Media Companies Are Ready to Sell. Does Anyone Want to Buy?

[davideduardo]

Maybe. Just as Spotify can replace local radio. But people like choice. Not everyone doing the same thing.

And, for the lower 25% to 30% of American households that can't afford any kind of paid service, plain old OTA TV is very important.

You don't need another box. I'm streaming all of my TV now through an Amazon Fire.

As someone who used to build radio transmitters and boards and the like from scratch, I find all the alternatives totally confusing, particularly when they change names or branding or modify the technology.

 

[Rusty Muck]

Huh, looks like a full 180 has occurred

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO Zaslav not ready to make deal for Paramount but options remain on table

The purchase of Shari Redstone’s stake in National Amusements and Paramount would make it easier for David Zaslav to start to absorb the media company.

www.foxbusiness.com

In addition to the heavy debt load, Zaslav is particularly worried about the high costs of renewing sports rights, such as NFL games, these people say. One Zaslav associate called some of Paramount’s programs, properties such as MTV, a "melting ice cube" because of significantly declining audience share in the face of cord cutting, or consumers eschewing so-called linear or traditional programming viewed through cable, which is a major source of revenue for media companies.

In the era of cord cutting, cable providers pay lower distribution fees to programmers. Another concern: cable advertising remains depressed.

 

[tall_guy1]

Huh, looks like a full 180 has occurred

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO Zaslav not ready to make deal for Paramount but options remain on table

The purchase of Shari Redstone’s stake in National Amusements and Paramount would make it easier for David Zaslav to start to absorb the media company.

www.foxbusiness.com

In the same article, it said it was not off the table though. He was exploring options.

 

[Rusty Muck]

In the same article, it said it was not off the table though. He was exploring options.

Legally he can't do anything until April 8. So he has no choice but to explore.

 

[tall_guy1]

Legally he can't do anything until April 8. So he has no choice but to explore.

Yes, I know. But that doesn't mean it might not still happen.

 

[TheBigA]

I find all the alternatives totally confusing, particularly when they change names or branding or modify the technology.

I agree. For you, there are lots of ways to simulate cable, such as Fubo. www.fubotv.com

 

[TheBigA]

Huh, looks like a full 180 has occurred

As I predicted in post 521. A bad deal at a bad time.

WBD stock lost a full point in value in one day due to a meeting between Bakish and Zaslav. Nothing more than a meeting. CEOs meet all the time. The story says they met to talk merger, but you don't meet with Bakish if you want to merge. You met with Redstone. She's the one who wants to sell. If something is going to happen here, it won't be soon. Redstone has better options. Options with deeper pockets.

 

[Kelly A]

Never saw that feature before scrolling through names, but looks like the one member you can't do that to is David! 🧐

True, but I wouldn't want to ignore David. Besides being the Head-Honcho Moderator(tm), and a former 'thessspian', he's one of the good guys on this otherwise alternative universe discussion board.

 

[tall_guy1]

True, but I wouldn't want to ignore David. Besides being the Head-Honcho Moderator(tm), and a former 'thessspian', he's one of the good guys on this otherwise alternative universe discussion board.

Yes, David does a good service to this board.

 

[Don CT]

Huh, looks like a full 180 has occurred

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO Zaslav not ready to make deal for Paramount but options remain on table

The purchase of Shari Redstone’s stake in National Amusements and Paramount would make it easier for David Zaslav to start to absorb the media company.

www.foxbusiness.com

The NFL is what brings in the viewers. Fox was nothing before the NFL.

 

[TexasTom]

And, for the lower 25% to 30% of American households that can't afford any kind of paid service, plain old OTA TV is very important.

Not just for those too poor to afford other services -- I use a combination of OTA TV with a DVR and streaming video on demand services for my own television service, and that's driven by choice not financial necessity. And while we're not a large group, I know that I am not alone in this regard.

For me the OTA/DVR combo has the benefit of not just providing access to free programming, but also doing so in a manner that allows me to skip over commercial commercials as I choose. I note that when streaming video includes advertising, it usually is not possible to skip the ads.

 

[Rusty Muck]

The NFL is what brings in the viewers. Fox was nothing before the NFL.

It's also a very very expensive rights deal.

Also it's factually wrong to say "Fox was nothing before the NFL" as they had a growing viewer base and one hit show out of the box (The Simpsons) and another hit show that was entirely unexpected (X-Files).

 

[kfbkfb]

FAST TV: What It Is and Why It Should Matter to You

As more people are tuning in to free, ad-supported streaming options, networks are beefing up what they offer.

www.cnet.com

Seems to me that all that's needed to add to this FAST way of delivering TV is a way to offer a free streaming (for most/all services listed in this article) box/STB, perhaps the actual cost of the STB can be a portion of the ad budget of the major ad supported streaming program providers, resulting in the STB being free (1 per family).


Kirk Bayne

 

[Kelly A]

FAST TV: What It Is and Why It Should Matter to You

As more people are tuning in to free, ad-supported streaming options, networks are beefing up what they offer.

www.cnet.com

Seems to me that all that's needed to add to this FAST way of delivering TV is a way to offer a free streaming (for most/all services listed in this article) box/STB, perhaps the actual cost of the STB can be a portion of the ad budget of the major ad supported streaming program providers, resulting in the STB being free (1 per family).

Roku and Amazon Firestick are way ahead of you Kirk.

 

[Larry]

Seems to me that all that's needed to add to this FAST way of delivering TV is a way to offer a free streaming (for most/all services listed in this article) box/STB

Comcast offers its Xfinity internet only customers a free streaming box

 

[michael hagerty]

Roku and Amazon Firestick are way ahead of you Kirk.

But only by 15 years.

 

[TheBigA]

Comcast offers its Xfinity internet only customers a free streaming box

Except it's not an actual box. It's an app.

Everybody has an app, and the apps are all free. No need for another box.

 

[CTListener]

Except it's not an actual box. It's an app.

Everybody has an app, and the apps are all free.

No it's a physical box. I am looking straight at mine right now. It's the black thing in the lower left corner of this photo. You can link to dozens of free and premium apps through it.

 

[TheBigA]

No it's a physical box. I am looking straight at mine right now. It's the black thing in the lower left corner of this photo.

You don't need it. I'm streaming xFinity now on my Firestick with no additional box. I hope you don't pay rent on that box.

 

[Don CT]

It's also a very very expensive rights deal.

Also it's factually wrong to say "Fox was nothing before the NFL" as they had a growing viewer base and one hit show out of the box (The Simpsons) and another hit show that was entirely unexpected (X-Files).

The NFL gave Fox credibility. Married with Children was Fox’s first big hit. They were still the number 4 network before the NFL.