Analyst - Media&Entertainment Sector, Blue Lotus Research Institute

Stan Zhao

Analyst - Media&Entertainment Sector

China growth and global non-US Internet equities

Blue Lotus Research Institute

Blue Lotus Research is a Hong Kong Type 4 Licensed investment advisory firm focusing on Chinese growth equities and global non-US Internet equities

Equity Bottom-Up

Baidu, Inc. operates an Internet search engine. The Company offers algorithmic search, enterprise search, news, MP3, and image searches, voice assistance, online storage, and navigation services. Baidu serves clients globally.

<ul>
<li>Tesla's Cybercab is expected to be under $30,000 in price, with production costs of  ~$25,000 and operating costs of 30-40 cents per mile.</li>
<li>We found Baidu's robotaxi to be faces 50% higher daily total costs and runs a fleet of 600 autonomous vehicles.</li>
<li>To compete with Tesla’s Cybercab by 2026, Baidu must significantly reduce its operating costs. Tesla's lower price and efficiency could capture a larger market share.</li>
</ul>


Tesla's Cybercab is expected to be under $30,000 in price, with production costs of  ~$25,000 and operating costs of 30-40 cents per mile.
We found Baidu's robotaxi to be faces 50% higher daily total costs and runs a fleet of 600 autonomous vehicles.
To compete with Tesla’s Cybercab by 2026, Baidu must significantly reduce its operating costs. Tesla's lower price and efficiency could capture a larger market share.


A Comparison of Tesla’s Cybercab and Baidu’s Apollo Shows the Latter Must Improve

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>Tencent’s &lt;Peacekeeper&gt; saw a strong player return and robust revenue performance due to introducing new gameplay modes, with projected gross billings for 2024 expected to exceed RMB 20 billion.</li>
<li>&lt;DnF Mobile&gt; continues to perform well, maintaining high popularity, leading to an upward revision of its annual revenue forecast.</li>
<li>New games &lt;Civilization Mobile&gt; and &lt;Need for Speed Mobile&gt; experienced a sharp decline in popularity, and with a late release, their contribution to 2024 revenue is expected to be limited.</li>
</ul>


Tencent’s &lt;Peacekeeper&gt; saw a strong player return and robust revenue performance due to introducing new gameplay modes, with projected gross billings for 2024 expected to exceed RMB 20 billion.
&lt;DnF Mobile&gt; continues to perform well, maintaining high popularity, leading to an upward revision of its annual revenue forecast.
New games &lt;Civilization Mobile&gt; and &lt;Need for Speed Mobile&gt; experienced a sharp decline in popularity, and with a late release, their contribution to 2024 revenue is expected to be limited.


China Online Game Grossing Monitor: September 23 - October 10, 2024

<ul>
<li>Tencent's &lt;Honor of Kings&gt; has seen significant grossing growth following gameplay features' expansion and global servers' launch.</li>
<li>Additionally, &lt;Teamfight Tactics Mobile&gt; saw a surge in grossing rankings after its anniversary event and has since maintained a stable position.</li>
<li>&lt;Justice Mobile&gt; has stabilized following its anniversary update, while &lt;Naraka Mobile&gt; experienced a noticeable drop in revenue rankings. Future updates will be monitored to assess the game's performance moving forward.</li>
</ul>


Tencent's &lt;Honor of Kings&gt; has seen significant grossing growth following gameplay features' expansion and global servers' launch.
Additionally, &lt;Teamfight Tactics Mobile&gt; saw a surge in grossing rankings after its anniversary event and has since maintained a stable position.
&lt;Justice Mobile&gt; has stabilized following its anniversary update, while &lt;Naraka Mobile&gt; experienced a noticeable drop in revenue rankings. Future updates will be monitored to assess the game's performance moving forward.


Online Game Monitor: August 13 - September 8, 2024

<ul>
<li>Tencent's <em>&lt;LoLM&gt;</em> shows strong performance after anniversary event, reaching as high as No. 2 on the iOS Grossing Chart with strong player spending sentiment</li>
<li>NetEase's &lt;Justice Mobile&gt; grossing rank continues to decline due to the game's lifecycle, slightly lowering expectations. &lt;Naraka: Bladepoint Mobile&gt; revenue performance is stabilizing, with annual grossing expected around RMB 10bn</li>
<li>Bilibili's <em>&lt;FGO&gt;</em> shows a strong revenue trend, currently in the top 20 on the iOS Grossing Chart, slightly raising expectations</li>
</ul>


Tencent's &lt;LoLM&gt; shows strong performance after anniversary event, reaching as high as No. 2 on the iOS Grossing Chart with strong player spending sentiment
NetEase's &lt;Justice Mobile&gt; grossing rank continues to decline due to the game's lifecycle, slightly lowering expectations. &lt;Naraka: Bladepoint Mobile&gt; revenue performance is stabilizing, with annual grossing expected around RMB 10bn
Bilibili's &lt;FGO&gt; shows a strong revenue trend, currently in the top 20 on the iOS Grossing Chart, slightly raising expectations


Online Game Monitor: July 29-August 13, 2024

<ul>
<li>Tencent's game performance was mixed. &lt;DnF Mobile&gt; continued to perform well, with popularity increasing after the summer update. &lt;Peacekeeper Elite&gt; saw a natural decline due to the game's lifespan.</li>
<li>NetEase's &lt;Naraka Mobile&gt; launched on July 25 and showed an impressive performance with a large influx of players. It is expected to be a blockbuster with billions in annual grossing</li>
<li>Bilibili's &lt;FGO&gt; surged to fifth place on the grossing chart after its anniversary event, demonstrating the strong spending enthusiasm and loyalties of players for this nearly decade-old game.</li>
</ul>


Tencent's game performance was mixed. &lt;DnF Mobile&gt; continued to perform well, with popularity increasing after the summer update. &lt;Peacekeeper Elite&gt; saw a natural decline due to the game's lifespan.
NetEase's &lt;Naraka Mobile&gt; launched on July 25 and showed an impressive performance with a large influx of players. It is expected to be a blockbuster with billions in annual grossing
Bilibili's &lt;FGO&gt; surged to fifth place on the grossing chart after its anniversary event, demonstrating the strong spending enthusiasm and loyalties of players for this nearly decade-old game.


Mr. Stan (Yifei) Zhao is responsible for assisting in Entertainment and Media coverage at Blue Lotus. Before joining Blue Lotus, Stan worked at Meritco as a Business Analyst. He received his master's degree at the University of Glasgow and majored in Economics and Finance.

Stan Zhao
Analyst - Media&Entertainment Sector
• Blue Lotus Research Institute

A Comparison of Tesla’s Cybercab and Baidu’s Apollo Shows the Latter Must Improve

Baidu's robotaxi Apollo faces higher costs to build and operate than Tesla's Cybercab and Baidu must reduce operating costs to compete effectively...

Blue Lotus Research Institute

China Online Game Grossing Monitor: September 23 - October 10, 2024

Tencent's flagship titles thrive with new gameplay modes, while NetEase's new game struggles with declining popularity and late releases impacting...

Blue Lotus Research Institute

Online Game Monitor: August 13 - September 8, 2024

Tencent's mobile games, like <hok> have seen growth in grossing rankings while NetEase's <naraka mobile> is facing a decline.</naraka></hok>

Blue Lotus Research Institute

Online Game Monitor: July 29-August 13, 2024

Tencent's <lolm> excels in post-anniversary events, NetEase's <justice mobile> declines and Bilibili's <fgo> sees strong revenue growth.</fgo><...

Blue Lotus Research Institute

Online Game Monitor: July 15-29, 2024

Tencent's games have mixed performance, NetEase's <naraka mobile> shows performance and Bilibili's climbed the grossing chart after the...

Blue Lotus Research Institute

A Comparison of Tesla’s Cybercab and Baidu’s Apollo Shows the Latter Must Improve

​Baidu's robotaxi Apollo faces higher costs to build and operate than Tesla's Cybercab and Baidu must reduce operating costs to compete effectively...

Blue Lotus Research Institute

China Online Game Grossing Monitor: September 23 - October 10, 2024

​Tencent's flagship titles thrive with new gameplay modes, while NetEase's new game struggles with declining popularity and late releases impacting...

Blue Lotus Research Institute

Online Game Monitor: August 13 - September 8, 2024

​Tencent's mobile games, like <hok> have seen growth in grossing rankings while NetEase's <naraka mobile> is facing a decline.</naraka></hok>

Blue Lotus Research Institute

Online Game Monitor: July 29-August 13, 2024

​Tencent's <lolm> excels in post-anniversary events, NetEase's <justice mobile> declines and Bilibili's <fgo> sees strong revenue growth.</fgo><...

Blue Lotus Research Institute

Online Game Monitor: July 15-29, 2024

​Tencent's games have mixed performance, NetEase's <naraka mobile> shows performance and Bilibili's climbed the grossing chart after the...

Blue Lotus Research Institute

Baidu's robotaxi Apollo faces higher costs to build and operate than Tesla's Cybercab and Baidu must reduce operating costs to compete effectively...

Tencent's flagship titles thrive with new gameplay modes, while NetEase's new game struggles with declining popularity and late releases impacting...

Tencent's mobile games, like <hok> have seen growth in grossing rankings while NetEase's <naraka mobile> is facing a decline.</naraka></hok>

Tencent's <lolm> excels in post-anniversary events, NetEase's <justice mobile> declines and Bilibili's <fgo> sees strong revenue growth.</fgo><...

Tencent's games have mixed performance, NetEase's <naraka mobile> shows performance and Bilibili's climbed the grossing chart after the...