The media industry is going through a wave of consolidation as traditional players try to adjust to changing consumer habits. Demand for traditional media like print newspapers, cable TV, magazines, and landline phones, has decreased as streaming, mobile and digital media becomes more popular. As this trend continues, businesses will continue acquiring to capture consumers, build economies of scale and monetize content in order to stay profitable and grow. Here are three interesting transactions in the telecommunications, media and entertainment sector.
AT&T to Acquire Time Warner
AT&T plans to acquire Time Warner for $85 billion in one of the biggest media acquisitions in history. The telecommunications provider is eager to get its hands on Time Warner’s popular channels, such as HBO and CNN, in order to compete with rival Verizon, which recently acquired AOL and is in the process of acquiring Yahoo!. Time Warner plans to sell Atlanta broadcast stations to Meredith Corp in order avoid an antitrust review.
Sprint Acquires a 33% Stake in Tidal
Sprint acquired a 33% stake in Tidal, an online music streaming service owned by rapper Jay Z. By pairing Sprint’s pipeline of mobile phone customers with Tidal’s music and video content, the companies can be more powerful and reach more consumers.
In some ways this deal is a realization of the infamous Time Warner – AOL deal where they tried to leverage AOL’s infrastructure to distribute Time Warner’s content. While that deal is largely considered a failure, times have changed and Sprint and Tidal have a chance to get the integration right. While Time Warner and AOL tried a “merger of equals,” Sprint has acquired a minority investment in Tidal for $200 million.
Hollywood Reporter – Billboard Media Purchases Music Brands from SpinMedia
The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group will acquire four brands, Spin, Vibe, Steroegum, and Death and Taxes, from SpinMedia in order to establish the largest music brand by digital traffic, social reach and audience share. The Hollywood Reporter – Billboard Media Group’s strategic rationale is to reach millennials and aggressively enter into the video market.
I was recently interviewed about this deal in The Street:
“One of the challenges in today’s media environment is how do you remain relevant, so by combining these business brands and in particular by focusing on the music space, I think strategically the deal makes sense.”
As technology advances and consumer behavior continues to evolve, media companies will continue acquiring in order to stay relevant and most importantly, profitable.
