Vtr Share Discussion Threads

[nickb] 27/2/2003 16:25

Typical of the vibe in the industry, todays news of a VTR competitor



P3 to axe office and shrink workforce
Sam Espensen
27 February 2003 08:30

Soho post facility P3 has denied rumours it is going bust but has admitted that it will have to close one of its two offices and make staff cutbacks, writes Sam Espensen.

The facility’s first office in Lexington Street will remain open, while its three-year-old offshoot, P3 Outpost, in Ramillies Street will close.

Managing director Paul Hutchings explained that the offline facility P3 Outpost was opened at a time when "economies of scale and increased offline capacity made it a sound decision". But he acknowledged that "the post market has changed significantly since then and we recognise the need to change our business accordingly".

There will be redundancies among the 32 permanent members of staff and Hutchings believes as many as a third could lose their jobs.

"There’s no fun and very little margin in competing in today’s numbers game," he said.

[nickb] 27/2/2003 16:06

If i was running VTR i would be looking to cut the divi.
As i say VTR is one of THE best in the business and for the market cap 4M you probably couldnt set up a business with VTR's reputation.
I assume most of the kit is on lease ? so high monthly costs ?

[britishbear] 27/2/2003 16:01

NB, interesting comments - basically VTR's margins will be under pressure for a while I assume. Also the dividend yield (6% at a £1) may be cut if profits turn to losses.

Need to wait this one out a bit longer before dipping in

[nickb] 27/2/2003 15:58

I work in this industry freelance and things are bad, also technology is making it easier for small companies to enter the market, eg i have what 3yrs ago would have cost say $250,000 worth of tv kit sitting in my spare room at home and it only cost me $10,000 now in the past these types of companies made their money charging high hourly / daily rates for expensive kit this is becoming more difficult these days hence the move to doing Film quality work rather than tvquality work, however VTR is one of the best companies around in terms of client satisfaction and highly regarded in the industry and may benefit if there is a shakeout in the market place which has become over supplied its now a tough business to be in im afraid.

[callumross] 26/2/2003 11:11

anyone know if the company can survive - gearing is scary!

[hosede] 24/2/2003 18:39

yes It will end someday. As you say just another co caught in the slowdown - just shows this slowdown is so prolonged its catching everyone - even the best. could be a brilliant time to buy for the longterm

[vonbrokenburger] 24/2/2003 17:01

BB,
Not nice at all was it? I hoped that the advertising industry had got as bad as it could get.. So much for Warren Buffet. I may watch carefully now though as although it all looks pretty bleak they are a co. that likes giving its dividend and on that basis if things return to a more normal level businesswise when the war and that is over we could be looking at buying a stock that yields 10 or 12 percent.
Can't see anything else short term though but they don't smell to me of total failure on the business level just another company thats got caught up in the slowdown. Question really is will it ever end?
Von.

[britishbear] 24/2/2003 08:53

Von,

Oppps - profit warning - I am sure this is linked to the clipstream problem as much as anything. Busy Buses may not save us now.

Problem is the length of the warning that stretches into the second half of the year. No point in buying these for another 6 months now.

sell as warnings often come in 3's and this is just the first.

[vonbrokenburger] 07/2/2003 11:10

Thanks BB.
As to the Busy Buses they come out on video on the 17th and I believe they have four other childrens programmes coming out soon as well. Nice to see them building up the intellectual property.
Von.

"During the last 12 months Clipstream has provided digital media solutions to an
increasing number of companies including Getty Images, MTV, Accenture, Chorion,
Disney, Matchroom Sport, Sony Strategic Marketing Europe, BUFVC, World
Backgrounds, Maritz and Cap Gemin"

I added this from their last results as you seemed to believe they had only small customers... Disney and Sony don't seem that small.

[britishbear] 07/2/2003 09:42

von, main fear is simply the level of competition in Clipstreams market. This is a highly competitive sector - their customers are not world beaters and thier margins will be cut to the bone while costs will still be relatively high.

The fact that clipstream.com is much bigger also creates confusion as I do not see how two clipstreams can both grow without annoying consumers - a name change would be costly.

I think an email to VTR is required.

Those "busy buses" are still selling though ;-)

[vonbrokenburger] 07/2/2003 07:37

You'll have to answer that one for yourself BB. I'd be interested to hear what research you've done and how you've managed to come to that conclusion.
Interesting buy by the fund yesterday though they now own over 16%, its probably this aggressive dividend policy thats pulling them in as its already 5.7p/year which is pretty hot I guess.
Will look forward to your comments on clipstream though.
Von.

[britishbear] 06/2/2003 15:19

Von,

Price is still hovering around a quid I see.

I have been doing some checking and it seems very poor that

clipstream.com and clipstream.co.uk are totally different companies the former not being owned by VTR and looking very successful doing similar but better things than VTR's version.

My main reason for not buying yet is that I think clipstream is a loser and will have a drag effect on profits (but has potential to be a big winner??) - any reason why you think differently?

[vonbrokenburger] 11/12/2002 17:30

Hi BB.
I agree with all you've said but I got carried away looking into them and this thread is the result.
Good luck with finding an entry point, I've been in a while and am not particularly worried what happens short term so you can hope for the entry point you think best. If they do tank then I seem to remember 88p as their cheapest level and punters piled in then (for this share) bringing them quickly back to the level you see today.
I have emailed VTRs partner in this Busy Buses venture about the fact that the vids aren't out yet in this country and its because Metrodome the distributers advised against going head to head with the Tweenies and Teletubbies over Christmas.
The vids launch on the 17th Feb and will be in Tescos and on the Amazon website that I know of and according to Chatsworth Television Distributors/tv4c they will have merchandising to go with it.
Von.

[vonbrokenburger] 14/11/2002 16:18

Worth mentioning that although I have found all this on how the series is selling to the tv channels I haven't found anything to indicate that theres any merchandising going on right now and thats where the money is made. Also the shareprice may continue its slow decline as the big advertising firms keep getting downgraded and warning so its a bad sector.
Von.

[vonbrokenburger] 13/11/2002 10:25

Not sure how they're doing in the UK as this is still a small market for them until they have a few more series made but according to the distributers the busy buses vids are doing well in Asia etc and I have pasted their last email for other posters if there are any...

Thank you for your e-mail, which Halina kindly forwarded to me.

In response to your questions, ABC Video, Australia sold 12,000 videos in the first 5 months, which is an excellent result for them and made Busy Buses their No.1 pre-school animation video - effectively out-selling Tweenies, Teletubbies and Bananas In Pyjamas. They are planning to release a DVD in the near future and have a 3rd video release in Spring 2003, which we obviously hope will be equally successful.

In Korea, there has been more than 5,000 video's sold in 4 months. This is an excellent result for a Non-Asian children's title without any kind of past history (e.g. publishing or movie background).

With regards to the use of the term 'record' - it is not relating to the series breaking any sales records (although we're working on it!), but refers directly to the success of the video in these territories - its sales are not representative of what would be considered a major sales success in other international territories.

From both a marketing and sales perspective, although these are smaller territories than say France or USA, they form an important launch pad for a series such as Busy Buses and the success the series has achieved (against such competition as Bob, Tweenies etc) is definitely something for us to shout about. Certainly, the success of the series in Australia contributed to our UK video deal with Metrodome, which when released, will greatly increase the series' presence in the UK market.

Remember that this is only a part of VTRs business not all of it but it may well grow quite a bit bigger if they start to outdo the Tweenies, Bob and Teletubbies etc here too.
Von.

[vonbrokenburger] 02/11/2002 00:28

The first Busy Buses video is launched on the 4th Nov in the UK. Amazon has the video version for 8.99 and the dvd for around 12 pounds.
If they beat the tweenies and Teletubbies here too then the revenue coming in should be quite fair.
Von..

[vonbrokenburger] 01/11/2002 00:20

I thought I'd start this thread just for the Busy buses as I've been surfing the web and have found a lot more on them than the results would indicate and they appear to be doing exceptionally well.
This is from Chatsworth TV's website who are partners in the venture. They have been established for over 20 years and seem to have quite a decent distribution network.
I believe that VTR own 33 percent of the ip for Busy buses but they receive 50 percent of all revenues both from the tv companies that air the show and more importantly the licencing revenue thats beginning to come in.

Chatworth-tv.co.uk.

Increased Sales at MIPCOM JNR & MIPCOM 2002

MIPCOM and MIPCOM JNR 2002 saw an increase in worldwide sales for a number of programmes distributed by Chatsworth. The response to our pre-school series Busy Buses was excellent with additional sales in France and across Eastern Europe.

The second eagerly awaited series of Busy Buses has already been picked up by ABC, Australia and Living TV, UK. The first series has consistently drawn excellent ratings in both territories

BUSY BUSES Video hits UK Stores - Feb 2003

Chatsworth Television Distributors has signed a UK video deal with Metrodome Distribution Ltd to release its first Busy Buses video featuring all 26 x 5 minute episodes.

The internationally acclaimed CGI/2D pre-school series, produced by tv4c, has already achieved record video sales in both Australia and Korea. In line with the video's release, a range of merchandising will also be available

Busy Buses Delights Japan
tv4c's flagship children's series, Busy Buses, has been selected by the International Animation Festival Hiroshima 2002, Japan, for inclusion in one of their special programmes, 'Animation for Children', to be shown next month. Busy Buses is currently airing on Kids Station, Japan's biggest children's satellite broadcaster.

The festival selection follows a successful year to date for the 26 x 5 minute pre-school series, which was nominated for Best Series for Children at the Pulcinella Awards at Cartoons on the Bay, Italy and was chosen for the official selection at the Seoul Animation Festival in Korea. tv4c is now in production with a second series of 26 episodes, which is due for completion early 2003

British animation producer, tv4c, has seen its pre-school animation series, Busy Buses, picked up by two regional terrestrial broadcasters in Japan for their autumn schedules.

The 26 x 5' series is also currently airing daily on Kids Station, Japan's biggest children's satellite broadcaster and is enjoying its second run on EBS, Korea and ABC, Australia.

Busy Buses will return to Living TV in the UK from September 2002 for a six month run.
Busy Buses Wins Ratings!
Busy Buses is currently rated the No. 1 animated series on the UK's Tiny Living (part of the Living Channel), with confirmed daily audiences of 260,000 viewers. "It is rare to find a programme that fulfils all the criteria necessary to make a great show, fabulous characters, quality animation and narration and an excellent script. We are delighted with the performance of Busy Buses on Tiny Living, it has proved to be a great success", said Hannah Barnes, Head of Acquisitions, Living TV.

The 26 x 5' series launched on 1st February this year and will be aired everyday, until the end of July, at 7.10 - 7.20am and 8.55- 9.05am. The series will return to the schedules in October 2002. tv4c is already in production with a second series of 26 episodes, produced and directed by Terry Ward and animated by London-based studio The Hive, which will be ready to air in early 2003

Busy buses is also winning viewers on ABC Television, Australia, where it has achieved a 70.4% share in its pre-school slot and is the No. 1 pre-school animation video for ABC Video, out-selling Tweenies, Teletubbies and Bananas In Pyjamas.

This success has prompted ABC to bring forward the release of the second Busy Buses title from October to August 2002. Busy Buses is also performing exceptionally well on the EBS Channel in Korea, climbing to 3rd position in less than a month, and in Japan on Kids Station, the country's biggest children's broadcaster.

In line with the success of the series, a merchandising campaign, including videos, magazines, books and soft toys, is currently in development for launch later in the year


Busy Buses has been sold to Australia, Korea, Japan, Israel, Singapore, Iceland, Lebanon, Jordan and Kuwait. Sales to Croatia, Slovenia and Poland are pending and its looking like a worldwide hit.
Von.

[vonbrokenburger] 30/10/2002 13:33

It was all screwed up this morning. They missed their ten minutes of fame at
7 a.m. because AFN and UKwire etc all only had the first paragraph of their results when you clicked on them.
It was corrected later but unfortunately it appears that it was early that counted.
You should find it all correct now.
Von.

[hosede] 30/10/2002 13:23

Thanks for that Von. Figures much as expected, but how does a loss of 1.32m equate to 19.45p per share when a profit of 2.76m is only 17.72p?? Some mistake surely. Also where did you get a full report ADVFN only seem to have a summary very odd!

[vonbrokenburger] 30/10/2002 10:06

Well I liked the numbers, esp the part about them getting 50 percent of all licencing revenues from the ip of Busy buses etc.
I have emailed one of their partners in this venture to find out how things are progressing and recieved this reply today...





Thank you for your e-mail of 25th October and here is a summary of our sales and marketing activities relating to Busy Buses.



TELEVISION SALES AND PERFORMANCE:



Busy Buses has been sold to Australia, Korea, Japan, Israel, Singapore, Iceland, Lebanon, Jordan and Kuwait. Sales to Croatia, Slovenia and Poland are pending.



In the UK, the series is showing twice daily on The Living Channel and is the station's number 1 animated series.



In Australia, Busy Buses has been shown on ABC terrestrial and digital and is currently screening on Nickelodeon. Both broadcasters will run Busy Buses again in 2003.



In Japan, Busy Buses is showing on Kids' Station, the number one children's channel and on 2 local terrestrial stations.



Busy Buses has had two video releases on ABC Video Australia and three video releases in Korea.





LICENSING ACTIVITY:



Busy Buses licensing is under way in Australia, Korea, Japan and the UK. So far it includes:



Magazines in Japan, Australia and the UK (Redan's "Fun to Learn With Friends")

Books - Sound books in Japan – book number one on sale; Audio, Story & Activity Books in Australia - due to be published in 2003 & 2004

Videos in Korea, Australia and the UK

Pocket tissues (Japan) – on sale

Plush toys in development for UK and Australia


In general, Busy Buses has made a promising debut on international TV and we hope that this success will be bigger with the second series. The popularity of the videos has led the way for further merchandise, especially in Australia, and we anticipate a good response to the UK video release scheduled for Feb 2003. Busy Buses has been a slower achiever than other large properties (which have established themselves on UK terrestrial television) but the feedback we have received is very encouraging for the future


I hope this information is of help but please do contact me if you require further information.



Kind regards,



Beverly Sanford

Licensing Assistant


Apart from that the business continues to develop, operating profits of 3.33 million and it looks as if they'll do better next year.
Its also worth noting that Busy buses is only one of the projects their childrens department is working on.
Just a shame that UKwire managed to balls up the rns at 7 a.m.
Von.

[vonbrokenburger] 29/10/2002 09:53

Well they've just broken resistance at 113.5p having moved out of their downtrend this week.
profits are predicted at 2.9 million for the full year and with a bit of luck they'll be able to report a gradual improvement in business overall with a bright future for their childrens programming with its related merchandising agreements.
Von.

[vonbrokenburger] 27/10/2002 09:47

Has anyone noticed how well Busy Buses is selling worldwide? Its only on the Living channel here but is their most popular kiddies programme but it has won several animation awards and has been sold to great acclaim to TV stations in Australia, Japan, Korea, Europe and the Eastern block and several other countries including Israel and Iceland
The videos of the series went down really well and a second video was rushed out on the back of its success and obviously merchandising has begun which means royalties for VTR.
This could be quite an earner for the company just ask Character Group shareholders about Bob the Builder.
Von.

[vonbrokenburger] 23/10/2002 10:15

Todays movement if it stays has finally moved them out of the downtrend they've been in. If they make their numbers it should get interesting next week.
Good luck to all holders for the numbers,
Von.