THE NAME OF THIS NEW,BEAUTIFUL EMPLOYEE IS DALYIA REYNT ,29 YEARS OLD. SS. # 11394 9859. PLEASE MS. DAVIS YOU MUST HANDLE THIS WITH EXTREME CONFIDANTS. I DO NOT WANT MY DAUGHTER TO BE FIRED.IF WE CAN GET THIS EMPLOYEE REPLACED BY TWO TO THREE OF OUR PEOPLE AND I FIND THIS OUT-MY CO. WILL SEND AL S. $10,000.00 YEARLY DONATION.PLEASE KEEP ME INFORMED BY THE INTERNET ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN THIS CASE.WITH RESPECT AND ADMIRATION. JARAMYA JOHNSON