Bottom line: Huayi has the potential to become one of China’s leading makers of Hollywood-style film and video, with a strong track record that has helped to attract major partners for a growing string of well-conceived production deals.
Huayi destined for China stardom?
Two savvy new deals this week are casting a spotlight on fast-rising rising film star Huayi Bros (Shenzhen: 300027), which is fast emerging as China’s most promising independent film-maker that could someday attain Hollywood-level status. Huayi is the lone company in my “favorite Chinese stock” series from China’s Nasdaq-style ChiNext board, which is typically quite volatile and often looks more like a casino than a serious stock exchange.
But despite any volatility in its share price, Huayi has shown an ability to consistently make movies and other entertainment products that get strong audience reception, laying the foundation for strong future growth. The company has become a regular fixture in the headlines, including the 2 new production deals this week that both look quite promising. Read Full Post…
Bottom line: Huayi Bros could be moving towards an eventual goal of becoming China’s first major Hollywood-style studio through its massive new 30 billion yuan partnership with Ping An Bank.
HUayi goes to the movies with Ping An
It’s become quite common in China these days to see non-entertainment companies pour millions of dollars into entertainment-related ventures, most notably film-production deals. Everyone’s goal is to repeat the success of recent box office hits like “Monster Hunt”, which are earning big money by drawing on a fast-growing Chinese box office that could pass the US to become the world’s largest in the next decade.
But even I was surprised to see the size of the latest mega tie-up, which will see Ping An Bank pair with the highly successful independent movie producer Huayi Bros (Shenzhen: 300027) in a massive partnership with 30 billion yuan ($4.7 billion) in investment. That’s quite a large sum of money for the entertainment space, and is roughly comparable to how much e-commerce leader Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) said it would pay last week for 20 percent of retailing giant Suning (Shenzhen: 002024). Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on August 20. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Huayi Bros (Shenzhen: 300027), Ping An Bank in 30 Bln Yuan Entertainment Tie-Up (Chinese article)
Lenovo (HKEx: 992) Joins Smartphone Compatriots for ’Make in India’ (English article)
Sina (Nasdaq: SINA) Reports Q2 Financial Results (PRNewswire)
Fund Piles Into Baofeng Tech (Shenzhen: 300431), Becomes Top Shareholder (Chinese article)
Tuniu (Nasdaq: TOUR) Takes Over JD.com’s Online Travel Business After Tie-Up (Chinese article)
Bottom line: Growing sophistication by Chinese film-makers will continue to power strong growth at China’s box office, and will foster a new group of homegrown players that could challenge Hollywood over the next 10-20 years.
China box office surges in July
Two blockbuster films are fueling a sudden wave of excitement over domestic Chinese films, providing new momentum for a growing stable of local film-makers and foreign-backed joint ventures. Perhaps it’s no surprise that the 2 films leading the summer charge are both animated or have animated elements, and both also use a potent combination of Chinese elements and western story-telling skills to appeal to huge audiences of young people that go to see movies during the summer holidays.
The huge success for the animated films “Monkey King: Hero Is Back” and “Monster Hunt” has fueled a big wave of national pride in Chinese film-making. It even has some observers calling for an end to the recent ban on showing foreign films during the important summer vacation period, since these new Chinese movies prove that domestic productions can compete with big foreign rivals like the “Kung Fu Panda” franchise. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 7. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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China ADRs Plunge Most Since 2011 as Support Fails to Stem Rout (English article)
Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Steals 60 Yuan Monthly Data Usage From iPhone Users – CCTV (Chinese article)
VNO Subscribers Reach 7.5 Mln, New Users Account for 41 Pct – MIIT (Chinese article)
Huayi Bros (Shenzhen: 300027) Plans to Spin Off, List Internet Entertainment Unit (Chinese article)
Meizu, Huawei, Coolpad (HKEx: 2369) Make Big Price Cuts to Take On Xiaomi (Chinese article)
Bottom line: Shanghai will bid aggressively for Chinese tech firms to list on a new Nasdaq-style board planned for the city, while shares of companies privatizing from New York will continue to sag in sync with China’s stock market sell-off.
Soccer club eyes IPO on new Shanghai board
A new Shanghai-based Chinese board that aims to compete with Wall Street for new high-tech listings is moving closer to reality, with reports that Baidu’s (Nasdaq: BIDU) iQiyi online video service and Alibaba’s (NYSE: BABA) affiliated Ant Financial unit will be among the exchange’s inaugural listing candidates. A separate report also says that another Alibaba-affiliated company, soccer team Evergrande Taobao, will also list on the board, which is being referred to right now as the new strategic industries board.
Meantime in New York, the current week looks set to end with just a single privatization announcement for a US-listed Chinese firm, a sharp slowdown from the 20 earlier offers in the month of June. In this case the abrupt slowdown is at least partly due to the plunge in China’s stock markets this week, and we’re unlikely to see any more offers until the situation stabilizes. Read Full Post…
Bottom line: The new purchase of 3 smaller rivals by Ourpalm could position the company as a consolidator for China’s fragmented gaming sector, and could be followed by one or more similar purchases in the next year.
Ourpalm buys 3 smaller rivals
A newly announced deal will see online game operator Ourpalm (Shenzhen: 300315) combine with 3 smaller rivals in a relatively large deal that could lay the foundation for a major new player to drive much-needed consolidation in the space. The new company looks interesting for a number of reasons, including Ourpalm’s existing connection with leading movie maker Huayi Bros, which could become an important strategic partner for the company.
Ourpalm could also become a strong platform to absorb some of the smaller Hong Kong- and New York-listed gaming companies that have struggled for investor attention due to stalling profit and revenue growth caused by their lack of scale. Potential players for future tie-ups could include recently listed Hong Kong players like Linekong (HKEx: 8267) and Forgame (HKEx: 484), or New York-listed Sungy Mobile (Nasdaq: GOMO), whose shares have all languished since their IPOs. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on November 19. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU) Sues Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) For Attack On Reputation (Chinese article)
I’ve stopped using the term “love affair” to describe the romance between Hollywood and China over the last 2 years, as it no longer seems sufficient to describe the flood of tie-ups that have emerged since China became the world’s second largest box office. The Long March of new deals has now gained 2 more members, with word that US film giant Warner Bros (NYSE: TWX) is in a major new movie financing deal with Shanghai Media Group (SMG), China’s leading regional maker of filmed entertainment. In a separate headline, other reports are saying that real estate giant Wanda Group is also deepening its own involvement in movie industry finance, by filing to make a domestic IPO for its movie theater business. Read Full Post…
Two of China’s larger tech and media names are in the headlines today for new US investments, highlighting a recent trend that is seeing Chinese firms step up such investing as they search for western expertise and technology. The larger of the deals will see Huayi Bros (Shenzhen: 300027), one of China’s most successful independent film producers, invest $130 million in a US-based subsidiary as part of its international expansion. The other will see LCD maker BOE Technology (Shenzhen: 000725) invest a more modest $5 million in a US start-up that develops technology for wearable products. Read Full Post…
I’ve become a big fan lately of top Internet company Tencent (HKEx: 700), which has taken a more focused, measured approach to M&A in a recent string of major acquisitions and tie-ups by China’s top 3 web firms. But the company seems to be rapidly moving into M&A overdrive, following word of 3 major new deals this week alone, none of which looks too exciting or focused. Whereas nearly all of Tencent’s tie-ups to date have been with other online firms, the trio of rumored new deals all involve major players from traditional industries that have little or no experience on the Internet. Read Full Post…
