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COMCAST / NBCUniversal TO SELL STAKE IN A&E NETWORKS

gregg75

gregg75

Maybe the new owners will take pride in those channels instead of using them as dumping grounds!!! :)
 
gregg75 said:
They want to divest themselves from A&E, Lifetime, History, Bio, Military, Crime & Investigation
and other channels, even though those forces made $3.4 Billion in 2011.

Sounds like they are giving up a cash cow. I guess they will pour all that new money into NBC
Non Stop :D .

http://www.deadline.com/2012/05/nbcuniversal-to-sell-stake-in-ae-networks/#more-267150
Click to expand...

The ownership it had of these channels were minority anyways, and Lifetime competed with the female oriented channels they own. With the cash raised, they could buy out the AMC line of channels and own and operate them outright.
 
Comcast/NBCUniversal + Clear Channel now there is an interesting combination to look forward to! And a big headache for the regulators in the government! Is it even possible?
 
ding12 said:
gregg75 said:
They want to divest themselves from A&E, Lifetime, History, Bio, Military, Crime & Investigation
and other channels, even though those forces made $3.4 Billion in 2011.

Sounds like they are giving up a cash cow. I guess they will pour all that new money into NBC
Non Stop :D .

http://www.deadline.com/2012/05/nbcuniversal-to-sell-stake-in-ae-networks/#more-267150
Click to expand...

I think this is pretty simple: they want to own - outright - all the cable channels they have an ownership interest in. They don't want to be in bed with anyone.

The ownership it had of these channels were minority anyways, and Lifetime competed with the female oriented channels they own. With the cash raised, they could buy out the AMC line of channels and own and operate them outright.
Click to expand...
 
RadioStarOne said:
Comcast/NBCUniversal + Clear Channel now there is an interesting combination to look forward to! And a big headache for the regulators in the government! Is it even possible?
Click to expand...

Not very likely. Comcast wasn't too excited about buying NBC O&Os. They are not a big believer in towers and transmitters, and I have no reason to believe they'd want to own any kind of radio.
 
This isn't really much of a surprise since they didn't treat the A&E networks channels like they have with USA Network, Bravo, etc.

Heck, I sometimes think THE ONLY reason they're hanging on to their stake in G4 (However big or small it may be) is to simply make CBS think twice before launching CNET as an OTA diginet (As has been contemplated by them & brought up several times on here). Of course, it also helps when G4 appeals to a niche crowd which almost NONE of their other channels (Except maybe SyFy) appeal to as well so. ;D

Cheers :)
 
TheBigA said:
, and I have no reason to believe they'd want to own any kind of radio.
Click to expand...


Unless they are trying to hold-off a hostile takeover by a Japanese conglomerate. ;D
 
Comcast would do better to tell the people at NBC that it's new contract time, and then get rid of some of dross.
 
Pat Cook said:
This isn't really much of a surprise since they didn't treat the A&E networks channels like they have with USA Network, Bravo, etc.

Heck, I sometimes think THE ONLY reason they're hanging on to their stake in G4 (However big or small it may be) is to simply make CBS think twice before launching CNET as an OTA diginet (As has been contemplated by them & brought up several times on here). Of course, it also helps when G4 appeals to a niche crowd which almost NONE of their other channels (Except maybe SyFy) appeal to as well so. ;D

Cheers :)
Click to expand...

G4 hasn't been a tech or gaming network in a few years now. I don't think this is the reason they are hanging on to the network (which they own 88% of, btw). And as far as CNET launching a 24 hour network, they better hurry. Discovery network just acquired Revision 3, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them relaunch one of their under-performing networks (OWN, perhaps?) as a tech focused channel within a few years.
 
mnradiofan said:
I don't think this is the reason they are hanging on to the network (which they own 88% of, btw).
Click to expand...

I thought NBCUniversal owned G4 100%. Comcast started G4 and then bought out TechTV to merge the two. The move to buy TechTV was more to shut down the competitor (which wasn't even that games focused) it seems. G4 would have increased HH coverage size over time, although TechTV had more cable HH at the time.

Where did you read it was 88%? Even at 88, it's still majority. NBCUniversal is also part majority owner of The Weather Channel (not sure if it goes by just TWC now ::) like every cable network that just goes by a 3 letter abbreviation to distance itself from its past.

Take ShopNBC however. It's owned by ValueVision which is only 30% owned by NBCUniversal, and of that Comcast owns 51%. So, Comcast owns 15%. Comcast sold the profitable QVC but got back into home shopping. I think it would be difficult to strip the association of NBC and for NBCU to sell its stake, although the network was originally ValueVision on air.
 
ding12 said:
mnradiofan said:
I don't think this is the reason they are hanging on to the network (which they own 88% of, btw).
Click to expand...

I thought NBCUniversal owned G4 100%. Comcast started G4 and then bought out TechTV to merge the two. The move to buy TechTV was more to shut down the competitor (which wasn't even that games focused) it seems. G4 would have increased HH coverage size over time, although TechTV had more cable HH at the time.

Where did you read it was 88%? Even at 88, it's still majority. NBCUniversal is also part majority owner of The Weather Channel (not sure if it goes by just TWC now ::) like every cable network that just goes by a 3 letter abbreviation to distance itself from its past.

Take ShopNBC however. It's owned by ValueVision which is only 30% owned by NBCUniversal, and of that Comcast owns 51%. So, Comcast owns 15%. Comcast sold the profitable QVC but got back into home shopping. I think it would be difficult to strip the association of NBC and for NBCU to sell its stake, although the network was originally ValueVision on air.
Click to expand...

Well, they did own 100%, but they only purchased a majority interest in TechTV before they merged the channels. Echostar owns 12% of G4 Media, which is the parent company of G4.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G4_Media

(I know, it's Wikipedia, but seems pretty accurate in this case).
 
mnradiofan said:
Discovery network just acquired Revision 3, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them relaunch one of their under-performing networks (OWN, perhaps?) as a tech focused channel within a few years
Click to expand...

That would be nice if somebody can fill this void
 
What I read indicated they wanted to use the proceeds of the sale of their stake in these nets to help them buy out the rest of NBC/U from GE. (which still owns 49%)
 
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