Should Disney merge with AT&T or Verizon?

[PeterAlt]

I was just reading Comcast's annual report. You know, in almost every business sector, they compete head-to-head with Disney. One big sector they do not currently compete is distribution. Comcast owns the nation's largest cable systems conglomerate. Disney owns nothing but must rely on others - including Comcast to distribute their programming. If Comcast were to ever decide to pull all Disney-owned networks from their systems, Disney would be in big trouble! However, if Disney owned a big distributor, they can threaten to do the same and keep everything in check. To do this, they would have to merge with either AT&T (for U-Verse) or Verizon (for Fios). Or they could merge with DirecTv or Dish.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Matt7187]

I was just reading Comcast's annual report. You know, in almost every business sector, they compete head-to-head with Disney. One big sector they do not currently compete is distribution. Comcast owns the nation's largest cable systems conglomerate. Disney owns nothing but must rely on others - including Comcast to distribute their programming. If Comcast were to ever decide to pull all Disney-owned networks from their systems, Disney would be in big trouble! However, if Disney owned a big distributor, they can threaten to do the same and keep everything in check. To do this, they would have to merge with either AT&T (for U-Verse) or Verizon (for Fios). Or they could merge with DirecTv or Dish.

What are your thoughts?

If one of them will give blank checks for the parks, then why not!?

 

[Matt7187]

Also, one company that I think wold be great to merge with/ buy is Sony. Have all the disney games be ps4 and vita exclusives, Sony 4k screen for soarin, uncharted...


The possibilities are endless

 

[PeterAlt]

Also, one company that I think wold be great to merge with/ buy is Sony. Have all the disney games be ps4 and vita exclusives, Sony 4k screen for soarin, uncharted...


The possibilities are endless

Except it's a Japanese company. Let's keep Disney American-owned.

 

[Darth Sidious]

How about they merge with neither? You don't merge with another company just to compete in another industry. You merge/acquire to stay ahead, get ahead or because it is a segment of one of your pre existing businesses. There is no reason for Disney to want to get into television services or telecommunications. Comcast bought Universal to diversify out of that industry as more and more content creators look for different mediums to distribute through.

 

[FutureCEO]

its called a monopoly which apparently, exists a lot nowadays even though the government has laws against it. Cough, cough ATT and Verizon.

 

[PeterAlt]

its called a monopoly which apparently, exists a lot nowadays even though the government has laws against it. Cough, cough ATT and Verizon.

Well, that's a kind of grey area. Even though they have monopolies on traditional telephone company territories, their telephone and internet services are duopolies, as they compete now with the cable companies in their respective territories. For TV services, they are an oligopoly, competing with cable and satellite. For wireless phone service, they are an oligopoly as well, competing against each other.

 

[Thrill]

Also, one company that I think wold be great to merge with/ buy is Sony. Have all the disney games be ps4 and vita exclusives, Sony 4k screen for soarin, uncharted...


The possibilities are endless

Sony is undergoing some pretty bad financial times, from what I understand.

Except it's a Japanese company. Let's keep Disney American-owned.

Anyone can buy Disney stock. It's not really American-owned.

its called a monopoly which apparently, exists a lot nowadays even though the government has laws against it. Cough, cough ATT and Verizon.

Aw, it's only a duopoly.

Side note: really hoping that the FCC pushes for some restrictions on AT&T's Leap buyout. If T-Mobile gets a pinch more spectrum, they could have a blazing fast LTE network...

EDIT: In cable, yeah, they're usually monopolies (with the exception of duopolies in a few markets, and a handful of exceptionally lucky markets with more than that).

 

[ford91exploder]

Actually TWC would be a better candidate as the #2 cable provider in the US and it would give both something they need in TWC's case an in demand cable property ie ESPN, For Disney a content distribution network.

 

[Darth Sidious]

There is no reason Disney should merge with AT&T, Verizon or TWC. Why enter a highly competitive market of telecommunications with little to no benefit to your existing LOBs? As for TWC, there isn't a long term or good reason to acquire them. Cable is competitive as it is and they'd eliminate the huge fee they take in for providing content in exchange for a huge amount of overhead and some revenues.

 

[Thrill]

Cable is competitive as it is and they'd eliminate the huge fee they take in for providing content in exchange for a huge amount of overhead and some revenues.

That's the first time anyone has ever said that in relation to the American cable market.

It is an incredibly anti-competitive industry, and they are pushing hard to make it even less competitive.

 

[Darth Sidious]

That's the first time anyone has ever said that in relation to the American cable market.

It is an incredibly anti-competitive industry, and they are pushing hard to make it even less competitive.

Give it some research then also take into account the cable companies now pay through the nose for content. You have the internet and various subscription services cutting into cable markets. There has never been more competition in that market and the market is on the decline.

 

[Thrill]

Give it some research then also take into account the cable companies now pay through the nose for content. You have the internet and various subscription services cutting into cable markets. There has never been more competition in that market and the market is on the decline.

The cable companies own the ISPs. The ISPs are lobbying for the end of Internet neutrality. The ISPs are lobbying to kill Netflix, Amazon, and friends, or else extort them for customers.

If cable gets their way (and they just might), there will be no more competition from Internet services.

 

[Darth Sidious]

The cable companies own the ISPs. The ISPs are lobbying for the end of Internet neutrality. The ISPs are lobbying to kill Netflix, Amazon, and friends, or else extort them for customers.

If cable gets their way (and they just might), there will be no more competition from Internet services.

They won't kill any of those companies. It is between those distribution services and the creative content providers. There is nothing cable can do to stop it besides trying to compete. The streaming service Aero is being fought because they are streaming television.

Also, telecommunication companies now directly compete with cable and you still have sattelite.

 

[Thrill]

They won't kill any of those companies. It is between those distribution services and the creative content providers. There is nothing cable can do to stop it besides trying to compete. The streaming service Aero is being fought because they are streaming television.

Also, telecommunication companies now directly compete with cable and you still have sattelite.

In my town, there are two cable companies. They are the only two terrestrial ISPs. There are two satellite TV providers and two cellular carriers who offer unlimited data. If net neutrality goes, it is conceivable that only four companies control TV. That's a pretty strong oligopoly, and I think my town is relatively lucky to have two cable companies.

Cable companies will be insanely lucrative if they push the FCC just a tiny bit more.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

Cable is dying medium. Not the content, just the providers.

Comcast, Time Warner, Dish, all of them are on borrowed time. The internet will put them all out of business because you will be able to control the content you want, which you can to an extent do right now. Too many people are realizing this and most are dropping cable/satellite subs.

Disney does not need providers in this day and age, the dinosaurs that they are.


Jimmy Thick- TV 2.0.

 

[Darth Sidious]

Cable is dying medium. Not the content, just the providers.

Comcast, Time Warner, Dish, all of them are on borrowed time. The internet will put them all out of business because you will be able to control the content you want, which you can to an extent do right now. Too many people are realizing this and most are dropping cable/satellite subs.

Disney does not need providers in this day and age, the dinosaurs that they are.


Jimmy Thick- TV 2.0.

This is the truth.

 

[Fairybuzz]

This is the truth.

Agreed. I've even debated whether or not it'd be worth it to even buy a Tv when this one I have gives out. Guess just for video games. I haven't sat and channel surfed for many years, and the last time I did it was so I could see cute guys on tv because I was 14.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Cable is dying medium. Not the content, just the providers.

Comcast, Time Warner, Dish, all of them are on borrowed time. The internet will put them all out of business because you will be able to control the content you want, which you can to an extent do right now. Too many people are realizing this and most are dropping cable/satellite subs.

Disney does not need providers in this day and age, the dinosaurs that they are.


Jimmy Thick- TV 2.0.

... and how do you get your Internet? For most people, it's probably through the cable company.

 

[Hakunamatata]

... and how do you get your Internet? For most people, it's probably through the cable company.

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