This is one exciting stock

Unlike most other film/video production companies, CCN are not exposed to films that flop, that was my main concern.

Basically they have two divisions, The Film Consortium and the Works.

The Film Consortium (TFC) have investors that put up cash for investment in films and TFC advise investors what films they should invest in and find investment for films. This is 'green lighting' or giving the films the go ahead. TFC make money doing this. It isn't TFC whose money goes into the films so if a film tanks it isn't their worry, they only lose a bit of cred I guess and give an investor or two the hump.

The Works (TW) sell the licenses to areas for Films, DVD, VHS and TV for the investor/fim makers. This will be a up front guaranteed fee that they sell to the licensee - the licensee then sells the film thoughout his given area. Each film license is sold with say a license fee of 'at least' 100K for example, depending on how well the film sells then further fees are paid. These are called overages and can boost how much CCN get big time. I think this is why CCN are excited about My Summer of Love, as it looks like there will be lots of overages on this film, and there are overages on other films coming in.

The third revenue stream is The Works selling licenses for third party films they have had nothing to do with organising the funding of - sales agents basically and the more well known The Works gets, the more of these they expect to come in.

For the year gone they have organised 1.2m of funding towards 15 films. That doesn't mean each film is only 80K to make, it means they have organised part of the funding for a number of films but the films may have other backers. The year ahead will see 7m of funding organised through Surefire which is going toward that 40m of films in production they mention in the results. They expect to have these canned by Christmas in order to get the tax breaks before April 1 (100% tax allowance in the first year on films below 15m budget).

Lottery funding has finished as far as being one of 3 main lottery recipients for funding goes but they can apply on a per film basis to get lottery funding. In it's place is Surefire. Surefire is a dedicated business for finding film investors and they are pumping in lots of money (that 7m for starters this year) so the investment to go into films should be much greater. Two directors that have been running Surefire have become non execs on the CCN board.

They also have a new major shareholder Fandango, who bought the 29.9% stake held by former Civilian founder Richard Thompson. These are Italian film makers and are set to put 3 films the way of CCN each year.

The FD was saying that they have only really started to get this business focussed as they have only just disposed of the last remains of the old CCN business which was a canned meat business so it's in its infancy in a way.

There is no reason I can see why this business should trade on a PE as low as 8. They have got rid of two thirds of the staff and boosted gross margins massively from 40 odd per cent to 92%. They don't get hit when a film flops, the worst that happens is films get delayed and so earning might slip back, but they don't disappear with big chunks of investment down a black hole.

Growth here could be huge, the 2.2p forecast for this year could well be smashed big time. This is a completely transformed business that is just getting up and running. Fandango have 29.9%, the two directors from Surefire have 4% and they are all set to synergise with each other over the coming years.

I can't begin to think what the growth could be like here but at a guess it is going to be massive. Overages create much, much higher earnings. If TFC organise great films for investment and then find the licensees and the films sell (as seems to be happening) then they are going to do fantastically imo.

These don't have the risk associated with the likes of Winchester Entertainments and so the PE should be much higher imo.

2.2p eps looks like being beaten easily imo. I'm sure these will re-rate to a PE of 12-15 and will do at least 2.5p eps this year which could mean 37p a share by the financial year end. They also will have 2m in cash come year end so one third the market cap is cash - that has to be worth another few pence on the share price.

If they beat 2.5p eps this year and do 3p as I suspect then come the financial year end they will be on an historic PE of 12, probably a forward PE of 8 (if the share price is 37p) and 2m in the bank with an absolute ton of films in production for their clients. If that were the case I reckon that would see the share price at 50p+ in 12 months time.

They seem very confident about the next twelve months and films in production are growing rapidly and in value size.

There's one last sweet spot - there is always the chance they hit on a Harry Potter the more films they get involved with. If they do then earning go ballistic.

They have 6.5m losses on the P&L account so no tax to pay on earnings for some time. They are also able to extract decent grants from the Lottery Fund on a one off basis and get grants from the British Film Council too.

Worth a look imo.

CR

Very good news today from Civilian which should wake things up.

PpP: Congrats on the gain at CCN. I wasn't aboard but it's good to see your research bring in rewards.
sd.

squidd I am expecting much more from CCN when they report their second half as the first half should be nothing special, not bad, but nothing wonderful too, but second half news flow and results should be excellent.

From uk-analyst.com

Film production, finance, and international sales group Civilian Content saw its shares march 2.25p higher to 11.25p after it announced the launch of a new film distribution company, The Works UK Distribution. The company said that its new venture, which will be staffed by a team of 5, intends to distribute 8 to 10 films in its first year of operation. The company said that the move into UK distribution had handed it the opportunity to expand in production, an area where there are significant constraints on volume.

Civilian Content PLC
25 July 2005

CIVILIAN CONTENT PLC PURCHASES STAKE IN MOTIVE TV PLC

25 July 2005

Civilian Content Plc ('Civilian'), the film production, finance, UK distribution and international sales group announces today that it has acquired a 5.92% stake in Motive Television plc ('Motive'). Motive is the AIM-listed television investment vehicle headed by ex-Chrysalis industry veteran, Mick Pilsworth. The company was established in May 2005 to acquire television production and licensing businesses in the UK, following recent favourable regulatory changes in the television market.

Motive's first acquisition was a TV Production business owned by Setanta, the
successful Irish sports driven broadcaster. Civilian's decision to invest
follows meetings with the Motive management in the period prior to launch.

Chris Auty, CEO of Civilian, commented today,
'This is a strategic investment for the company as we look to further diversify
our interests. Recent changes to the regulatory framework governing terms of
trade in the TV sector are clearly favourable to the production sector,
particularly in drama and series. We believe Mick Pilsworth and his team have
the experience to build Motive by acquisition in a sector which is undergoing
consolidation'

Notes to Editors:
1. Civilian Content plc bought on 22nd July 2005 2,651,000 shares at 3.5p
in Motive TV plc from Crispin Barker, non-executive chairman of Civilian. This
is a total consideration of 92,785 plus stamp duty. These shares represent the
entirety of Mr. Barker's stake in Motive TV.
As part of the purchase agreement, Civilian has a put option on the shares at
3.5p back to Mr. Barker during November and December 2005. As part of this
agreement, Civilian would retain 65% of any gain in the shares above 3.5p.
2. Civilian Content plc is a film production, finance, UK distribution and
international sales group consisting of three wholly-owned subsidiary companies:
The Works International (film rights sale, managed by Joy Wong), The Film
Consortium film production, managed by Neil Peplow), and The Works UK
Distribution Ltd (managed by Mick Southworth). All three units are located in
Civilian's offices and all three units report to group MD, Chris Auty and group
FD, Norman Humphrey.
3. Motive Television plc was formed to acquire businesses in the
independent television production sector. The management of Motive Television
plc is a team of proven and experienced industry executives that intends to use
its experience of mergers and acquisitions in the television sector to identify
profitable businesses with growth potential.

Motive Television PLC floated on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in May
2005. It will be an acquirer of target companies in the independent television
production sector. The Directors expect to raise additional finance either
through raising debt and/or through the issue of further equity to complete any
acquisitions the Company may identify.
Motive's first acquisition was Setanta TV, a Dublin-based sports, documentary
and factual TV production company which has been renamed Motive Television Ltd.

Good for CCN or good for Crispin Barker?

Good for CB as he's got the company to finance a punt for a few months. It looks like he could be going the same way as Content where they have no regard for shareholders. This is going nowhere now until the Distribution business takes off or we hear of new films on the horizon.

Altoid - I'm afraid "new" films won't do it. They have to be "good" films!

This is a business based on keeping its staff in employment in a very uncertain world (from which I make my living). Look at the mess ContentFilm (CFL) got into last year from which it is also trying to reinvent itself.

CNN is a fun punt if you are a cineast and want a reason to watch the business, but as an investment it has no more place in a serious portfolio than picking race horses out of the newspaper (probably less - at least there is a probability that they are even in the race!).

sd

I took it as read that they wouldn't do new films unless they were good. But you're right. It's interesting looking at the 3 quoted film companies, CFL,CCN and IFM. None of them is heavily capitalised but if one of them could break out, get some critical mass, then I believe there could be an increase in investor interest.

altoid - the trouble is, you can't tell if you've got a good film until you have spent several million making it - the script, director and cast dooes not always translate into the expected product, especially on the more modest $5-25million budget films financed/made in UK.

There is a well-known list of low budget British films that performed unexpectedly well after great difficulty in getting them financed - from Chariots of Fire, Crying Game, Four Weddings, to Waking Ned etc - all of them the exceptions, not the norms which mostly sank with little trace.

sd

CCN now is changed to WKS with the new name of The Works Media Group.

New thread started for the new name.

http://www.moneyam.com/InvestorsRoom/posts.php?tid=8575#lastread