Talking to Blackstone? There was no talking. Blackstone said they wanted out and gave there price per their agreement. You're looking for something that simply is not there. It's another odd idea you've had and you're now trying to find ways to back it up. You've got the cart in front of the horse, again.
Also, don't forget how Comcast became the nation's largest cable operator. When I first moved to my area, there were like eight cable operators. Over time, it became just two: Comcast and Adelphia. Comcast traded systems with Adelphia, making Adelphia the only operator in my area. Later, Comcast bought Adelphia's systems here, meaning that the Comcast systems that became Adelphia systems became Comcast systems again, along with the Adelphia systems, doubling their market share and establishing themselves as the only provider in the entire SE region of Florida.
Of course they were talking! How do you come to terms and negotiate without talking?
Terms for what? Blackstone wanted out and wanted $1 billion for their stake. Comcast paid. That's it. There is no reason to suggest that Comcast also expressed interest in SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. Why not suggest they wanted Merlin Entertainments? Or any of Blackstone's other various holdings?
You just named a term! $1 billion. You need to talk back and forth to agree to that. The lawyers also make both parties sign a bunch of papers and they don't sign this blindly! We don't know what was discussed. We just don't know. All negotiations are held in secret - and the lawyers on both sides make sure of it! How long do you think Disney and Lucas negotiated in secret before they announced the agreement. No one knew that that Pixar partnership talks became secret merger talks. It's not a conspiracy. It's just how the REAL business world works!
The organizational contracts for Universal City Development Partners are public record. Blackstone's desire to be bought out was also made known through SEC filings in which Blackstone informed of their decision to sell their stake. There was no negotiating. Comcast was not seeking to buy out Blackstone. Blackstone had made their money off of Harry Potter and decided to leave on a high note, when they knew they could demand a large sum and it would be unwise of NBCUniversal to divest themselves of the Resort.
The thing is, I see Sea World as a pawn in a game of theme park chess. No one knows except the people involved what really happened. It could have been as you said, and maybe not. It is foolish for either of us to claim that we know what really happened because we just don't. I'm just trying to think as if I were playing this chess game, what moves I would make. I've often used this strategy to try to guess what the next business move could be, and many times I've been able to call it that way. I thought a Marvel deal would be a great move years before it was announced. I did think about a LucasFilm buyout, by I dismissed it, thinking Lucas wouldn't want to sell. Surprises are what make these things exciting and interesting.
I do not need to know specific details to be able to put together a reasonable narrative based on the publicly available information. Weird secret machinations involve keeping people quiet.
