Barclays just hosted its 2017 Eat, Sleep, Play Conference, focusing in on a number of restaurant players. Jeffrey Bernstein, Senior Restaurant Analyst at Barclays was with us to discuss the biggest takeaways from the event.
Despite believing that Shake Shack is head of the class in the better-burger category, Bernstein is maintaining his "Equal Weight" rating for the stock. The analyst points to the fact its shares trade at much higher valuations than its peers. However, he says this is mostly justified because of the rate Shake Shack is opening up stores and growing revenue.
Bernstein also touches on Domino's Pizza and how the chain stacks up against Papa John's and Pizza Hut. Recently, Papa John's said sales were impacted by the kneeling in the NFL. Bernstein says Domino’s was not willing to make a comment like that. He adds Domino's is still bullish on advertising in big sports events because it is still generating a return for them. They are, however, starting to do a lot more online marketing, says Bernstein.
Disney content has gone dark on YouTube TV, leaving subscribers of the Google-owned live streaming platform without access to major networks like ESPN and ABC. That’s because the companies have failed to reach a new licensing deal to keep Disney channels on YouTube TV. Depending on how long it lasts, the dispute could particularly impact coverage of U.S. college football matchups over the weekend — on top of other news and entertainment disruptions that have already arrived. In the meantime, YouTube TV subscribers who want to watch Disney channels could have little choice other than turning to the company’s own platforms, which come with their own price tags.
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
Universal Music Group and AI platform Udio have settled a copyright lawsuit and will collaborate on a new music creation and streaming platform. The companies announced on Wednesday that they reached a compensatory legal settlement and new licensing agreements. These agreements aim to provide more revenue opportunities for Universal's artists and songwriters. The rise of AI song generation tools like Udio has disrupted the music streaming industry, leading to accusations from record labels. This deal marks the first since Universal and others sued Udio and Suno last year. Financial terms of the settlement weren't disclosed.
