News Corp., parent company of Fox News is reported to have made an offer for NBC Universal in competition with Comcast. Who should be willing to pay more for an upstream supplier (NBC), the downstream monopolist (Comcast), or an upstream competitor (News Corp.)?
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November 16, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Brij
If you look globally, News Corp is in both upstream (Fox) and downstream (Star) businesses.
News Corp would want NBC badly, especially for CNBC. Also culturally NBC will be a better fit within News Corp. Dealing with creative talent will be challenging for Comcast top management given their bread and butter is to focus on operational efficiencies.
I would say News Corp will pay an arm and leg for NBC. Will be tough to navigate through anti-trust issues though.
November 16, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Joshua Gans
The answer is here. http://www.mbs.edu/home/jgans/papers/Outsourcing-07-02-12.pdf
November 22, 2009 at 8:05 am
karl roebling
This may be more properly be analysed by a spreadsheet comparing the model of monetizing a broadcast-television-centric structure (Fox) to the subscriber-centric structure of Comcast. Both models are capitalized both by ad sales and by cable subscriber revenue.
Otherwise, Fox has a higher probability of converting NBC’s assets into a stream of entertaining and profitable products than Comcast. Fox’s entertainment division has a recent historical record of producing hit programs reliably and economically. The broadcast network has been grown from nothing to leading status in what, 20 years? Fox has the infrastructure to fully monetize the broadcast portion of the proposed acquisition (i.e., to sell advertising.) Comcast does not. Also, Comcast is successful in the pipeline business, admittedly a tough business but one which essentially delivers someone else’s product to the end-user’s door. That’s traditionally a steady, predictable business but not a terrifically profitable one (see Charter’s recent bankruptcy.) That business model’s doubly under siege: New technologies–DSL solutions (AT&T’s U-verse, xDSL-like solutions for smaller phone companies), terrestial-radio solutions (cellular companies 3G and 4G systems), satellite internet (WildBlue, HughesNet) and satellite broadcasters (DirectTV, Dish Network) are all competitors in that pipeline business. And, new technologies have a built-in, blanket advantage over established companies in financing–new tech, once initially financed, isn’t expected/required to be profitable for years. Established, older companies don’t have that freedom.
A wildcard in this analysis is the library of old shows that will be transferred with the sale, if such a library is included. Ted Turner was said to have acquired MGM’s library for little or nothing back in the day by buying MGM, stripping out the library (then thought to be worthless) and reselling the production facilities. That library became a cornerstone of Turner Broadcasting. Such a library could be exploited by a new network, broadcast or cable-based and monetized by a blend of advertising and subscriber fees. Again, the advantage goes to Fox. They have a strong record of success with both new broadcast models and cable networks. Comcast–not so much.
Comcast
November 30, 2012 at 10:00 pm
Ani
Heres what I found on the DirectTV website about Friday Night Lights .DIRECTV IS TURNING ON FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTSThis fall, see all-new ediospes of Friday Night Lights—uncut and commercial-free—only on DIRECTV, months before they air on NBC in 2009. Don’t miss an episode of this award-winning drama series.Tune in to The 101ae Network Wednesdays, 9pm, beginning October 1.Re-airs Fridays at 9pm. Presented by Vaseline Wolverine.I know this doesn’t answer your question about watching online but it does say that in 2009 NBC will be airing FNLs .I’m a HUGE fan of this show too ..and I’ve been thinking more and more about switching from Time Warner Cable (very similar to Comcast) to a satelite company b/c TWC keeps messing with all the channels there. I just found out last night that as of October 2nd, TWC will no longer carry The CW I watch enough shows on The CW to justify it to myself to switch ..if I end up with DirectTV I won’t have to wait for FNLs but if I don’t switch, I will have to wait!I can’t wait to find out whats going to happen between Tyra and Landry ..