GE to decide NBC Universal's fate after 2008 Summer Olympics

[easttxtv]

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ebdbbdfe-776c-11dc-9de8-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1

The fate of NBC Universal, General Electric’s entertainment unit, will be decided only after the Beijing Olympics, with executives at the US conglomerate ruling out a sale before August’s showcase event, according to people close to the situation.

NBC, whose value is estimated at about $40bn, has been the subject of repeated sale rumours because of its lagging performance and the awkward fit with the rest of GE’s industrial and financial businesses.

More article in the link...

 

[JayR]

Here's another link...

 

[1069_KIFR]

Where is the other link?

 

[philosofy]

Other than going public, who could possibly come up with enough money to meet a projected $40b price?

 

[Yeziknoradio]

Other than going public, who could possibly come up with enough money to meet a projected $40b price?

You only need to own 51% of a company to make it yours.

Good point about going public...some big company will most likely cough up 21 something billon, and the other 49% would most likely be shareholders, I guess.

 

[Hunter]

Other than going public, who could possibly come up with enough money to meet a projected $40b price?

If GE really does decide to unload it, they could come up with more potential players...and probably make more money from a sale by breaking it up back into pieces.

 

[FilmCritic3K]

First order of business under the new owners - fire Bonnie Hammer.

(Well, that's if I had my way.)

 

[TexasTom]

Other than going public, who could possibly come up with enough money to meet a projected $40b price?

There are actually a couple buyers who could afford to shell out $40 billion in cash for NBC-Universal -- Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. Of course, it is unlikely that either of them would choose to dump most of their fortune into buying a media conglomerate.

Going public is, of course, a real possibility -- they would join CBS and a bunch of smaller station groups that are publicly traded companies today.

Another possibility is a leveraged buyout. Someone like Barry Diller or Ted Turner could team up with one of these buyout firms to put together a package that would allow them to run NBC-Universal. They could either keep the company whole or they could choose to spin off whatever they perceived as "non core" assets. For example, the film studio and production company could be separated out, or Telemundo could be spun off as a separate company.

It will be interesting to see what happens.

 

[JayR]

Where is the other link?

Click on the word "link."

 

[FilmCritic3K]

No matter what happens, as long as the end result is that SCI FI returns to its former glory as a channel devoted to science fiction, I'll be happy.

 

[JayR]

No matter what happens, as long as the end result is that SCI FI returns to its former glory as a channel devoted to science fiction, I'll be happy.

Isn't that the truth!

I remember when Sci Fi was great to watch. The same goes for USA.

I now find both almost unwatchable.

 

[justthenumbers]

No matter what happens, as long as the end result is that SCI FI returns to its former glory as a channel devoted to science fiction, I'll be happy.

Isn't that the truth!

I remember when Sci Fi was great to watch. The same goes for USA.

I now find both almost unwatchable.

And yet, the ratings for both networks are as high as they've ever been.

Imagine that...

 

[FilmCritic3K]

No matter what happens, as long as the end result is that SCI FI returns to its former glory as a channel devoted to science fiction, I'll be happy.

Isn't that the truth!

I remember when Sci Fi was great to watch. The same goes for USA.

I now find both almost unwatchable.

And yet, the ratings for both networks are as high as they've ever been.

Imagine that...

Ah yes, that old standby. Why not trot out something else from that tired cliche closet? You know, something along the lines of, Transformers made a ton of money this summer, so it's a great movie!"

 

[justthenumbers]

Ah yes, that old standby. Why not trot out something else from that tired cliche closet? You know, something along the lines of, Transformers made a ton of money this summer, so it's a great movie!"

These networks do not exist to be "great". They exist to make money. If they are translating the higher ratings into higher ad revenues, they are not going to revert to what they once were.

Believe me, I also miss the SCI FI and USA of days gone by. But expanded-cable subscriber fees and advertising revenues were not enough to keep these networks in business with their previous programming strategies. They had to morph into what they are today.

 

[FilmCritic3K]

Ah yes, that old standby. Why not trot out something else from that tired cliche closet? You know, something along the lines of, Transformers made a ton of money this summer, so it's a great movie!"

These networks do not exist to be "great". They exist to make money. If they are translating the higher ratings into higher ad revenues, they are not going to revert to what they once were.

Believe me, I also miss the SCI FI and USA of days gone by. But expanded-cable subscriber fees and advertising revenues were not enough to keep these networks in business with their previous programming strategies. They had to morph into what they are today.

Making money and being devoted to a channel's founding principles are not mutually exclusive ideas. Comedy Central has done a terrific job of illustrating that.

 

[robbbc]

The peopel at Squawk Box this morning suggested Comcast. They talked to the CEO who said he wouldn't discuss it. Sounds like a good fit. I wonder if there would be FCC issues...

 

[genius]

Indeed it should be interesting if and when GE sells. I wonder who the buyer would be, or it would indeed go public. NBC has been in the death throes for the past couple of years now so who would want it? ;D

 

[robbbc]

Indeed it should be interesting if and when GE sells. I wonder who the buyer would be, or it would indeed go public. NBC has been in the death throes for the past couple of years now so who would want it? ;D

I seem to remember when NBC was on top. These things come in cycles. A good program manager and a couple of good shows and the network is back. Still beating out Fox too.

 

[captex]

i liked the old sci-fi channel, usa channel, which nbc has ruined.

 

[bpatrick]

Indeed it should be interesting if and when GE sells. I wonder who the buyer would be, or it would indeed go public. NBC has been in the death throes for the past couple of years now so who would want it? ;D

Spoken like someone who doesn't remember the Fred Silverman
era in the late '70s/early '80s, when NBC was so far down in third
that Bob Hope (I think) quipped, "Fred Silverman is the only network
president who knows what it's like to rearrange the deck chairs on
the Titanic." Grant Tinker and Brandon Tartikoff brought NBC back.
As another poster says, these things go in cycles, so don't plan a
meal of stuffed peacock just yet.