The sudden spread of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019), an incurable infectious disease that has killed more than 2,200 people, into Italy, Iran, Austria, Spain, Croatia and South Korea, has sent global markets on a downward spin.
The Dow Feb. 25 reported its worst two-day slide in history in part on the impact of the disease as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta issued a report saying it was “inevitable” the disease would infiltrate the United States.
The news had one Wall Street analyst proclaim a potential upside for Roku, which pioneered the subscription streaming media market with Netflix, and now controls the streaming device market as well.
Needham & Co. analyst Laura Martin, in a note, believes Roku could be a stock that benefits should COVID-19 expand into the United States.
Specifically, Martin contends that should the virus spread domestically, consumers would more likely opt to stay home to be entertained rather than going out to the movies, concerts and other public live-event venues.
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In other words, consumers would increasingly opt for home entertainment choices such as subscription VOD, ad-supported VOD, DVD/Blu-ray Disc rentals and/or purchases.
Indeed, Redbox affords users the ability to rent discs online for quick pick-up at the nearest kiosk. The vendor also enables consumers to rent/buy digital titles online.
Walmart-owned Vudu.com and Amazon Instant Movies do the same, while Movies Anywhere platform directs consumers interested in purchasing or renting titles from one of eight digital partners, including Vudu and Amazon.
Movies Anywhere is available free on Roku players and Roku branded televisions, with the digital hub eliminating the need to surf Roku channels and Apple products looking for new-release movies.
Roku-enabled streaming devices top the market, including Apple TV, Google Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV, with 25% of all connected televisions sold in the U.S. being a branded Roku TV.
“That would boost hours viewed and available ad units above projections,” Martin wrote, promoting investment in Roku as a defensive strategy. She lists Roku with a “Buy” rating and a $200-per-share price target, which is 71% above what the stock closed at on Feb. 25 — and up 3% from the previous day.