News WSJ, Deadline, and NYP are reporting about a possible Comcast-ViacomCBS partnership/merger/sale

[Char Kais]

All three news outlets are reporting the story with a different spin.

The Wall Street Journal is calling it a "possible partnership" between Comcast and ViacomCBS
https://www.wsj.com/articles/comcas...-to-discuss-streaming-partnership-11626743478


Deadline is reporting about a possible Comcast-ViacomCBS merger:
https://deadline.com/2021/07/comcast-viacomcbs-lionsgate-media-mergers-earnings-1234794833/

One day, bankers are said to be drawing up deal papers for a Comcast-ViacomCBS merger.
Comcast has the financial capacity to buy ViacomCBS
Comcast does not have a significant appetite to do a deal like that. It would be a regulatory headache

The New York Post is speculating about a sale of ViacomCBS to Comcast:
https://nypost.com/2021/07/17/amid-mega-mergers-and-acquisitions-viacomcbs-may-be-in-play/

Shari Redstone, the matron of the ViacomCBS media empire, caused such a stir two weeks ago at the Allen & Co. media conference in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Redstone was “talking to everyone,” which again may or may not lead to a deal.
Comcast would love to buy ViacomCBS
In other words, let the bidding begin.

 

[Char Kais]

CNBC:

Comcast and ViacomCBS face prisoner’s dilemma as they consider ways to work together

• Comcast and ViacomCBS are exploring ways to work together as they try to bolster their streaming services.
• A merger of NBCUniversal and ViacomCBS would have several obstacles, including potential divestitures and structure.
• Both companies may decide to wait to try to merge with Warner Bros. Discovery.

One of the options under consideration is to bundle Peacock and Paramount+ together in international markets, as The Information reported earlier this year. Both companies are planning global expansions, and partnering is relatively frictionless.

Another option is a merger or acquisition, but there are numerous complications on that path. Neither ViacomCBS nor NBCUniversal are actively seeking a merger at this time, according to people familiar with the matter.

While there may be no rush to merge, both companies will ultimately need more scale to compete against larger players.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/20/com...ider-partnership-to-bolster-streaming-tv.html

 

[Char Kais]

New York Post:

Comcast and ViacomCBS bosses reportedly discussed streaming deal

The Journal said that before ViacomCBS launched Paramount+, Comcast suggested joining forces on streaming but the Redstone-led company wasn’t interested in the offer.
Now, it looks like that thinking has changed.

https://nypost.com/2021/07/20/comcast-viacomcbs-bosses-discussed-streaming-deal-report/

Forbes:

Comcast, ViacomCBS Rumors Said To Include Talk Of Something Bigger

Those initial meetings paved the way to more wide-ranging conversations about other ways the two media companies might work together — talks that sources say could lead to some combination of Comcast’s NBCUniversal unit and ViacomCBS

Comcast and ViacomCBS declined comment, though both companies have sought to publicly tamp down speculation about any possible mergers

No deal appears to be imminent.

The slow growth of the Peacock service is reportedly a source of frustration for NBCU Chief Executive Jeff Shell

Paramount+ appears to be faring better, thanks to the success of its free Pluto TV streaming service,

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dawnch...ude-talk-of-something-bigger/?sh=25d92f371105

 

[Locutus of Bored]

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[Owain Taggart]

Haven't they recently merged with Time Warner? Doesn't it make anyone nervous to see them vying for another merger so soon?

 

[Char Kais]

Haven't they recently merged with Time Warner? Doesn't it make anyone nervous to see them vying for another merger so soon?

That's a different merger.
Time Warner was bought by AT&T in 2018 and they will merge it with Discovery Inc in 202x.

ViacomCBS is the result of the merger of CBS Corporation and Viacom in 2019 which were split from the original Viacom in 2006.

 

[Timby]

The international streaming partnership is the only play that makes sense, as Paramount+ badly needs to get traction in overseas markets.

An outright sale or merger will never happen, if only because the FCC would smack it down immediately as regulations prohibit multiple broadcast networks being owned by a single company.

 

[StarCruiser]

This merger/partnership (whateva) crap is way out of control... It's not bad enough that the house of the mouse now controls far too much of the entertainment we see so now, let's merge it all into two or three absolutely huge near monopolies?

The quality (in many cases) has already gone to crap as it is, imagine what it'll be like with just a few mega-media companies controlling it all?

 

[valkyrie013]

Now all restaurants are Taco Bell...

CBS is that ugly duckling right now.. owell..

 

[think]

 

[Owain Taggart]

That's a different merger.
Time Warner was bought by AT&T in 2018 and they will merge it with Discovery Inc in 202x.

Ok, I could have sworn Comcast was trying to merge with Time Warner, but there are so many mergers going on these days it can easily get confusing. I just worry about how much these companies in general up controlling and throwing their weight around.

As for Streaming, the funny thing is, I thought Hulu was originally the result of a partnership between different companies to have a place to showcase their stuff.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Would this magically make Comcast anything useful, or would Comcast's crappiness rub off on ViacomCBS?

 

[Timby]

As for Streaming, the funny thing is, I thought Hulu was originally the result of a partnership between different companies to have a place to showcase their stuff.

Hulu was originally a partnership of Disney, Fox, Comcast and Warner Media. Warner got out shortly after Disney announced its plan to acquire Fox, and Comcast subsequently ceded all operational input from its shares to Disney (Comcast still holds ~32 percent ownership of the company, but is de facto a silent partner, though its ownership is why NBC shows still stream on the service).

 

[Owain Taggart]

Ok, I guess that was before they all decided they wanted to have their own service, which IMHO is a shame.

 

[Char Kais]

Forbes:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dawnch...ncertain-regulatory-environment-says-insider/

Any Potential ViacomCBS-Comcast Deal On Hold Amid Uncertain Regulatory Environment

ViacomCBS and Comcast’s potential partnership has been slowed by concern about the Biden Administration’s pledge to aggressively enforce the nation’s antitrust laws, according to a source with knowledge of the discussions.

Both sides are waiting to see how the new administration’s regulators react to the proposed merger of AT&T’s WarnerMedia unit with Discovery, says the source, before resuming discussions about ways the two sides could work together — including any possible business combination — beyond a possible streaming partnership outside the U.S.

“It wouldn’t shock me if later this fall, we got back into a discussion of whether there’s anything more that we can do together,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

 

[Char Kais]

The Hollywood Reporter:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/comcast-viacomcbs-international-streaming-partnership-
1234989989/

ViacomCBS Teams With Comcast’s Sky to Launch Paramount+ in Europe

After weeks of market chatter, it is official: Comcast and ViacomCBS have reached an international streaming partnership.

ViacomCBS Networks International and Comcast’s Sky said Thursday that Paramount+ will launch on Sky platforms in the U.K., Ireland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria in 2022 “as part of a new multi-year distribution agreement that also includes the extended carriage of ViacomCBS’ leading portfolio of pay TV channels and the renewal of Sky as an ad sales partner in select markets.”

 

[Char Kais]

New York Post

https://nypost.com/2021/08/10/viacomcbs-waiting-for-other-suitors-sources/

ViacomCBS waiting for other suitors: sources

Shari Redstone is hitting pause on any potential partnership talks between her media company ViacomCBS and NBC owner Comcast in hopes of lining up more suitors

The billionaire heiress, who serves as chairman of ViacomCBS, has decided to hold off until next year before re-engaging in talks with Comcast’s Brian Roberts, according to two sources close to the situation.

This includes any talks of a merger or a joint domestic venture where Comcast and ViacomCBS could combine their respective streaming services

It’s been widely reported that Comcast has been eyeing buying Viacom/CBS assets, which includes Nickelodeon and the Paramount Pictures movie studio, as industry consolidation heats up in an effort to compete for streaming subscribers.

One potential buyer of CBS is the media entity that will emerge next year from AT&T’s planned sale of its WarnerMedia unit

Shari is hearing a lot of people could be interested in combining with ViacomCBS but not now

Another source suggested that Redstone could also find a suitor in the tech world where companies like Amazon and Apple are scrapping for TV shows and movies to fill their streaming services.

“I think the hope is big tech comes in the picture,” the source said. “She can benefit from waiting.”

 

[BillJ]

Meh. I don't own stock in either Viacom or Comcast. Just tell me what streaming service I need to watch Star Trek.

 

[Char Kais]

CNBC:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/18/10-anonymous-media-execs-predict-2022s-industry-shaking-events.html

10 media execs, under the cloak of anonymity, predict 2022′s industry-shaking events

Executives No. 3 and 4: ViacomCBS will merge or sell

ViacomCBS is not long for this world as it stands today

 

[Char Kais]

Financial Times:

https://www.ft.com/content/388b0122-1a75-42f6-a89e-add8e3385bc8

Shari Redstone won the battle for her media empire. Now comes the streaming war

Paramount is facing growing doubts over its ability to compete with larger digital rivals

Redstone has been informally speaking with potential buyers of Paramount over the past year. But talks have not advanced because of the complexity of the asset and the high price she would seek, according to three people familiar with the matter.

But investors are unconvinced that in an entertainment landscape filled with much bigger competitors — such as Netflix, Amazon and Disney — Paramount can compete on its own. For some investors and analysts, its best move is to sell to a larger rival.

This has created a peculiar situation where Redstone’s ambitions for her company, and perceived willingness to protect its independence, appear almost inversely correlated to its stock market performance. One sympathetic former CBS executive described it as “a tragedy”.

After the presentation on Tuesday, Bank of America analysts downgraded their outlook for Paramount, concluding that a sale was not “imminent”.

Some people close to Redstone question whether she would be ready to part ways with the business. “She has spent years of her life on this. She fought with her own father, she has fought with Les Moonves, who at the time was the most revered guy in all of Hollywood, who she took down,” said one person who has known the Redstones for years.

“There is a tremendous amount of emotion attached to her controlling this business now.”