<<I'm not sure what you mean by [the thread 'calling GMST correctly']>>
Pace your polls, I have detected a rather strong consensus around here on the following points from November 1999 onwards:
1. Gemstar has proprietary rights to basic electronic and interactive program guide (EPG and IPG) technology--not dissimilar, in certain respects, to Qualcomm's patent on (in carpetologist-speak) that hand-off thingummy.
2. Gemstar's program guide technology is and will continue to be the industry standard for advanced television sets, set-top boxes, future interactive television, computer/tv convergence, and so forth.
3. Some of those markets exist and are growing rapidly, others are in embryo. Unless something totally bizarre and entirely unforeseeable happens, the EPG market will be declared in tornado soon, with the IPG and other stuff going into tornado down the road.
4. In addition to the above facts, which make it all but certain that Gemstar will be the gorilla of EPG/IPG in the not-too-distant future, it has distinct godzilla potential thanks to the possibility of using its programming guides as a platform for general and eventually targeted advertising.
5. All this should be obvious to anyone who looks into the subject, as should the fact that completion of the merger with TV Guide is irrelevant to the basic story, since it has already been agreed that Gemstar will get major licensing revenue from TV Guides' guides if for some reason the deal falls through.
I believe there is also a strong consensus on the following:
6. Given point number 5, Gemstar's stock price should be ramping up dramatically in anticipation of its glorious future.
7. For reasons of obtuseness, perversion, and god knows what else, the market is taking its own bloody sweet time giving Gemstar the respect it deserves.
8. Nevertheless, three events in coming months will serve as catalysts to overrule point number 7 and restore point number 6. Those events will be the successful completion of the merger, the demonstrated hypergrowth of the EPG market together with its associated licensing and advertising revenues, and the worthless expiration of tekboy's vast hoard of Aug 85 calls. (This last event, a seemingly unfortunate necessity owing to the wrath of the market gods who dislike newbie hubris, will be my noble propiatory sacrifice for the good of the thread and right-thinking people everywhere.)
What part of this don't you understand?
tekboy/Ares@coolpostcoolpostcoolpostcmonalready!.com |
