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Blue Chip

Disney is totally and 100% over ‘Sky’

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Comcast gets it all… all of Sky, at least. As we speculated the other day, 21st Century Fox will be selling its 39% stake in Sky to Comcast. This news comes a day after Comcast won a bidding war against 21st Century Fox for 61% of Sky. And Fox has decided to give up and “…congratulate Comcast on their pending acquisition.” Isn’t that nice?

 

To get Sky… Comcast has to pay 25% more than their previous offer – so maybe they are the real losers. Fox also faced hurdles relating to UK regulations and whether the company would be a “fit and proper” owner of the company. The battle became even more significant when Disney outbid Comcast for Fox’s assets, which included the 39% stake in Sky.

 

Now Disney can pay for other things… like their purchase of Fox. Not only did the company save money by losing the bid, they just gained around $15 billion selling their existing stake. And besides, Disney has other fish to fry – including plans to invest in streaming services like Hulu, where the company will soon have a 60% stake. Also, if you thought Disney would be distancing themselves from Comcast – they won’t – because Comcast currently owns 30% of Hulu. Ah, good times…

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Fang

Facebook is doing Facebook things…

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You should know by now… that Facebook isn’t just Facebook – they do all kinds of things. And making virtual headsets falls under the “all kinds of things” category. The company just debuted the Oculus Quest which will be released next spring, and you can have it for a small fee of $399.

 

The latest VR headset… combines the mobility of the Oculus Go with the power of the Oculus Rift. However, unlike the Oculus Rift, this new model doesn’t need a PC to work. The updated headset also features four wide-angle cameras for better position tracking.

 

Even if you don’t get far in life… you’ll get far with this headset because you can move around up to 4,000 square feet. So if you didn’t know Facebook made VR headsets, well, now you know. The company purchased Oculus back in 2014 for $3 billion. And there used to be something called “Facebook Spaces,” a virtual reality social network. We’re not so sure about that idea…but we do know that we are excited for the new headset!

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Hustlin'

Sears is in denial about bankruptcy

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Sears is goin’ broke… however, put in technical terms, the company faces “significant near-term constraints” in its cash position. The company owes $134 million in debt, and those payments all come due in October. CEO Eddie Lampert has proposed that Sears sell the Kenmore appliance brand (to him), along with most everything else.

 

Don’t say bankruptcy… because Lampert was undoubtedly careful not to. However, if you know what bankruptcy entails – Sears is about to file for bankruptcy. Interestingly enough, Lampert’s hedge fund holds much of Sears debt, which is why the CEO is open to buying Kenmore and the company’s home improvement business.

 

Lampert has a conflict of interest… that is pretty apparent. However, decisions to buy and sell aren’t really up to him – they are up to the independent board members of the company. However, Sears issued a statement saying they are “pursuing” the plan but makes no guarantees – so slow your roll there, Lampert.

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Blue Chip

Is AT&T out of their mind!?

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They’re taking on… Google and Facebook in the advertising space with a new business of their own. AT&T announced its new advertising division, Xandr, and a plan to create targeted TV and online advertising. The ads will be shown on channels like CNN and will be different depending on who is watching.

 

This isn’t new… but targeted advertising is particularly interesting for AT&T because it now owns cable channels through its acquisition of Time Warner. Time Warner, now WarnerMedia, comes with CNN, TNT, HBO, and several other high-profile channels. The company also has plenty of existing relationships with its hoard of wireless customers.

 

The ad business is vital to… “fuel the great content being developed,” according to CEO Brian Lesser. And paying for content, such as HBO, doesn’t come cheap. The company aims to give you an HBO experience that is always up-to-date and highly entertaining – you know, so customers don’t get bored and leave.

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