10 Best Media Stocks To Buy Right Now

With shares of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) trading at around $22.80, is EA an OUTPERFORM, WAIT AND SEE or STAY AWAY? Let�� analyze the stock with the relevant sections of our CHEAT SHEET investing framework:

C = Catalyst for the Stock�� Movement

To immediately answer the question in the title, absolutely not. EA might have had several missteps over the past several years, and it�� no secret that revenue has been a major problem, but the worst company in the world doesn�� have a positive profit margin, a strong balance sheet, increased revenue guidance, a�decent product pipeline, increased online exposure, increased social and mobile exposure, consistent annual earnings improvements, and a 75 percent increase in the stock price over the past year.

The big news for Electronic Arts right now is Fuse, which is a sci-fi shooter. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Fuse have received mixed reviews. Below is a very quick breakdown of the most commonly reported positives and negatives:

10 Best Media Stocks To Buy Right Now: Gannett Co. Inc. (GCI)

Gannett Co., Inc. operates as a media and marketing solutions company in the United States and internationally. Its Publishing segment publishes 83 U.S. daily newspapers with affiliated online sites, including USA TODAY, a national, general-interest daily newspaper; USATODAY.com; USA WEEKEND, a magazine supplement for newspapers; Clipper Magazine, a direct mail advertising magazine; bi-weekly Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek periodicals; and military and defense newspapers. This segment also includes 17 paid-for daily newspapers; approximately 200 weekly newspapers, magazines, and trade publications; and approximately 600 non-daily publications, as well as involves in commercial printing, newswire, marketing, and data services operations. The company?s Digital segment owns and operates CareerBuilder, an employment Web site, which offers online recruitment and career advancement services for employers, employees, recruiters, and job seekers; ShopLocal, which provides multicha nnel shopping and advertising services; Planet Discover, which offers hosted search and advertising services; PointRoll, which provides digital marketing services and technology; and Schedule Star, which offers scheduling solution for high school athletic departments. Its Broadcasting segment operates 23 television stations and affiliated Web sites, which produce local programming, such as news, sports, and entertainment programming. This segment also includes Captivate Network, a national news and entertainment network that delivers programming and full-motion video advertising on video screens located in elevators of office towers and select hotel lobbies in North America. The company has strategic business relationships with online affiliates, including Classified Ventures, ShopLocal.com, Topix, and Metromix LLC, as well as strategic marketing agreement with Microsoft. Gannett Co., Inc. was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon Friedman]

  On June 13, Gannett (NYSE: GCI  ) sent Wall Street a clear message: We are much more than the nation's leading newspaper chain.

  That was the day that Gannett announced plans to acquire television company Belo Corp. for $1.5 billion, transforming Gannett's image overnight�from an old-fashioned newspaper chain (bad, bad image) to a more promising television operation (very good one).

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Gannett Co (NYSE: GCI) is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.41 per share on revenue of $1.27 billion.

  VMware (NYSE: VMW) is projected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.82 per share on revenue of $1.29 billion.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Gannett (NYSE: GCI  ) will release its quarterly report next Monday, and investors are unusually enthusiastic about the company's prospects. Although a big acquisition raised awareness of Gannett's businesses outside the struggling newspaper industry, it's still unclear how much of a boost it will produce for Gannett earnings growth in the future.

• [By Sue Chang and Saumya Vaishampayan]

  Gannett Co. (GCI) �shares shed 2.8%. USA Today on Monday said it reached a content and technology partnership with CineSport that will provide a video-technology platform as well as create video content.

10 Best Media Stocks To Buy Right Now: Liberty Global Inc.(LBTYA)

Liberty Global, Inc. provides video, broadband Internet, and telephony services primarily in Europe and Chile. The company offers broadband services over cable distribution systems, including video, broadband Internet, and telephony; and video services through direct-to-home satellite, or through multichannel multipoint distribution systems. Its analog video services comprise basic and expanded basic programming; and digital cable services include basic and premium programming, digital video recorders, and high definition programming, as well as pay-per-view programming, such as video-on-demand and near video-on-demand. In addition, the company offers voice-over-Internet-protocol and circuit-switched telephony services, as well as mobile telephony services using third-party networks. Further, it owns programming networks that provide video programming channels to multi-channel distribution systems owned by the company and the third parties. As of December 31, 2011, the com pany owned and operated networks that passed 33,262,100 homes; and served 18,405,500 video subscribers, 8,159,300 broadband Internet subscribers, and 6,225,300 telephony subscribers. Liberty Global, Inc. was founded in 2004 and is based in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Liberty Global(LBTYA) PLC has agreed to sell substantially all of its international content division Chellomedia to AMC Networks Inc.(AMCX) in a deal worth $1 billion, allowing the cable company to focus on its core markets.

• [By Holly LaFon]

  Besides Yahoo, Loeb�� top holdings are AIG (AIG), Liberty Global Group Inc. (LBTYA) and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (TMO), up 42%, 19% and 17%, respectively, from his average purchase price.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Having completed its $24 billion acquisition of Virgin Media, cable operator Liberty Global (NASDAQ: LBTYA  ) said its board of directors had authorized a $3.5 billion stock repurchase program that it intended to complete over the next two years.

• [By Vera Yuan]

  Dear Fellow Shareholder: The U.S. economy continues to gradually expand, building on the 5+ year recovery from the Great Recession. Employment levels are improving, though progress has been slower than expected. Inflation, for now, remains subdued. As signaled and on cue, the Fed has been weaning the economy (and investors) off of the extraordinary ��uantitative easing��stimulus. Investors have generally shrugged off world events that might otherwise cause high anxiety (ISIS and the Middle East, Russia and Ukraine, etc.). As attention now turns to when the Fed will raise short-term interest rates, it seems plausible that volatility may intensify as the stimulus security blanket is removed. In the meantime, companies are taking advantage of the artificially low interest rate environment and sanguine investor sentiment. Merger activity remains robust, fueled by cheap and readily available credit. The IPO market has been very active, headlined by the successful Alibaba offering in September. Corporate treasurers continue to issue loads of debt on attractive terms, locking in generationally low interest rates for long terms. While these conditions will not last forever, they have helped opportunistic managers accelerate equity value growth at many companies.Investment Commentary and Outlook After three years of seemingly non-stop gains, the stock market took a pause in the third quarter. While most large cap indices eked out modest positive returns, the broader investing waters were far less placid. Small cap stocks sold off as the Russell 2000 declined more than 7% during the quarter. Energy stocks, both large and small, fell materially as investors worried about too much oil and gas supply coming online in North America (what a difference a decade makes). High yield bonds wobbled briefly in July, then again in September. Increasingly, investors are not treating all securities the same, and as stock pickers we welcome this development. Our equity funds��resu

Hot Airline Companies To Watch In Right Now: News Corporation(NWSA)

News Corporation operates as a diversified media company worldwide. Its Cable Network Programming segment produces and licenses news, business news, sports, general entertainment, and movie programming for distribution through cable television systems and direct broadcast satellite operators primarily in the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. The company?s Filmed Entertainment segment produces and acquires live-action and animated motion pictures for distribution and licensing in entertainment media, as well as produces and licenses television programming worldwide. Its Television segment operates 27 broadcast television stations in the United States. The company?s Direct Broadcast Satellite Television segment distributes programming services via satellite and broadband directly to subscribers in Italy. Its Publishing segment provides newspapers and information services, such as publishing national newspapers in the United Kingdom, approximately 146 newspapers in Australia, and a metropolitan and a national newspaper in the United States; book publishing services, including the publishing of English language books worldwide; and integrated marketing services comprising the publishing of free-standing inserts, which are marketing booklets containing coupons, rebates, and other consumer offers, as well as provides in-store marketing products and services, primarily to consumer packaged goods manufacturers in the United States and Canada. The company also sells advertising, sponsorships, and subscription services on the company?s various digital media properties and outdoor advertising space on various media primarily in Russia and eastern Europe; and provides data systems and professional services that enable teachers to use data to assess student progress and deliver individualized instructions. News Corporation was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jonas Elmerraji]

  Topping our list of cash-rich companies is News Corp. (NWSA), the media company behind brands like The Wall Street Journal, The Times, and Foxtel. News Corp. celebrated its one-year anniversary in its current iteration just a month ago, after spinning off from 21st Century Fox (FOXA) last July. Today, the company comes with quite a bit of cash on hand -– the firm's $3.14 billion net cash works out to a whopping 32% of its current market capitalization.

  In a market where investors are complaining about a lack of bargain opportunities, that huge discount on shares of News Corp. is worth paying attention to.

  NWSA isn't without challenges –- print media has been under pressure for years now, and legacy assets like book publisher HarperCollins could be a further drag. That said, News Corp. is cash flow positive in its present form, and the firm has an enviable amount of dry powder ready for acquisitions. Some of the most exciting investments are the ones that live outside of NWSA's print media wheelhouse: exposure to partially-owned TV carrier Foxtel and online real estate classified provider REA Group in Australia are great examples of that.

  Ironically, it's the fact that News Corp.'s predecessor took part in some utterly terrible acquisitions that could help dissipate some of the risks of bad bets at the new company. Names like MySpace (it paid $580 million for the website in 2005, only to sell it for $35 million in 2011) are cautionary tales for News Corp.'s management team. If NWSA can affect some transformational buys in the next few years, investors should collect a premium for shares.

10 Best Media Stocks To Buy Right Now: Time Warner Inc.(TWX)

Time Warner Inc. operates as a media and entertainment company in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Networks, Filmed Entertainment, and Publishing. The Networks segment provides domestic and international networks, premium pay and basic tier television programming services, and digital media properties, which primarily consist of brand-aligned Websites. Its premium pay television services consist of the multi-channel HBO and Cinemax premium pay television services. This segment provides programming to cable system operators, satellite service distributors, telephone companies, and other distributors; sells advertising; and licenses original programming to domestic and international television networks. The Filmed Entertainment segment produces and distributes feature films, television and other programming, and videogames; distributes home video products; and licenses rights to its feature films, television programming, and characters. T he Publishing segment publishes magazines and books; and operates various Websites, as well as engages in marketing services and direct-marketing businesses. This segment publishes magazines on style and entertainment, lifestyle, news, and sports. The company?s brands include TNT, TBS, CNN, HBO, Cinemax, Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, People, Sports Illustrated, and Time. Time Warner Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alex Planes]

  Five years after Pong, with several arcade smash hits under its belt, Atari launched the 2600, which succeeded where Magnavox failed. Development of the Atari 2600 was incredibly lengthy and expensive by the standards of the day, having begun in 1973 after the purchase of an engineering start-up and eventually costing Atari $100 million �to complete. The high development cost, paired with Atari's worsening operating conditions in an industry already saturated with knockoffs, pushed Bushnell to sell the company to Warner Communications (now Time Warner (NYSE: TWX  ) ) a year before the 2600 launched. Atari's arcade division would remain part of Warner until 1985, although it divested the console division a year earlier.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Then we have a catalyst that has yet to play out. Hemlock Grove -- the latest show that will be exclusively available on Netflix for the time being -- begins streaming next weekend. After February's wildly successful House of Cards, if Netflix can nab another magnetic property, it will be that much harder for folks to cancel subscriptions between programming lulls. Netflix will have proved itself worthy of scoring magnetic content, and the comparison's with Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX  ) HBO will be even more apropos.

• [By Tim Beyers]

  San Diego Comic-Con is almost here, and with it a slew of announcements from the companies driving the pop-culture zeitgeist. Few loom as large as Warner Bros. television, which continues to be an interesting catalyst for Time Warner (NYSE: TWX  ) stock.
  
  At Comic-Con, Warner will highlight four new shows. Almost Human, which will air Mondays on Fox, stars Karl Urban as a detective paired with an android. There's also The Originals, a spinoff of top-rated CW show The Vampire Diaries. The Tomorrow People is about a group of young people with special powers. And The 100 is a post-apocalyptic drama about juvenile delinquents banished from a space-based "Ark" back to a supposedly scorched Earth. �
  
  Can the strategy work? History doesn't offer much hope. Comedies such as The Big Bang Theory and Two-and-a-Half Men still carry much of the weight for the studio, and therefore Time Warner stock. But it's also worth remembering that Arrow -- based on the DC Comics superhero -- has already been reupped thanks to strong ratings.

10 Best Media Stocks To Buy Right Now: Thomson Reuters Corp(TRI)

Thomson Reuters Corporation provides intelligent information for businesses and professionals worldwide. The company allows market participants to connect, access content, and trade in a secure environment through Thomson Reuters Eikon desktop, Thomson Reuters Elektron network, content integration and management technology, content feeds and databases, and transactions infrastructure solutions that support buy- and sell-side customers to trade in foreign exchange, fixed income and derivatives, equities, exchange-traded instruments, and commodities and energy markets. It also offers information, analytics, workflow, and technology solutions to buy-side and off-trading floor customers; access to liquidity in over-the-counter markets, trade execution, and connections for market participants and financial professionals? communities; and a suite of solutions offering informed outcomes to regulated industries and law firms. In addition, the company provides critical information , decision support tools, and software and services to legal, investigation, business, and government professionals; integrated tax compliance and accounting software and services for accounting and law firms, corporations, and government professionals; intellectual property and scientific resources that enable its customers to discover, develop, and deliver innovations; and data analytics, and performance benchmarking solutions and services to healthcare sector. Further, it offers coverage of global, regional, and national news in 20 languages covering politics, business, finance, entertainment, lifestyle, technology, health, science, and sports; and engages in advertising-supported direct-to-consumer publishing activities of Reuters.com and its network of Websites, mobile applications, and electronic out-of-home displays. The company was formerly known as The Thomson Corporation and changed its name to Thomson Reuters Corporation in April 2008. The company is headquartered in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  Thomson Reuters (NYSE: TRI  ) has acquired Canadian trademark search, monitoring, and screening firm Onscope, Thomson announced Tuesday.

• [By Bill Smith]

  FDS operates in a highly competitive industry, some with more resources. Their competitors include:
  Thomson Reuters Corp. (TRI)BloombergInteractive (IDC)MSCI Inc. (MXB)Morningstar Inc. (MORN)Track Data Corp. (TRAC)Edgar Online (EDGR)McGraw-Hill (MHP )

• [By Rich Smith]

  This series, brought to you by Yahoo! Finance, looks at which upgrades and downgrades make sense, and which ones investors should act on. Today, our headlines feature an upgrade for Thomson Reuters Reuters (NYSE: TRI  ) , a new buy rating for Novavax (NASDAQ: NVAX  ) -- but for Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP  ) , a downgrade. Let's get that bad news out of the way first.

• [By Monica Wolfe]

  Thomson Reuters (TRI)

  On Feb. 11, Thomson Reuters declared a dividend of $0.330 per share, representing 3.80% dividend yield for the company. This dividend is payable on March 17 to shareholders of the record at the close of business on Feb. 24, 2014.

10 Best Media Stocks To Buy Right Now: Time Warner Cable Inc(TWC)

Time Warner Cable Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a cable operator in the United States. It offers video, high-speed data, and voice services over its broadband cable systems to residential and commercial customers. The company provides a range of video services, including on-demand, high-definition (HD), and digital video recorder (DVR) services; residential high-speed data services with connection to the Internet; wireless mobile broadband Internet services; and digital phone services to residential customers. It offers video programming tiers and music services; high-speed data, networking, and transport services; and commercial digital phone service to small and medium-sized businesses under the Time Warner Cable Business Class brand. Further, Time Warner Cable Inc. sells advertising to various national, regional, and local customers. As of June 30, 2011, the company served approximately 14.5 million residential and commercial customers in the New Yor k State, the Carolinas, Ohio, southern California, and Texas. Time Warner Cable Inc. is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael Calia]

  Comcast Corp.(CMCSA) is much more likely to work with Charter Communications Inc.(CHTR) on a bid for Time Warner Cable Inc.(TWC) than to pursue an offer on its own, said a person familiar with the situation–a major boost to Charter’s hopes of winning the takeover battle.

10 Best Media Stocks To Buy Right Now: DIRECTV(DTV)

DIRECTV provides digital television entertainment in the United States and Latin America. The company provides direct-to-home (DTH) digital television services, as well as multi-channel video programming distribution services in the United States. It offers various channels of digital-quality video entertainment and CD-quality audio programming directly to subscribers' homes or businesses, as well as video-on-demand services; and approximately 160 national high-definition television channels and 4 3D channels. The company also provides premium professional and collegiate sports programming, such as the NFL SUNDAY TICKET package, which allows subscribers to view the NFL games. In addition, it offers DTH digital television services in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico. The company provides its local and international programming under the DIRECTV and SKY brand names. As of December 31, 2010, it served approximately 19.2 million subscribers in the United States; and 8.9 million subscribers in Latin America. The company was founded in 1990 and is based in El Segundo, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Kenny Yang]

  Suncor's trading multiples have been depressed in recent years because of poor capital allocation and operational issues such as low utilization of its facilities. Nonetheless, when Steve Williams was promoted to CEO in May 2012, he made concrete plans to improve capital allocation and increase reliability at existing facilities. Not only has operational and financial results improved considerably since May 2012, but also Suncor attracted Warren Buffett's attention. Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) bought 17.8 million shares of Suncor in Q2 and the author expects Buffett to continue to build his stake further similar to how Berkshire built its stake in DirectTV (DTV) and General Motors (GM). For Suncor investors, keep an eye out for Berkshire's 13F that is scheduled to release in mid-November.

• [By Jamal Carnette]

  The product has also changed. What was initially a wireline operation has become mostly a wireless business. The company has ventured into other business lines -- with the DIRECTV� (NASDAQ: DTV  ) �acquisition,�AT&T is looking to become a larger presence in pay TV.

10 Best Media Stocks To Buy Right Now: Comcast Corporation(CMCSA)

Comcast Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides entertainment, information, and communications products and services in the United States and internationally. Its Cable Communications segment provides video, high-speed Internet, and phone services to residential and business customers. As of June 30, 2011, its cable systems served approximately 22.5 million video customers, 17.5 million high-speed Internet customers, and 9.1 million phone customers. The company?s Cable Networks segment operates cable entertainment networks, such as USA Network, Syfy, E!, Bravo, Oxygen, Style, G4, Chiller, Sleuth, and Universal HD; news and information networks, including CNBC, MSNBC, and CNBC World; cable sports networks comprising Golf Channel and VERSUS; regional sports and news networks; international entertainment, and news and information networks, such as CNBC Europe, CNBC Asia, and Universal Networks International portfolio of networks; cable television production oper ations; and digital media properties consisting primarily of brand-aligned Websites and other Websites, such as DailyCandy, Fandango, and iVillage. Its Broadcast Television segment operates the U.S. broadcast networks, NBC and Telemundo; 10 NBC and 15 Telemundo owned local television stations; broadcast television productions; and related digital media properties. The company?s Filmed Entertainment segment operates Universal Pictures, which produces, acquires, markets, and distributes filmed entertainment and stage plays worldwide in various media formats for theatrical, home entertainment, television, and other distribution platforms. Its Theme Parks segment operates Universal Studios Hollywood park and Wet ?n Wild water park, as well as licenses intellectual properties and provides services to third parties that own and operate Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Singapore. Comcast Corporation was founded in 1963 and is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chris Isidore]

  Spain said he was able to cancel the service -- in just 17 minutes -- when he called back the next day. He said once the video went viral, a Comcast (CMCSA)executive called him to apologize. "It seemed genuine," Spain said.

10 Best Media Stocks To Buy Right Now: DISH Network Corporation(DISH)

DISH Network Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides direct broadcast satellite (DBS) subscription television services in the United States. It offers programming that includes approximately 280 basic video channels, 60 Sirius satellite radio music channels, 30 premium movie channels, 35 regional and specialty sports channels, 2,800 local channels, 250 Latino and international channels, and 55 channels of pay-per-view content. The company also offers local HD channels in approximately 160 markets and 215 national HD channels; and receiver systems, including a small satellite dish, digital set-top receivers, and remote controls. In addition, it provides DISHOnline.com, which enables DISH Network subscribers to watch 150,000 movies, television shows, clips, and trailers; DISH Remote Access that enables subscribers to remotely manage their DVRs using compatible mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops through their broadband-connected receiver; and Go ogle TV that enables DISH Network subscribers to search the Internet, check email, interact with social media, and find additional online programming content while simultaneously watching television. As of March 31, 2011, the company had approximately 14.191 million customers. DISH Network provides receiver systems and programming through direct sales channels; and independent third parties, such as small satellite retailers, direct marketing groups, local and regional consumer electronics stores, nationwide retailers, and telecommunications companies. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael Lewis]

  The DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH  ) , Clearwire (NASDAQ: CLWR  ) , Sprint (NYSE: S  ) , Softbank M&A extravaganza continues to become more confusing and fun to watch. As the CFIUS clears,�the Japanese bank for its proposed acquisition of telecom Sprint, competing bidder DISH, which also has a bid for Clearwire, which is also being bid on by Sprint, has now refocused on its offer for Clearwire, raising it substantially above its competitor's offer. The news has various stock moving in various directions, with Clearwire shareholders the latest winners. If you are trying to play this acquisition merry-go-round, good luck because -- like this paragraph -- the story is all over the place.

• [By Anders Bylund]

  Japanese mobile operator Softbank wants to buy Sprint. So does all-American satellite broadcaster DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH  ) . This is a bidding war, sure, but also a war of words. DISH says the Japanese option is a threat to national security; Softbank asked its banking partners not to support DISH's bid. So Softbank struck an accord with American regulatory bodies that bypassed the alleged security threats, and DISH tapped a handful of other banks to finance its own bid.

10 Best Media Stocks To Buy Right Now: Cablevision Systems Corporation (CVC)

Cablevision Systems Corporation provides telecommunications and media services. It operates in two segments, Telecommunications Services and Other. The Telecommunications Services segment is involved in television business, including video, high-speed data, and VoIP operations, as well as the provision of commercial data and voice services. The Other segment offers Newsday, a daily newspaper; amNewYork, a free daily newspaper; and Star Community Publishing, a group of weekly shopper publications; and newsday.com and exploreLI.com. This segment also engages in motion picture theatre business, Clearview Cinemas; provision of the News 12 Networks, a regional news programming services; and the MSG Varsity network, a network covering high school sports and activities, and other local programs, as well as cable television advertising. Cablevision Systems Corporation was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Bethpage, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  Leading the charge is cable operator Cablevision (NYSE: CVC  ) again found itself in the spotlight, up 9.6%, following the completion of its sale of Optimum West to Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR  ) for $1.625 billion. While shareholders are likely to be pleased seeing this deal completed, shares are really ramping up in expectation that Charter may make a bid for Cablevision. Rumors have been circulating for a week based on a report from Bloomberg News that Charter may look to make a bid for Time Warner Cable�or Cablevision. My stance remains not to chase rumors higher, so I'd suggest watching Cablevision from the sidelines.