Zoo Digital Share Discussion Threads

[uknighted] 24/6/2020 12:03

RNS Results 14/07/20.

[nicyts] 20/6/2020 10:12

Times money today has article that refers to Zoo.Chap called Gervais Williams from Premier Milton Investors says excited about Zoo. Has holdings in his fund.May generate some interest.

[plok] 19/6/2020 10:02

Stuart Green talking at Slatorcon Remote. 9th July
Delivering Business Continuity for OTT Localisation with Cloud Dubbing
Stuart Green, CEO, ZOO Digital

[shaker44] 19/6/2020 08:57

Dunno why that repeated?? Only hit post once.

[glennborthwick] 19/6/2020 08:22

It's spam mate.

[shaker44] 19/6/2020 08:17

Can't open it

[shaker44] 19/6/2020 08:17

Can't open it

[shaker44] 19/6/2020 08:17

Can't open it

[shaker44] 19/6/2020 08:17

Can't open it

[amt] 19/6/2020 07:00

Is that recent?

[amt] 19/6/2020 06:15

Thanks Verulamium. Very interesting.

[heialex1] 19/6/2020 03:07

Thanks for the insightful response. I share many of the thoughts but I'm still in the fence as to what to do. Let's hope the Disney work starts making a material difference sooner rather than later

[verulamium] 18/6/2020 07:18

Nice thought, but I'm not sure this is something for the Archers. Zoo technology is about dubbing one voice at a time to pictures. The Archers need something that can get a bunch of actors together on a conference call, but record each voice in quality on their own PC and let the producer/engineer who are also on the conference call get those bits of audio together for the edit. That technology already exists (cleanfeed.net being an example, but the BBC have also developed their own during the pandemic which they're starting to use). The only thing it has in common with the Zoo technology is the "recording on your own PC" bit rather than sending it down a line of any kind before the recording, which is as crucial for quality as the mic and interface at the actor's end.

For some reason the Archers isn't going that way. Whether it's because while the scripts were hastily being rewritten they weren't confident the'd be able to get it working, whether it's because so many of their actors are extremely old and some might not even have computers or even smartphones, I've no idea. Frankly, I think they've been rather cowardly in not attempting to do anything more - they've had three months now to get something going, and other dramas are managing to do better - but I assume there are good reasons. They might be worried about acoustics - a fair proportion of their scenes are set "outside" and recorded in dead rooms, and you can't recreate that at home just by using duvets on the wall.

What is changing during the pandemic is that actors who have good kit at home will find it increasingly easy to convince dubbing directors to let them use it for voiceovers etc (which would need a Zoo-type solution). Why should someone like Dave Lamb (Come Dine with Me etc) tour Soho and regional studios doing these, rather than recording at home? I've no idea what proportion of stuff he was doing at home before the pandemic, but it'll be 100% now, and why should it change?

[amt] 18/6/2020 06:38

I was listening to the Archers on the BBC recently. They have changed the format so that only individuals relate their thoughts. Presumably because it's impossible to get the actors together in a studio. I wondered if Zoo dubbing technology would help in this context. If it could then would generate some good publicity being used on such a famous radio soap.

[snoper] 17/6/2020 14:31

@heialex1, a few things going on/thoughts on my end concerning Zoo and its market:

1. Netflix being the gorilla in the OTT landscape with c.180m subscribers still does its dubbing on premise i.e. has not adopted a cloud strategy for dubbing. This is anecdotally and I am not sure if this is still 100% true for all content (if someone has any public materials which say otherwise, feel free to share)
2. Netflix tried to do localization in-house ("Project Hermes") and pulled the plug in Q4 2018 I believe, it was too difficult. I am comfortable with that type of risk going forward (i.e. players moving forward into the value chain). This caused somewhat of a hiatus in the localization landscape and especially for Zoo adopting a OTT focused strategy (note this impacted FY19)
3. Zoo's appointment as a top 3 "preferred" localization partner for Disney+. Huge deal. Disney+ getting a lot of traction with currently 50m subscribers I believe, some estimates say this might move to 250m in the future.
4. Zoo's recent hiring in dubbing -> appointing a number of senior dubbing personnel. Goes to show that there definitely is traction in that category, I believe this to be Disney+ driven.
5. Decline of legacy business. Plenty of information on Zoo's investor relations website to check this out. Legacy business has phased out significantly in recent periods.

You mention that Zoo "has not exploded" implying you were expecting Zoo to have a highly scalable model. Clearly it has taken Zoo more effort as originally expected to generate value. Part driven by external market factors, but I also believe that it is driven by Zoo's USP vs. competition. The USP that Zoo's offer to OTT providers are in short (i) a sophisticated platform "ZooStudio" offering full breadth of localization services, with the main advantages being speed of work (i.e. faster turnaround) and fewer errors (due to a number of smart functionalities in the platform). (ii) to more easily manage the content funnel a OTT provider is feeding into the localization market (which played a key role for Zoo getting the appointment as one out of 3 preferred parties at Dinsey+) - which has another angle to it which I think should be mentioned seperately namely (iii) Zoo's large network of localization talent + it is cloud based, making it more efficient vs. brick and mortar type competitors.

Note localization is a service, not a product. As a holder of Zoo stock I believe in the USPs Zoo has and the value it could create - but I am also aware that it takes time to educate the market, which has been functioning the same way for decades (this concerns the actual localizers e.g. dubbing directors, voice talent etc.). Zoo's initial explosive growth was congruent with Netflix's explosive growth, which currently is not explosive anymore. However there are a number of other competitors getting very strong traction and Zoo is positioned as a top contender for RfPs coming to market. A number of recent high profile appointments including Disney+ are proof of this. I am bullish on the continued footprint of Zoo as a go to partner for OTT players looking to get their content localized in a cost effective and fast manner without any loss of quality.

A final thought on my end is that I am very curious to see how long Netflix will continue with its strategy for brick and mortar dubbing only. At some point, cloud dubbing will be a mainstream solution vs. the niche it still is today. Zoo is a front runner and innovator in this niche.

Hope this helps.

[heialex1] 17/6/2020 13:13

I've held these since 16p some years ago and luckily sold out many around £1. Still holding some, and my concern is this... streaming is very established now, yet Zoo haven't really exploded in the way that streaming services have. So the question I have is - if they haven't made it big by now, will they ever? What needs to happen? Any thoughts and insights from people who know more than I do welcome.

[amt] 15/6/2020 07:26

I don't think so 5 million over the last 45 days. Slower if anything

[nicyts] 05/6/2020 12:25

Ticker seems to have speeded up.Certainly moving quickly at the moment. Anyone have the longer term average?

[nicyts] 03/6/2020 10:55

Good move on little volume. I guess not many sellers about. With clients like Disney and Netflix and in the home entertainment field I am not surprised. The market cap seems low to me.

[nicyts] 01/6/2020 20:42

See most recent news on Zoos website.Celebrates milestone re subtitles. Confirms busy re subs and taking on and training people all time.Appears all very positive to me.

[gerihatrick] 29/5/2020 14:27

Sorry, don,t understand your comment. The next open meeting may well be set up for Dec. While the virtual event is soon!

[uknighted] 29/5/2020 13:00

Geri if you read my post you would be wiser regarding the Mello presentation.

[gerihatrick] 29/5/2020 12:40

ZOO are due to present at the Mello " virtual " conference to be held on 11th July following their interim due on the 24th June

[uknighted] 29/5/2020 11:38

Extract from Zoo Investors Newsletter email received this morning
“ Welcome to our latest edition of the quarterly investor newsletter from ZOO Digital, featuring trade announcements, ZOO news and relevant industry developments.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on almost every business sector. In the case of ZOO, we provided trading updates in March and May to explain that the situation has opened new opportunities for the company, particularly in the area of cloud dubbing. As a provider of services delivered through proprietary cloud-based platforms, ZOO has been largely unaffected by the lockdown and social distancing measures that have been so detrimental elsewhere.

The Mello 2020 growth company investor conference, scheduled for May, was postponed due to COVID-19 and has now been rescheduled to take place later this year. ZOO expects to present at the event on 1st December. We will keep you posted on further developments.

Our 2020 preliminary results presentation will be available as a live webcast ”