LibertyMedia
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Comcast denies possible purchase of NBC, claims it can only offer a window
Surprising absolutely no one who has ever waited for a repair or installation, an internet rumor Wednesday suggested Comcast is in talks to take advantage of an oddly scheduled window of availability to purchase NBC Universal. Whether it shows up on time is still up in the air, but with ownership of the media group divided 80/20 by GE and Vivendi the rumored deal would be worth $35 billion, with around $7 billion due Vivendi during this annual period when it can exercise a put option on the shares it owns. Time Warner and DirecTV owner Liberty Media have also been rumored as suitors, can anyone imagine NBC and Syfy under the same umbrella as Versus?
DirecTV to merge with majority shareholder Liberty Entertainment
Hmm, now isn't this interesting? Just months after Liberty Media reached out at the eleventh hour and rescued Sirius XM from imminent bankruptcy, it's now spinning off its entertainment division (Liberty Entertainment) and combining it with DirecTV (which Liberty already controls). We're told that the new Liberty Entertainment will hold 54 percent of DirecTV Group shares and 65 percent interest in the Game Show Network, not to mention three regional sports networks and a few other things not worth mentioning. The move is being made as the "John Malone-controlled vehicle looks to simplify its capital structure," and if all goes well, the paperwork should be completed by the end of the year. Oh, and so far as we can tell, DirecTV consumers won't even notice the shuffling going on behind the scenes.
FSN Northwest, Pittsburgh & Rocky Mountain networks switch to full time HD
The three regional sports networks joined under Liberty Media have switched to full time HD, promising more than 900 events per year. FSN Northwest, FSN Rocky Mountain and FSN Pittsburgh were part of the recently completed DirecTV swap and still have a syndication relationship with the also all-HD-in-'09 Fox Sports Network. Whether or not you understand the ownership of the various FSN nets, Mariners, Pirates, Jazz and other fans can be satisfied they'll be enjoying all their games in high definition, once the HD feeds are picked up by their local cable / satellite provider of course.
Sirius / DirecTV bundles already being considered
We posed the question barely a week ago, and already we've got our answer. Or, not really, but pretty much. You see, Liberty Media (DirecTV's parent company) CEO Gregg Maffei told analysts on a recent conference call that "one could talk about or imagine bundles, probably the $80 [per month] DirecTV product offering free trials of the $11 [monthly] Sirius XM product more likely than the other way around." He continued by stating that he hoped Sirius and DirecTV could "proceed on some of those in ways that are obviously beneficial for both parties." Really, we feel that it's just a matter of time. DirecTV has been grappling for ways to outgun DISH for years, and it'd be tough to fathom the satcaster having Sirius as a cousin and not exploiting it. Whether or not bundled sat ratio will be enough to make prospective customers choose it over other pay-TV alternatives remains to be seen, but really, what does DirecTV (or Sirius, for that matter) have to lose?[Thanks, Vanbrothers]
Will Liberty Media's rescue of Sirius XM lead to DirecTV partnerships?
It's the question that's everyone's wondering, so we'll just put it out there. Will Liberty Media's saving of Sirius XM lead to any sort of Sirius-DirecTV tie-up? Earlier this week, Liberty Media (which owns DirecTV) decided to loan the nearly bankrupt Sirius XM $530 million in exchange for a 40 percent equity stake. Now, DirecTV is a direct cousin of yet another satellite-based company. We already knew that both DirecTV and DISH were considering the merits of mobile TV, but according to a new report from Reuters, this could be the deal that finally urges the former to pursue it. Liberty Chief Executive Greg Maffei stated that it "would be looking at the possibilities of co-marketing DirecTV and Sirius XM to each other's subscribers and joint content deals, as well as working on a mobile video initiative." Of course, those weren't the primary reasons the deal was done, but only time will tell if it was lingering on the back of Liberty's mind as the ink dried.[Thanks, Vanbrothers]
Liberty Media rescues Sirius XM from bankruptcy
We guess those bailout talks with DirecTV weren't so futile after all, huh? The satcaster's parent company, Liberty Media, has just stepped in to rescue Sirius XM from the clutches of bankruptcy, providing a $530 million life raft that it will use to pay off looming debt payments and keep operations humming. Liberty will write a $280 million check immediately, of which $171 million will go straight to debtors. Another round of funding (to the tune of $250 million) will be available to Sirius XM in order to "help it pay its debts and ward off a potential takeover of Sirius by Charlie Ergen's DISH Network." In return for this mighty appreciated favor, Liberty Media will own 12.5 million shares of preferred stock in Sirius XM, which it can convert into common stock should it so choose. Also of note, founder John Malone and Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei are likely to join Sirius XM's board of directors. Is that a collective sign of relief we just heard, or what?[Via Denver Business Journal, thanks Michael]
Sirius XM in bailout talks with DirecTV
Safe to say that satellite radio is far down the list of priorities for Uncle Sam's bailout bucks, so Sirius XM CEO Mel Karmazin pounded some pavement today, hitting up DirecTV and its parent company Liberty Media to try and save his bankrupted radio hydra. Apparently Smelly Melly isn't as hot for EchoStar owner Charles Ergan to buy Sirius XM out as was previously rumored, but there's a showdown brewing: Ergan's been busy taking control of Sirius XM's debt, so any deal with Liberty / DirecTV would result in feuding ownership interests. Making things even more interesting, it sounds like Ergan and Karmazin don't really get along, so this deal with DirecTV is basically his last shot at keeping his job. Desperate men do desperate things -- we'll see how this one shakes out. Read - Reuters Read - NYT
Bigwigs tussle over DirecTV Latin America's future
Not that DirecTV CEO Chase Casey and his chairman John Malone have begun grabbing each other by the ties yet, but reports are flowing that the two aren't in agreement about the future structure of DirecTV Latin America. Liberty Media, which has a controlling stake in the satcaster, could actually spin DirecTV LA off once Liberty gains full control -- at least, that's the vibe being felt from Liberty CEO Greg Maffei. Carey commented that he wasn't "a fan of financial re-engineering," noting that spinoffs and "similar engineering options haven't been particularly successful." On a slightly related note, he also made mention that the satcaster's exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket deal may not remain that way after it expired in 2011 due to "cost considerations." Hate to say it, DirecTV, but we're pretty sure cable / fiber users nationwide won't feel sorry for you.[Image courtesy of Business Week, thanks Vanbrothers]
QVCHD launches on SES AMERICOM satellites
QVCHD joined in with the Cable Show announcements, unfortunately (or fortunately, for those hoping their already-packed coax lines add a network with actual programming) still carrier-less, but now available to cable providers via SES AMERICOM's HD-PRIME satellites.That's right, the AMC-11 bird is all set, ready to deliver trinkets of varying quality and worth to all of the households demanding the ability to shop armed with only TV & phone. We just died a little inside.
QVC HD gives couch-based shoppers a closer look at overpriced wares
Because there's not one single SD-only channel still out there that needs to make the leap to high-def, we're seeing QVC take its home shopping extravaganzas to the next level. Right on cue, the famed home shopping network has announced an HD simulcast of its domestic broadcast, though no operators have been announced just yet. According to QVC's Senior Vice President of Affiliate Sales and Marketing Al Ulozas, the company is "presently in negotiations with [its] affiliates for carriage," and you can bet your bottom dollar that this steaming pile of waste will hit the EPG long before ESPNews HD (or any other mildly relevant channel) ever shows up en masse.
QVCHD coming in 2008
Because the world has gone far, far too long without a home shopping channel in high definition, Liberty Media announced QVCHD will launch in the first quarter of 2008. They anticipate the crisp quality of HDTV will get viewers calling, and with our addiction to anything broadcast in high res, we can't argue the logic. No word on what carriers will feature the station yet, but with capacity already an issue for some, we don't see viewers being happy if QVC HD's commission-based sales hit their HDTV package and another channel doesn't.
DirecTV, DISH sign up for Clearwire
Just as many analysts predicted following the two companies' failure to secure any spectrum during last year's FCC auction, both DirecTV and DISH-parent EchoStar have signed agreements with Craig McCaw's Clearwire to provide qualifying customers with high-speed wireless internet service (and by qualifying customers, we mean anyone who lives within a Clearwire coverage zone). What's more, current Clearwire subscribers will have the opportunity to sign up for satellite TV delivered right to their modems -- an American first, as far as we know. In other industry news, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that EchoStar and future DirecTV-owner Liberty Media are planning a multi-billion dollar bid for satellite-communications provider Intelsat, which would provide both firms with additional capacity and/or the capability to offer broadband from the heavens. So far all we know regarding a launch window for the Clearwire deal is that bundled packages will be available from all three parties later this year, once again making your satellite vs. cable decision a difficult one.Update: D'oh! As several of you have noted, it's entirely possible -- nay, likely -- that Clearwire will simply be offering traditional satellite TV as part of a services bundle, rather than sending DirecTV / DISH content over its network.Read - ClearwireRead - Intelsat [Warning: subscription required]
Liberty Media exchanges shares of News Corp. for DirecTV
While DirecTV tends to garner a lot of negative attention, all the fuss apparently doesn't bother Liberty Media's CEO John Malone, as the firm has recently signed a deal to swap its 16.3-percent stake in News Corp. for "shares of DirecTV, three regional sports networks and $550 million in cash." Liberty, who already controls several other TV networks such as Starz, is hoping to jump back to the forefront of television by assuming News Corp.'s three seats on DirecTV's board of directors. Interestingly, Malone stated that the new investment would "create financial, operating, and strategic flexibility," which could eventually freshen up the previously stale merger talks between DirecTV and Echostar -- but considering Liberty Media still won't have a controlling stake in the company, we're not holding our collective breath.
