Should Apple buy Disney?

[DRDISNEYMD]

~I would love for Apple to buy Disney. If Disney were to sell, Apple is who they should sell to -- just don't replace the Monorail spiel with Siri. Comcast made Disney an offer for 66 Billion back in November! Gosh, I do *not* want Comcast to own or manage Disney --ever.

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally Posted by DRDISNEYMD

~I would love for Apple to buy Disney. If Disney were to sell, Apple is who they should sell to -- just don't replace the Monorail spiel with Siri. Comcast made Disney an offer for 66 Billion back in November! Gosh, I do *not* want Comcast to own or manage Disney --ever.

November 2012? Actually, February 2004.

Comcast's made its offer to buy Disney for $66 billion nine years ago. Eisner said no. Comcast withdrew the offer in April 2004.

Then, in December 2009, Comcast announced it would buy the 51% stake in NBCUniversal held buy Vivendi. Recently, Comcast announced it would buy the 49% stake in NBCUniversal held by General Electric.

[lockedoutlogic]

Originally Posted by Horace Horsecollar

November 2012? Actually, February 2004.

Comcast's made its offer to buy Disney for $66 billion nine years ago. Eisner said no. Comcast withdrew the offer in April 2004.

Then, in December 2009, Comcast announced it would buy the 51% stake in NBCUniversal held buy Vivendi. Recently, Comcast announced it would buy the 49% stake in NBCUniversal held by General Electric.

It has always been my impression that the "unsolicited bid" wasn't quite "unsolicited". If I remember...Disney War implied it if not coming right out and saying it.

That was a "favor" orchestrated by Roy E to force the board to move to ouster Eisner. At least that's one take on it.

Comcast gave up without a fight...

And Eisner's nail was hammered. The story was that Disney was starting to spiral a little...and like the symbiotic relationship that most "competitors" have...entertainment needs a strong Disney.

Comcast needed/needs Disney. Especially now...if Disney "counters" construction at UOR...it just means more customers and money for both.

[DRDISNEYMD]

Originally Posted by Horace Horsecollar

November 2012? Actually, February 2004.

Comcast's made its offer to buy Disney for $66 billion nine years ago. Eisner said no. Comcast withdrew the offer in April 2004.

Then, in December 2009, Comcast announced it would buy the 51% stake in NBCUniversal held buy Vivendi. Recently, Comcast announced it would buy the 49% stake in NBCUniversal held by General Electric.

~LOL. Thanks for the clarification -- that's what I get for using an unreliable source for info. But, the article was quite detailed with lots of info, it's hard to believe the author made this up. Anyway, I'll take your word for it, I couldn't find anything to confirm this article.

~Will Comcast Get Disney?

Earlier this month Comcast made an unsolicited bid to buy the Walt Disney Company for $66 billion. Other than acknowledging the offer, neither the Disney board nor management has formally responded to the offer.

Over the last decade, Comcast has moved aggressively through a series of mergers and acquisition to become the nation’s largest cable television operator and, potentially, media combine.

The Disney bid comes about two years after federal regulators approved Comcast’s $30 billion acquisition of NBC Universal. In 2002, Comcast acquired AT&T’s cable and broadband holdings for $29 billion. In 2004, it made a $48 billion bid for Disney that was rejected.

The pre-NBC Comcast of 2011 operated in 29 states and had 22-plus million cable subscribers along with 8 million Internet subscribers. Comcast has long coveted “content” or programming as part of its business model. It had interests in the Golf Channel, E! Entertainment, G-4, Style, the lifestyle website Daily Candy, and runs the Philadelphia Flyers NHL franchise and the NBA’s Philadelphia 76er as well as operating regional sports cable services.

In its pre-acquisition days, NBC was one the nation’s leading media conglomerates. It was owned by GE and had one of the four major broadcast licenses and controlled 33 local TV stations, the Spanish-language network Telemundo, 13 cable networks (including USA, CNBC, Bravo, SyFy, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC Sports, Oxygen, the Weather Channel). It also controlled Universal, a major movie studio (and Focus Features, a boutique “art house” micro-studio), and Universal theme parks in LA and Florida. In addition, it controls numerous websites and has a stake in Hulu, the free online TV rebroadcaster owned with Fox and Disney.

If Comcast acquires Disney, it would expand its control to more theme parks, a movie studio, the ABC broadcast television and radio networks and the ESPN cable television network. The crown jewels of the acquisition would be the control the major producers of animated content, be it movies or games. In 2006, it acquired Pixar (for $7.4 billion); in 2009, it gobbled up Marvel Entertainment ($4 billion); and earlier this year it signed a deal to acquire Lucasfilm (also $4 billion).

Also earlier this year, Comcast and Disney signed a comprehensive 10-year programming retransmission agreement enabling Comcast’s Xfinity subscribers access to more than 70 services for TV, Web and handheld devices. According to Brian Roberts, Comcast’s CEO, “This is a pretty compelling combination.” If Comcast does acquire Disney, its market cap will be about $94 billion, just below Verizon ($107 billion) and AT&T ($125 billion).

The deal will propel Comcast into a super-media conglomerate, further eroding the classic line separating “pipe” and “content” companies. In 2001, TimeWarner (TW) merged with American Online (AOL) in a $164 billion deal. Within a year AOL-TW’s stock price plunged and the much-hyped “synergies” that was the merger’s rationale turned out to be a mirage. The company wrote off $99 billion in losses. Only bankers and corporate management benefited from the get-rich-quick scheme. However, in 2003, the News Corp. acquired DirecTV, foreshadowing the integration of programming and conduit. This line has been steadily eroding over the last decade. Cablevision, the 9thlargest operator, owns Rainbow Media Holdings that controls the AMC Networks consisting of the IFC, Sundance, We and other (intellectual) properties.

If the Comcast-Disney deal is approved, it might spike a round of media mergers. The big pipes, most notably AT&T and Verizon, may well seek to acquire major content companies like Viacom and possibly Paramount or Sony Entertainment.

Groups from both the left and right are warning about the consequences of such a merger. Adam Theer, of the Cato Institute, argues the deal is “going to change the dynamics of what we see and how much we pay for it, and I think for the most part for the better.” Gene Kimmelman, of the Consumers Union, echoes this assessment: “If this deal goes through it tightens the ownership grip over the most important sources of news, information and entertainment in our country.”

The deal will likely get federal approval. The Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission have, since the Clinton era and the adoption of the 1996 Telecommunication Act, supported media industry consolidation. They have promoted huge, vertically-integrated companies in an effort to encourage globalization.

The consequence has been a marked decline in domestic media competition, especially in telecom services. According to Europe’s Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the U.S. ranks 15th in terms of subscribers per 100 inhabitants (as of December 2011) and 19th in terms of broadband datarate (as of July 2011). The merger, if it occurs, will only further erode the U.S.’s global standing.

[Robbi]

Originally Posted by OKW Lover

I think there was a similar thread a couple of months ago.

I'd still say that the answer is no. They are two different businesses in two different market segments. I don't see any significant overlap so no opportunities to wring costs out of the combined organization.

This would be the number one reason I'd want Apple to buy Disney. The Disney company has gotten stale or just plain has lost it's vision. Disney is more like Six Flags. Disney used to be the stand out and it isn't any longer. Universal has ramped up and become the top dog. Maybe not in $$$ but in innovation. Is Disney thinking the lame Fantasyland addition makes up for WWoHP?

An Apple buy out might hopefully inject some new ways of doing business. God knows, Disney needs it.

[Faldred]

While I agree it would be criminally stupid of Apple to have not even considered the possibility of a (friendly) buyout of Disney, it wouldn't be because of the parks, but for Disney's media and distribution assets. That's not to say the parks won't benefit, just that it won't be the reason any move would be made.

[granmanh603]

Originally Posted by Robbi

This would be the number one reason I'd want Apple to buy Disney. The Disney company has gotten stale or just plain has lost it's vision. Disney is more like Six Flags. Disney used to be the stand out and it isn't any longer. Universal has ramped up and become the top dog. Maybe not in $$$ but in innovation. Is Disney thinking the lame Fantasyland addition makes up for WWoHP?

An Apple buy out might hopefully inject some new ways of doing business. God knows, Disney needs it.

Wow I agree 100% but need to get rid of people running it now.too many bean counters no visionaries ..Went to Fantasyland preview in Nov, biggest expensive dud ever, never will even walk in there again.

[JillaMagilla]

Originally Posted by Robbi

An Apple buy out might hopefully inject some new ways of doing business. God knows, Disney needs it.

Lets's see, the Apple way of doing business:

• Come up with products, then make small, incremental improvements in them but charge a massive premium for each new iteration. Sounds like Fastpass+.
• Develop a "closed system" approach that forces clients to agree to your terms for any form of experience. I can see that future - the only groceries you will be able to bring into a DVC villa will be ones purchased through Disney (where a croissant costs $4.50)
• Implement an "our way or the highway" customer service culture. If you want to set up an ITunes account you once could use Paypal to fund it, but no longer can. That's because Itunes became an immediate target for Paypal fraud (which was a function of the disproportionate lower end skew of a core segment of the Apple client base, but that's a different discussion) and -- unlike a gazillion other online merchants -- Apple wasn't willing to invest in the relatively straightforward system redesigns to deal with that.

[chartle]

Originally Posted by granmanh603

Wow I agree 100% but need to get rid of people running it now.too many bean counters no visionaries ..Went to Fantasyland preview in Nov, biggest expensive dud ever, never will even walk in there again.

You don't think Apple's bean counters (they do have them) would do the same once they see WDW's books.

Apple's bean counters have the luxury of a grossly inflated income stream from hooked customers that will spend what ever they have to to get the latest bobble. Even though they just got the latest bobble 6 months ago.

[Nina1]

Originally Posted by wiigirl

I would think that would ge a bit of a train wreck myself. Should Apple invest in a Disney resort or ride....oh yeah. Should they combine and become a single company...no no no

Agreed!

[rteetz]

I believe apple could do some great things on the technology side of disney they just wouldn't be very good at the family parks experience that most of us love. I think it would be cool if it happened but it would most likely not happen due to some troubles apple is facing with trying to build up their brand. I think disney is better off by itself anyways and they can make future purchases or other places in the future to enhance their amazing disney experience.