Found this posted on the ZDII Inter@active site. I think Dave Hand has a full grasp on the situation.
Is there a bright future for ACTV?
Submitted by: Dave Hand ( )
Location:Washington
Occupation:VP Corporate Development
Gold?
Well, there seams to be a great deal of competition out there with similar interests. A little time out at the USPTO (US Patent Office) web site reveals that ACTV's patents number into the teens. Wink, who might be considered a competitor has some as well. Did not spend a great deal of time, but it appears ACTV's industry experience numbers in the years, and that speaks volumes about the insight in the emerging TV/Web convergence arena.
There is limited coverage from the institutions on ACTV, those who have followed this issue are not well known.
Neidiger,Tucker,Bruner, Inc., of Denver has covered this stock for some time, and has recently raised their target price per share to $15 based on future earnings. Although not a common name, the company has proven to be on target with its estimates to date.
Recently, Southeast Research Partners initiated coverage on the company with a similar target price. Southeast will be releasing a full report in the near future. Southeast Research Partners was one of the initial institutions responsible for taking Source Media (SCRM sourcemedia.com to a 52 week high of 39.
ACTV has very promising technology, with little overlapping competition and has some of the biggest industry giants as partners and investors. Those include, TCI (soon to be AT&T), GI - General Instrument (maker of name brand TV set-top-boxes) and Scientific Atlanta another well known manufacturer of set-top-boxes (SFA is not a financial investor in ACTV) and the Washington Post (who is).
The revenue opportunities from advertising
(http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/981203/actv_skyco_1.html) and e-commerce appear to hold the trump card for ACTV, while sports programming through an alliance with Rupert Murdoch's Newcorp., (Fox Sports Television) will provide the daily meat for avid sports fans like myself. Of course, the proof is in the pudding sort of speak, but multiple camera angles and replays that enjoy the same prospective tell me I might win a few more bets!
The company also enjoys relationships with some industry giants like Sun Microsystems, who is a partner in the ACTV Net (or) now known as HyperTVInc.Com (a recent name change). Together the companies market applications for the online education market of which ACTV holds several contracts, and whose leader just joined ACTV from the Lotus Group at IBM (check their numbers out, considering their success I'll bet on him). HyperTV is a patented Java Based technology.
So considering the partners, At&T/TCI, Fox Sports, United Video Satellite (TV Guide), Sun Microsystems, Liberty Media, General Instruments, Scientific Atlanta, Cablevision and others, this company has a pretty compelling story to tell.
@Home (ATHM 107.00) is a good example of the benefit of being saddled up with the right partners like TCI, and they are just a means-to-an-end hardware company. ACTV has access to the same subscriber base, the difference being that ACTV will enhance Live TV broadcasts, Pre-Recorded Broadcasts (like the super bowl, I am still questioning a few of those calls), pay-per view concerts and God help us married guy's, the Home Shopping Network...
How's that for some hype(rTV)!? Seriously, spend some time and look at this company and their wares. I think you will find this issue is a buy even if it gets to the Real Networks level, and they can't even stream a URL address!
Oh ya, if your reading this you probably have a pc at you disposal, but what if you didn't? Not to worry, your set-top-box could be capable of delivering it as well...
Dave Hand
zdii.com
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