The change that most of the industry has been hoping to avoid is finally being forced upon it.The U.S. cable television industry was already hanging by a thread. Technology giant Alphabet (GOOG 1.11%) (GOOGL 1.04%) may be about to completely snip it.This is the likely outcome of a move that Alphabet's cable-television alternative -- YouTube TV -- recently announced it would soon be making. Although details are still scant, the company plainly said, "Early next year, we'll launch YouTube TV Plans, bringing m ...

The president is urging changes in the cable-television network's leadership. ...

​Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) is one of the Cheap NASDAQ Stocks to Buy Now. On December 3, Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) announced that its Board of Directors had approved the separation of cable television networks and complementary digital platforms from its remaining businesses. This will result in the creation of a new independent publicly traded company called Versant Media Group, Inc. ​Management noted that the separation will be achieved through pro rata distribution of 100% of the outst ...

Comcast’s Board of Directors approved the separation of the company’s cable television networks and complementary digital platforms from its remaining businesses to create an independent, publicly traded company called Versant Media Group in early January. The spinoff has been a year in the making and comes as the Philadelphia-based media giant is bidding to acquire the studio and streaming businesses of Warner Bros. Discovery amid a massive transformation of the media landscape. It will trade on the Nasda ...

Group 1 - Guess (GES) is currently outperforming its peers in the Consumer Discretionary sector, with a year-to-date gain of approximately 21.3% compared to the sector average of 0.5% [4] - The Zacks Rank for Guess is 2 (Buy), indicating a positive outlook based on earnings estimates and revisions, with a 3.4% increase in the consensus estimate for full-year earnings over the past quarter [3] - Within the Textile - Apparel industry, which has seen an average loss of 16.2% this year, Guess is performing significantly better [5] Group 2 - The Consumer Discretionary group includes 265 companies, with Guess ranked 12 in the Zacks Sector Rank [2] - Another notable performer in the Consumer Discretionary sector is Naspers Ltd. (NPSNY), which has gained 50.3% year-to-date, while its industry, Cable Television, has declined by 33.4% [4][6] - The Textile - Apparel industry, to which Guess belongs, is currently ranked 69 in the Zacks Industry Rank [5]

The Zacks Cable Television industry players are focusing on bundled offerings and on-demand programming to counter challenges from cord-cutting as consumers shift away from traditional pay-TV options, including cable TV and satellite TV, to over-the-top streaming services with innovative content. The industry is evolving by leveraging its broadband infrastructure to meet changing consumer preferences and balancing traditional cable services with new streaming options to maintain relevance in the rapidly cha ...

Investors interested in Consumer Discretionary stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Naspers Ltd. (NPSNY) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Consumer Discretionary peers, we might be able to answer that question.Naspers Ltd. is one of 265 individual stocks in the Consumer Discretionar ...

Core Insights - WideOpenWest (WOW) reported a quarterly loss of $0.43 per share, which was worse than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.20, marking an earnings surprise of -115.00% [1] - The company generated revenues of $144 million for the quarter ended September 2025, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.35%, but down from $158 million year-over-year [2] - The stock has underperformed the market, gaining about 3.6% year-to-date compared to the S&P 500's gain of 15.1% [3] Financial Performance - Over the last four quarters, WideOpenWest has surpassed consensus EPS estimates only once [2] - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is -$0.26 on revenues of $138 million, and for the current fiscal year, it is -$0.84 on revenues of $572.9 million [7] Industry Context - The Cable Television industry, to which WideOpenWest belongs, is currently ranked in the bottom 15% of over 250 Zacks industries, indicating potential challenges ahead [8] - Empirical research suggests a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions, which could impact WideOpenWest's stock performance [5][6]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Consolidated net revenue was approximately $92.7 million, down 16% year over year [9] - Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter was $14.2 million, a decrease of 44.1% [15] - Net loss was approximately $2.8 million or $0.06 per share, compared to a net loss of $31.8 million or $0.68 per share for the previous year [16] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue for the Radio Broadcasting segment was $34.7 million, a decrease of 12.6% year over year [9] - Net revenue for the Reach Media segment was $6.1 million, down 40% from the prior year [10] - Net revenues for the Digital segment were down 30.6% at $12.7 million [11] - Cable Television segment revenue was approximately $39.8 million, a decrease of 7% [12] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Local ad sales were down 6.5% against a market that was down 10.1%, indicating outperformance [9] - National ad sales were down 29.1% against a market that was down 21.5%, indicating underperformance [10] - Cable subscribers to TV One decreased to 34.1 million from 34.3 million at the end of Q2 [12] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is adjusting its guidance for the year, lowering the EBITDA forecast from $60 million to a range of $56 million to $58 million [7] - A second reduction in force was completed in October as part of ongoing cost reduction efforts [14] - The company is exploring potential M&A opportunities in light of anticipated deregulation in the industry [28][30] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed optimism for 2026, citing changes in operating strategy and a focus on improving performance in key markets [21][25] - The company is preparing for a political year, which is expected to drive demand [21] - Management acknowledged challenges faced in the current year but believes they are better positioned for future growth [25] Other Important Information - Operating expenses decreased to approximately $83.7 million for the quarter, a decrease of 4.2% from the prior year [12] - Interest expense decreased to approximately $9.4 million in Q3, down from $11.6 million last year [16] - The company repurchased $4.5 million of its 2028 notes at an average price of 52% [16] Q&A Session Summary Question: What is the outlook for 2026 and demand? - Management feels good about 2026 due to changes in operating strategy and the upcoming political year [21][25] Question: Are there plans for M&A activity? - Management is exploring M&A opportunities but currently has no transformative deals in progress [28][30] Question: Will the company continue debt buyback activity? - Management confirmed plans to continue executing on debt buybacks while maintaining liquidity [33]

Core Insights - Charter Communications reported quarterly earnings of $8.34 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $9.32 per share, and down from $8.82 per share a year ago, representing an earnings surprise of -10.52% [1] - The company posted revenues of $13.67 billion for the quarter ended September 2025, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.52%, and down from $13.8 billion year-over-year [2] - Charter shares have declined approximately 32.6% since the beginning of the year, contrasting with the S&P 500's gain of 16% [3] Earnings Outlook - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $10.72 on revenues of $13.9 billion, and for the current fiscal year, it is $37.20 on revenues of $55.15 billion [7] - The estimate revisions trend for Charter was mixed ahead of the earnings release, resulting in a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold) for the stock, indicating expected performance in line with the market [6] Industry Context - The Cable Television industry is currently ranked in the bottom 31% of over 250 Zacks industries, suggesting that the outlook for the industry can significantly impact stock performance [8] - Another company in the same industry, WideOpenWest, is expected to report a quarterly loss of $0.20 per share, reflecting a year-over-year change of +25.9%, with revenues projected at $140.7 million, down 11% from the previous year [9]