Is Malone Planning To Launch A Premium Pay TV Channel On Liberty's Cable Networks? - Page 3

Pierre · 25-05-2015, 22:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Horizon

. Of course, they could take the lead and merge his operations in with theirs.

Don't see how they can do that, if not on his terms.

Horizon · 26-05-2015, 01:20

The newspapers are reporting that Malone's bid to buy Time Warner Cable may complete later today or this week sometime.

Busy, ain't here?

Pierre · 26-05-2015, 09:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pierre

It's interesting and a different proposition from earlier rumours where a takeover of Liberty by Vodafone was mooted.

Here they are talking of spinning off the European operation from their global operations. The article says that this would value the Vodafone European operations at 30million, which is much, much less than Liberty. Liberty bought just VM for 23million.

This is basically Malone taking a punt out there and getting any potential deal on his terms.

It could happen, but it would depend if the Vodafone board have the stomach for it as it would essentially be Liberty buy out of Vodafone, not the other way around.

Juat to correct myself.

It's the non-European operations that are valued at 30million. So it would be more of an equitable match up in Europe.

Anyway still a long way off.

Ignitionnet · 26-05-2015, 11:39

Deal between Charter, Time Warner and Brighthouse agreed - $55 billion.

Horizon · 26-05-2015, 11:44

.... that's a lot of wonga for cable tv. Next, Vodafone. Or, as I said in an earlier post in this thread, he'll go for a US mobile operator. But Vodafone are pimping themselves to him, so why not?

Malone's a busy old grandad.

Media Boy UK · 26-05-2015, 11:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet

Deal between Charter, Time Warner and Brighthouse agreed - $55 billion.

Have they got up to 3 years to pay?

johnathome · 26-05-2015, 12:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Horizon

I think things are becoming even more obvious with the latest news.

In the US, it was announced today that Charter Communications, which is part owned by John Malone's Liberty Media, is to buy Bright House House Networks to form the second largest cableco in the US.

Charter are buying Time Warner in a $78.7bn deal

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32883033

oops

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet

Deal between Charter, Time Warner and Brighthouse agreed - $55 billion.

Ignitionnet · 26-05-2015, 13:12

Scary amount of debt involved in this. Charter are loading up the combined entity with debt so that they can ensure they are the dominant partner in the deal.

TWC are over half-again the size of Charter, have three times the revenues and are far more profitable.

Vodafone won't be so keen on being saddled with a bunch of debt in a merged entity. Of course their lovely short-termist shareholders may well disagree if they see $$$ signs waved in front of them.

Kushan · 26-05-2015, 20:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet

Vodafone won't be so keen on being saddled with a bunch of debt in a merged entity. Of course their lovely short-termist shareholders may well disagree if they see $$$ signs waved in front of them.

To be honest, I think Vodafone is going to be more interested than you might think. I have a suspicion that Vodafone is running a bit scared.

With the EE+BT and O2+EE merger, Vodafone is going from one of the biggest to one of the smallest in a relatively short period of time. Short term they're fine, but long term it's going to be interesting to see how they remain competitive against what are, frankly, giants. Diversifying into a large cable company makes a hell of a lot of sense when you think about it.

I know nothing really, though.

Horizon · 26-05-2015, 20:50

...not true. I think you summed it up perfectly why Virgin Media might become Vodafone Media in the not too distant future.

Everyone wants to be number one not number three.

qasdfdsaq · 26-05-2015, 23:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kushan

With the EE+BT and O2+EE merger, Vodafone is going from one of the biggest to one of the smallest in a relatively short period of time.

Vodafone hasn't been "one of the biggest" since 2009. They've been the smallest major network and second smallest of all networks for at least the last five full years.

All they've gone from is 3rd out of 4 to 3rd out of 3. But they are now 3rd by a much larger gap.

Kushan · 27-05-2015, 10:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by qasdfdsaq

Vodafone hasn't been "one of the biggest" since 2009. They've been the smallest major network and second smallest of all networks for at least the last five full years.

All they've gone from is 3rd out of 4 to 3rd out of 3. But they are now 3rd by a much larger gap.

True enough, but even in your own words, they've been the smallest "major" network. At some point, the gap will widen enough that people won't consider them "major" any more. Either way, the widening gap is not good for business. Particularly as Three has always been the "Cheap" brand, they're suddenly going to become the biggest and if they keep up the cheap branding, I'm not really sure how else Vodafone is going to compete for marketshare. They won't have the best coverage, they won't have the best value, what else could really define them as an operator?

Ignitionnet · 27-05-2015, 11:09

Their massive international operations define them. They aren't going to break their group apart for the sake of the UK market. The case needs to be way more persuasive than just us. Their German market is a far more persuasive one.

qasdfdsaq · 27-05-2015, 18:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kushan

I'm not really sure how else Vodafone is going to compete for marketshare. They won't have the best coverage, they won't have the best value, what else could really define them as an operator?

Vodafine certainly have the best unreliability.

But seriously, having a USP doesn't seem to matter anymore, seeing as O2 pre-merger didn't have anything unique. They did not have the best coverage, did not have the best value, did not have the best reliability, did not have the best speeds, did not have any good roaming deals, and don't have any own-brand handsets. They had no triple or quad play offerings and no broadband/TV/home phone packages.

Yet O2 had more people joining and more total customers than any other network.

Pierre · 27-05-2015, 23:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet

Their massive international operations define them. They aren't going to break their group apart for the sake of the UK market. The case needs to be way more persuasive than just us. Their German market is a far more persuasive one.

Well it wouldn't be just for the UK. malone said Europe and Liberty is on the whole european.

I could see it happening but it would take a boat load of work on the vodafone side of things.

Vodafone would have to be split into two, incidentally not dissimilar to what C&W did before they were bought by Vodafone.

You would have Vodafone Europe and Vodafone rest of the world, I'm assuming the huge submarine cable network would be spun off with the RoTW, can't see Liberty wanting it.

I don't know. The question is do you destroy Vodafone to save it?

From what I can pick up around here, it could happen.