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.