M&A:
AT&T's bill of $3B and some spectrum is a hefty price to pay for a failed takeover of
T-Mobile. But as parent company
Deutsche Telekom maintains its desire to exit the U.S., what happens to T-Mobile going forward?
Politic365 (via
MMTC) says $3B
could fund a nice makeover…
Rules & Regs: Still no regulatory decision on the
LightSquared front as of yet, but
Sprint Nextel gave the wireless start-up a 30-day extension to get the
FCC's blessing to operate its network. Regulatory approval is a condition of a 15-year spectrum/equipment agreement between the two companies.
WSJ has details.
Rumor Mill: Bad Apples.
HuffPost put together a list of the worst
Apple rumors of 2011.
SkyREPORT: In response to growing concerns over internet censorship, people are devising ways to launch their own satellites and keep communication free from threats to free expression.
BBC has this report from the
Chaos Communication Congress in Berlin.
Retail: Talk about trickle-down economics…
Forbes says
Best Buy is trickling itself
right out of business.
Over, Up & Under There:
Fox Latin America is apologizing for a poll it posted on its
Facebook page that asked if Jews killed Jesus.
People: "My resolutions, try to maintain humility and always curiosity." The words of wisdom?
Rupert Murdoch via his new
Twitter account. Follow along: @rupertmurdoch. ---
Apple's
Tim Cook and
Disney's
Tom Staggs &
Jay Rasulo made the
WSJ's top-12 CEOs to watch in 2012.
Obit: Condolences to the family and friends of
Doug Sellars (50),
Fox Sports Media Group EVP, who passed away on Friday after suffering a heart attack.
Letters to the Editor (
Re: Monday's Maxwell):
•
Will there be a reality show that can replace the series of Republican Presidential Candidate Debates? I think it will be Survivor: Capitol Hill. After all, government has become all about winning the big 'bucks.'
- Ken Tower• I don't have all the answers, but I see this retrans thing and the cost of sports programming to pay tv subs coming to a head. It is my understanding that Dish and Disney will have to negotiate a new deal after 12/31/12 (and) I think Charlie Ergen will dig in his heels and tell Disney 'no dice.' I think Charlie is willing to call Disney's bluff and risk the ire of Dish subs. Should Disney/ESPN disappear from Dish, it is my position that it is NOT coming back. I have stated that somewhere along the line that a major provider is going to tell the sports programmers "talk to the hand." This may just be that time.
Predictions: 3D will not catch on as anticipated... a la carte will get a serious look... the Telecom Act will not be touched until after the 2012 Election... Political ad spending will reach stratospheric levels. The stock and commodities markets will remain as volatile as ever. Who is Keith Olbermann? The SCOTUS should remain now and forever TV free.... Should Obama win the White House and the GOP regains control of the Senate, Obama will become the nation's first 4 year lame duck president.... Sports nets will eventually be on their own tier. Otherwise it's pay per view. -Ken Young
(
Re: Friday's SkyBOX):
• Bull. I think DISH is on the right path; only losing 500K subs in the worst economic times in our lifetime is GREAT. There are 500K less people in homes right now because of this economy. And look at the assets Charlie has put together to have DISH in a position to get the next wave of customers (mobile TV and data). Also just look at the stock price and you can see DISH is on the right track.
-Kevin Smith---
Catch today's media market news in The Evening BRIDGE. •
