Media shares in focus; Shemaroo Entertainment hits record high

Mukta Arts, Shemaroo Entertainment, Tips Ind, Pritish Nandi Comm and Saregama were up over 5% each on BSE.

Shares of media companies mainly those engaged in movies & entertainment business have rallied over 10% after global video-on-demand (VOD) player Netflix has launched services in India.

Mukta Arts (up 14% to Rs 74.15), Shemaroo Entertainment (12% at Rs 341), Pritish Nandi Communication (10% at Rs 27.60), Saregama India (7% at Rs 357) and Tips Industries (7% at Rs 66.95) have rallied more than 5% each.

Eros International Media, Balaji Telefilms, Sun TV Network and Raj Television Network up 3% each as compared to 0.64% rise in the S&P BSE Sensex at 01:26 p.m.

Netflix, the America-based video streaming content producer and distributor giant on Thursday launched its services in India. Netflix, with its premium English content, joins the bandwagon of global players looking to tap the growing online over the-top (OTT) market, marked by increased Smartphone penetration and improved bandwidth speeds. CLICK HERE TO READ FULL REPORT.

Religare Institutional Research expects content owners with scope for intellectual property (IP) monetisation will stand to gain as new distribution platforms look to bolster their local content offering.

While Netflix’s pricing at Rs 500 per month is expensive for the Indian market, the entry of multiple distribution platforms will continue to fuel demand for local content, the broking firm said in a report dated January 8, 2016.

Shemaroo Entertainment is one of the key content players and has previously signed a 1,000-movie title partnership with HOOQ (a joint venture between Warner Bros, Singtel and Sony Pictures) and analysts expect to see more partnerships of this nature.

Shares of Shemaroo Entertainment has surged 18% to Rs 359, also its record high on the BSE in intra-day trade. It appreciated more than 100% from its 52-week low of Rs 170 touched on March 27, 2015.