Time Warner Merger Essay

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When Disney announced their massive $52 Billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox, I had a hunch that there would be rough waters ahead with federal regulators. Now there's talk that the deal may not go through based on how AT&Ts bid to take over Time Warner is going. And with it, Comcast is emerging as a likely replacement. But won't that offer the same problems?

The issue is revealing the coalescing of the industry as major corporations continue to buy one another. Concerned, the US Department of Justice has taken the move block AT&T's Time Warner merger based on anti-trust concerns. The feds did something similar when the wireless carrier attempted to buy T-Mobile several years ago. That proved to be a very expensive misstep on AT&Ts part.

“Disney is already preparing itself for a Comcast topping bid and considering responses in case, according to multiple …show more content…

The end result of which, could ultimately have an impact on Disney's merger with Fox. It also means that Comcast may emerge as an unlikely player in the whole mess. CNBC reports that Comcast may be preparing to become a competitive suitor for Fox, and a bidding war could erupt. "Comcast executives suggested to [Fox founder Rupert] Murdoch last year they would be willing to pay significantly more for Fox's assets than what Disney was offering," the report says.

CNBC also says that being fearful of regulatory concerns by the federal government, Murdoch opted for Disney's offer. But my question is, would there really be that much difference between the two? Comcast, which had abandoned its own effort to buy Time Warner, owns Universal Studios and NBC's broadcast and cable networks. It's also a silent partner in Hulu's streaming network. That sounds pretty similar to Disney to me. Granted, Disney's reach is probably bigger from a theme park perspective, but not by much, as Comcast is a dominant player in the cable

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