buyout
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FCC vote likely dooms Sinclair-Tribune merger
The FCC has voted to send the proposed sale of Tribune Media properties to Sinclair to a hearing, effectively hammering the second-to-last nail in the coffin on the buyout. The agency's commissioners unanimously agreed on a Hearing Designation Order (HDO), which re fers the matter to a judge -- at which point mergers usually die.
GameStop confirms buyout talks as downloads take their toll
It won't shock you to hear that GameStop has been suffering as downloads have taken off. Now, however, it might be looking for help. In the wake of a Reuters leak, GameStop has confirmed that it's in talks about a "potential transaction." While the retail chain is shy about what those discussions involve and isn't promising a deal, the sources claimed that the chats were in response to "buyout interest" from private equity companies like Sycamore Partners.
Murdoch's Sky takeover blocked by UK competition watchdog
Rupert Murdoch has been blocked by the UK's competition watchdog from completing a full buyout of Sky. The media tycoon, which already owns 21st Century Fox and a range of newspapers including The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sun, launched a £11.7 billion ($14.6 billion) takeover bid in December 2016. If successful, it would give the Murdoch family full control of Sky News, as well as the company's extensive TV, internet and phone businesses in the UK. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) rejected the idea, however, due to "media plurality" concerns, or how much power the resulting company would have over public opinion.
Qualcomm rejects Broadcom’s buyout bid
Last week, wireless chip manufacturer Broadcom made a $130 billion bid to buy out rival Qualcomm. The unsolicited proposal was expected to be rejected by Qualcomm, and as of this morning, it has been. The company's board of directors unanimously voted against Broadcom's bid saying that it undervalued Qualcomm.
DJI may have quietly bought (most of) Hasselblad
Okay, here's a weird one: Chinese drone manufacturer DJI has reportedly bought a majority stake in famed camera brand Hasselblad. The news comes from TechCrunch and photography website Luminous Landscape, both of which claim that inside sources have confirmed the as-yet-unannounced deal.
Sky receives takeover bid from 21st Century Fox
21st Century Fox is in advanced talks to buy Sky, a major telecoms player and the biggest pay-TV provider in the UK. Negotiations are underway and the directors of both companies have reached an "agreement" of £10.75 per share. As Bloomberg reports, the deal values Sky at £18.5 billion ($23.2 billion). Fox already owns 39 percent of Sky, and media mogul Rupert Murdoch has tried to buy the remaining slice before. A takeover in 2010 was eventually abandoned, however, after News Corporation (now known as 21st Century Fox) was embroiled in a huge phone hacking scandal.
Does anyone want to buy Twitter?
At the end of September, the list of reported potential suitors for Twitter included Apple, Disney, Google and Salesforce. Based on new reports from Recode and CNBC, it sounds like none of those companies are interested in buying the social network at this point. Recode's sources indicated this week that Google wasn't preparing to make a bid and that Apple wasn't likely to do so either. It followed that up with a report that Disney, after exploring a potential proposal, wouldn't move forward with an official offer. Twitter's shareholders surely aren't happy about those big names withdrawing interest as the company's stock fell 9 percent yesterday.
Disney is reportedly considering a bid for Twitter
CNBC reported late last week that Google and Salesforce were interesting in buying Twitter. TechCrunch followed that up with its own report that the list of potential buyers included Microsoft and Verizon. The latest company to be mentioned as a potential suitor is Disney. Bloomberg reports that the company is working with financial advisers on a possible bid for the social network.
Verizon is reportedly close to buying Yahoo for $5 billion (updated)
Remember when Verizon bought out AOL (Engadget's parent brand) last year? Then get ready for deja vu: the communications giant is reportedly in closing talks to purchase Yahoo later this year. Sources familiar with the deal have told Bloomberg and Recode that Verizon is offering almost $5 billion to take over Yahoo's core business and real estate holdings. The deal still isn't finalized, but sources say it's close. That's good news for Tim Armstrong, who's been hoping to use the buyout to expand the AOL userbase from 700 million to almost two billion.
Fitbit buys Coin to help with mobile payments
Fitbit is purchasing (almost all of) Coin, the payments startup that developed a universal credit card replacement. The world's biggest maker of wearable technology can now leverage Coin's know-how and integrate NFC-based commerce to its hardware. Fitbit has already said that there are "no plans" to integrate Coin's setup into the products it'll launch in 2016, so you can be damn sure it'll be there for 2017. It's not going to be a big leap for either party, as Coin was working on some form of payments watch earlier this year. At the time, it had signed up Atlas Wearables, Omate and Moov, as well as MasterCard to handle the processing.
Foxconn likely to become Sharp's new owner
Foxconn is now the clear favorite to buy Sharp after offering $5.5 billion for the moribund electronics firm. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Foxconn's bid was so large that it's now entering "exclusive talks" to seal the deal. Previously, the firm was running a close-second to INCJ, an investment fund backed by the Japanese government. It was hoped that INCJ would win in order to keep one of Japan's oldest electronics firms out of the hands of foreign owners. Unfortunately, it's believed that the fund offered around $2.5 billion for the loss-making maker of displays, home entertainment equipment and appliances.
Adblock Chrome extension has been sold to an unknown buyer
Ad blockers have been all over the news lately, in large part because of Apple's decision to allow them in iOS 9. Now, the creator of one of the most well-known ad blockers has apparently decided to sell his creation to an undisclosed company. As reported by The Next Web, creator Michael Gundlach posted a note in an update to his Adblock Chrome Extension saying that he was selling the company, with his "long-time managing director" taking over the role of working with that new company. It seems that Gundlach is no longer working with Adblock at all
Amazon reportedly ready to snatch Twitch away from Google (update: confirmed)
Remember that rumored $1 billion deal Google worked out to purchase the internet's most popular game-streaming service? Amazon may be taking it over. According to The Information, folks close to the deal say that Twitch and Amazon are in late stage talks for a $1 billion acquisition. Why the change in buyer? It's not clear (or confirmed), though it might be a response to concerns that joining Google could stifle innovation or competition. Either way, neither company is talking about the rumor right now, though one person involved suggested that the deal could be formally announced soon. Update: Amazon and Twitch made the news official after this was published.
Google is reportedly buying Twitch for $1 billion
What's the internet's most popular game-streaming service worth? About $1 billion, if VentureBeat sources have their story straight. Earlier this year, Variety and the Wall Street Journal reported that Google was in talks to acquire Twitch, but conceded that the two companies were only just starting negotiations. Now, sources familiar with the deal say an agreement has been reached, though its unclear when the reported acquisition will be officially announced. Naturally, there are some concerns that a Google acquisition of Twitch would stifle competition for rival services, but the tried and true platform could certainly bolster Mountain View's own streaming efforts. If nothing else, perhaps the deal will validate emerging market shared gameplay in the eyes of its doubters. Both Google and Twitch have declined to comment on the report.
Variety: Google is near buying game video service Twitch (update)
AT&T may not be the only one landing a big acquisition this weekend. Variety claims that Google's YouTube division has struck a deal to buy Twitch, the game-focused video streaming service, for more than $1 billion. Neither side is commenting on the rumor, but it's easy to see why YouTube would splurge -- Twitch has more online viewers than some big sports networks, and a takeover would immediately secure a larger presence in the gaming world. Google is reportedly expecting a battle with regulators, which might argue that the deal stifles competition with other internet video providers. If the scoop is accurate, though, the company clearly believes that the expanded audience is worth the hassle. Update: The Wall Street Journal corroborates the rumors, but says that it's still early; Twitch may ultimately raise funding rather than sell itself off. The video-streaming service has told Engadget that it currently has no comment on the report.
AT&T to buy DirecTV for $48.5 billion (updated)
AT&T clearly isn't taking Comcast's recent acquisition efforts lying down; it just announced plans to buy DirecTV in a deal worth about $48.5 billion. The communications giant sees a takeover as an opportunity to expand how it delivers video beyond just the bundles it has today. If officials approve the merger, AT&T could send conventional and internet-based video to virtually any place you happen to be, whether it's on your phone or in mid-flight. This also represents a content grab -- DirecTV has the exclusive rights to NFL Sunday Ticket and other premium programming, so there's a chance that much of its content could reach U-verse and other AT&T offerings.
Comcast proposes giving up 3.9 million customers to clinch its TWC merger
Comcast said it would be willing to shed customers to secure its buyout of Time Warner Cable, and today it's backing up those words with (tentative) deeds. The media behemoth has reached a deal that will see it offload 3.9 million subscribers -- mostly in the Midwest, check after the break to see where -- if the merger goes through. About 1.4 million of those would go to Charter; the remaining 2.5 million will go to a spin-off company where Charter will have a one-third stake (Comcast shareholders own the rest). The move should keep Comcast under 30 percent of the TV market and make Charter the second-largest cable provider in the US. In theory, that's good news for those worried that Comcast would carry too much industry clout if it gets TWC under its belt.
Verizon completes buyout of Vodafone's stake in its cellphone business
After 14 years of partnership, Verizon now has full control over its cellphone business. The telecom giant has officially completed its buyout of Vodafone's 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless, giving it both more independence and leaner operations. The American provider isn't saying just what it will do now that the $130 billion deal is done, but it at least doesn't have to worry about the tensions that sometimes defined its relationship with Vodafone. It's business as usual if you're a subscriber, although we wouldn't rule out changes in the long run.
CNBC: Comcast will buy Time Warner Cable tomorrow for over $40 billion
After months of rumors and a public battle with Charter Communications, CNBC reporter David Faber reports that Time Warner Cable will be acquired by Comcast tomorrow. According to sources, the number one cable TV (and internet) provider in the US will make an all-stock deal worth $159 per share to gobble up the number two provider. Of course, any such agreement would be subject to regulatory approval from the FCC, however Faber indicates Comcast is willing to ditch about 3 million subscribers to make the deal go through. Previous rumors suggested Comcast might split TWC with Charter, but that doesn't appear to be on the table even after Charter proposed a new board of directors for TWC to get its deal done. Another rumor this might put a stake in is today's curiously-timed Apple TV leak, although we'll wait for an official announcement of some kind to judge that.
Toshiba to buy OCZ's assets for $35 million, eyes solid-state supremacy
OCZ's memory technology won't fade into obscurity after all -- Toshiba has agreed to buy the ailing company's assets for $35 million through a bankruptcy auction. As long as the bid wins, Toshiba expects to acquire OCZ's solid-state drive businesses in January. The deal also supplies the financing that OCZ needs to fulfill customer orders during the transition. It's a quiet end for the once-popular storage brand, but the buyout is undoubtedly good news for Toshiba. The Japanese tech giant can now augment its SSD lineup with OCZ's controller chips and flash memory supply; if future Toshiba SSDs outperform their rivals, you'll know who to thank.
