21st Century Fox (FOXA) raised its bid 30% (to +/- $18.50/share) for Sky PLC (SKYAY) on Wednesday, before Comcast (CMCSA) improved its cash offer for the European cable provider by 18% (to +/- $19.50/share); a 5% premium to the latest FOXA offer. Comcast’s offer was reportedly “recommended by Sky’s independent directors” and the company is said to have “earmarked funds to fulfill the terms of the deal”; the company hopes to complete the acquisition by October, having already received regulatory approval (had been an issue with Fox’s Dec. ‘16 bid) from the EU, Austria, Germany, Italy, and Jersey. The WSJ indicated that if Comcast were to take down Sky, the company could drop its pursuit of Fox’s film and TV assets; FOXA’s existing 39% stake in SKYAY has been a target in that deal.
Howie Long-Short: The Walt Disney Company is considered the front-runner for the FOXA properties having submitted a $71.3 billion offer; obtaining full control of SKYAY is critical to completing that transaction, which explains FOXA’s interest in the British television group.
As for Comcast, SKYAY could bring them both the original content and distribution (satellite & broadband) capabilities that would make the alliance “a mini Comcast-NBCU” and give CMCSA the international expansion it seeks as the company looks to keep up with Amazon and Netflix.
I asked Dan Cohen, Octagon SVP, Global Media Rights Consulting Division which deal (Sky or Fox assets) would best position Comcast in the sports media sector?
Dan: Sky is the stronger sports specific acquisition with a robust portfolio not only in the UK but other significant European markets. The crown jewel is obviously Premier League, but F1, Cricket and Golf are significant as well. Sky Italia offer up premium content after just renewing Serie A rights in Italy and Sky is a player in Ireland Spain, Germany and Austria.
Editor Note: Fox assets include Star India and Fox International channels, but no domestic rights. Comcast would also be divesting the 22 RSNs to avoid anti-trust concerns.
Howie: What are the 22 RSNs worth?
Dan: I wouldn’t be surprised if they could fetch as much as $28 billion. Either winner (Comcast or Disney) will be well positioned to reap billions from the sale. The capital earned from the RSN divestiture can help offset the purchase price or be applied to aggressively pursuing even more premium sports content.
FOXA shareholders were less than pleased with Wednesday’s developments, shares declined -4% on the day closing at $47.79.
Fan Marino: Speaking of 21st Century Fox, it’s being reported that despite ad revenue increasing from 4 years ago, the company is going to lose money on the ’18 World Cup. Simply put, the company overestimated (by 7-10%) the number of viewers they expected to tune-in (and guaranteed in ad deals) and are now being forced to offer “make goods” (i.e. additional air time) to advertisers. Interestingly, Telemundo won’t post a profit either; that’s surprising if only because it set network ratings records (including 125 million live streams) throughout the tournament.
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