Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch For 2014

Introduction: Pessimism Is for Losers

I�� inspired to write this article because I am so frustrated by the plethora of all the so-called expert market prognosticators that continuously bombard the public with negative forecasts. I consider this to be both erroneous and irrational. When the markets are doing well, we are immediately inundated with articles talking about how the market has surely topped and a big drop is imminent. When markets are doing poorly, we are flooded with numerous forecasts of just how bad it�� going to be. The real truth of the matter is that nobody really knows. Not the Federal Reserve, nor any of the so-called experts who are more than willing to provide us with their forecasts of doom and gloom. Pessimism is pervasive, but optimism is, in fact, more accurate and rational in my opinion.

The best investing minds that I��e come across, which are also the ones with the best long-term track records, universally agree that timing markets, or forecasting the economy or interest rates, etc., are exercises in futility. The great investor Bernard Baruch put it quite succinctly when he said:

Top 5 Defensive Companies To Invest In 2015: Gannett Co. Inc. (GCI)

Gannett Co., Inc. operates as a media and marketing solutions company in the United States and internationally. Its Publishing segment publishes 83 U.S. daily newspapers with affiliated online sites, including USA TODAY, a national, general-interest daily newspaper; USATODAY.com; USA WEEKEND, a magazine supplement for newspapers; Clipper Magazine, a direct mail advertising magazine; bi-weekly Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek periodicals; and military and defense newspapers. This segment also includes 17 paid-for daily newspapers; approximately 200 weekly newspapers, magazines, and trade publications; and approximately 600 non-daily publications, as well as involves in commercial printing, newswire, marketing, and data services operations. The company?s Digital segment owns and operates CareerBuilder, an employment Web site, which offers online recruitment and career advancement services for employers, employees, recruiters, and job seekers; ShopLocal, which provides multicha nnel shopping and advertising services; Planet Discover, which offers hosted search and advertising services; PointRoll, which provides digital marketing services and technology; and Schedule Star, which offers scheduling solution for high school athletic departments. Its Broadcasting segment operates 23 television stations and affiliated Web sites, which produce local programming, such as news, sports, and entertainment programming. This segment also includes Captivate Network, a national news and entertainment network that delivers programming and full-motion video advertising on video screens located in elevators of office towers and select hotel lobbies in North America. The company has strategic business relationships with online affiliates, including Classified Ventures, ShopLocal.com, Topix, and Metromix LLC, as well as strategic marketing agreement with Microsoft. Gannett Co., Inc. was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Gannett Co (NYSE: GCI) is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.41 per share on revenue of $1.27 billion.

  VMware (NYSE: VMW) is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.82 per share on revenue of $1.29 billion.

Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch For 2014: Time Warner Cable Inc(TWC)

Time Warner Cable Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a cable operator in the United States. It offers video, high-speed data, and voice services over its broadband cable systems to residential and commercial customers. The company provides a range of video services, including on-demand, high-definition (HD), and digital video recorder (DVR) services; residential high-speed data services with connection to the Internet; wireless mobile broadband Internet services; and digital phone services to residential customers. It offers video programming tiers and music services; high-speed data, networking, and transport services; and commercial digital phone service to small and medium-sized businesses under the Time Warner Cable Business Class brand. Further, Time Warner Cable Inc. sells advertising to various national, regional, and local customers. As of June 30, 2011, the company served approximately 14.5 million residential and commercial customers in the New Yor k State, the Carolinas, Ohio, southern California, and Texas. Time Warner Cable Inc. is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC  ) has a new chief financial officer -- acquired from its old sister company, AOL (NYSE: AOL  ) .

• [By Jayson Derrick]

  This morning, Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) reported its second quarter results. The company announced an EPS of $1.89, beating the consensus estimate of $1.91. Revenue of $5.73 billion missed the consensus estimate of $5.75 billion. Net income for the quarter rose to $499 million from $481 million in the same quarter a year ago, as the company saw its average revenue per user grow by 1.7 percent to $106.98 and the company saw a record second-quarter subscriber volume growth. The company noted that it saw 42,000 residential triple play net additions, 67,000 residential high-speed data net additions, 79,000 residential net additions and business primary service unit and customer relationship net additions of 37,000 and 21,000, respectively. Shares lost 4.17 percent, closing at $145.10.

• [By Travis Hoium]

  Intel (NASDAQ: INTC  ) is reportedly willing to pay big to become a player in streaming television, hoping to upend the cable industry. This could change the monopoly market conditions Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA  ) and Time Warner (NYSE: TWC  ) have built in cable and it may open up the industry for streaming companies like Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX  ) as well. Fool contributor Travis Hoium tell investors what he thinks of Intel's big bet in the video below.�

Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch For 2014: Charter Communications Inc.(CHTR)

Charter Communications, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides entertainment, information, and communications solutions to residential and commercial customers in the United States. The company offers cable video programming services, such as basic and digital video, premium channels, OnDemand, pay-per-view, high definition television, digital video recorder, and online video services; Internet services; Charter.net, which provides multiple e-mail addresses, as well as various entertainment, games, news, and sports content; and telephone services. It also provides broadband communications solutions, such as Internet access, data networking, fiber connectivity to cellular towers and office buildings, video entertainment services, and business telephone services under the Charter Business brand name to business and carrier organizations. As of December 31, 2011, the company served approximately 4.1 million video customers; approximately 3.5 million Internet customers; appr oximately 1.7 million telephone customers; and approximately 476,200 commercial primary service units. Charter Communications, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Seeing how its initial bid of $132.50 per share ($37.3 billion) for Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) produced an immediate rejection, cable operator Charter Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) is reported to be considering sweetening its offer to somewhere in the low $140s.

Top 5 Media Stocks To Watch For 2014: News Corporation(NWSA)

News Corporation operates as a diversified media company worldwide. Its Cable Network Programming segment produces and licenses news, business news, sports, general entertainment, and movie programming for distribution through cable television systems and direct broadcast satellite operators primarily in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. The company?s Filmed Entertainment segment produces and acquires live-action and animated motion pictures for distribution and licensing in entertainment media, as well as produces and licenses television programming worldwide. Its Television segment operates 27 broadcast television stations in the United States. The company?s Direct Broadcast Satellite Television segment distributes programming services via satellite and broadband directly to subscribers in Italy. Its Publishing segment provides newspapers and information services, such as publishing national newspapers in the United Kingdom, approximately 146 newspapers in Australia, and a metropolitan and a national newspaper in the United States; book publishing services, including the publishing of English language books worldwide; and integrated marketing services comprising the publishing of free-standing inserts, which are marketing booklets containing coupons, rebates, and other consumer offers, as well as provides in-store marketing products and services, primarily to consumer packaged goods manufacturers in the United States and Canada. The company also sells advertising, sponsorships, and subscription services on the company?s various digital media properties and outdoor advertising space on various media primarily in Russia and eastern Europe; and provides data systems and professional services that enable teachers to use data to assess student progress and deliver individualized instructions. News Corporation was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  Topping our list of cash-rich companies is News Corp. (NWSA), the media company behind brands like The Wall Street Journal, The Times, and Foxtel. News Corp. celebrated its one-year anniversary in its current iteration just a month ago, after spinning off from 21st Century Fox (FOXA) last July. Today, the company comes with quite a bit of cash on hand -– the firm's $3.14 billion net cash works out to a whopping 32% of its current market capitalization.

  In a market where investors are complaining about a lack of bargain opportunities, that huge discount on shares of News Corp. is worth paying attention to.

  NWSA isn't without challenges –- print media has been under pressure for years now, and legacy assets like book publisher HarperCollins could be a further drag. That said, News Corp. is cash flow positive in its present form, and the firm has an enviable amount of dry powder ready for acquisitions. Some of the most exciting investments are the ones that live outside of NWSA's print media wheelhouse: exposure to partially-owned TV carrier Foxtel and online real estate classified provider REA Group in Australia are great examples of that.

  Ironically, it's the fact that News Corp.'s predecessor took part in some utterly terrible acquisitions that could help dissipate some of the risks of bad bets at the new company. Names like MySpace (it paid $580 million for the website in 2005, only to sell it for $35 million in 2011) are cautionary tales for News Corp.'s management team. If NWSA can affect some transformational buys in the next few years, investors should collect a premium for shares.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Digital distribution was front and center in the bidding war for the popular comedy's syndication rights two years ago. Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX  ) Turner Broadcasting vocally dropped out of contention, arguing that the show was too exposed in cyberspace. Hulu and�Disney's (NYSE: DIS  ) ABC.com -- but not Netflix -- were streaming earlier episodes. News Corp. (NASDAQ: NWSA  ) COO Chase Carey backed Time Warner's move to pass on the sitcom that had become huge for Disney's ABC.

• [By WALLSTCHEATSHEET]

  News Corp. is a multimedia giant that is able to reach and affect audiences all over the world. The stock has been a big winner over the last several years and is currently digesting gains for a strong run. Over the last four quarters, investors in the company have been upbeat as earnings and revenue figures have been rising. Relative to its strong peers and sector, News Corp. has been a year-to-date performance leader. Look for News Corp. to continue to OUTPERFORM.