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Sky - Comcast takeover complete

Comcast to compulsorily acquire all shares not already held. (September 2018)

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ST
Stuart
I remember some people on here were adamant that, when Comcast were eyeing up ITV, they'd rebrand the whole network as NBC UK or something. I know we're all more passionate about branding and logos than the average person, but some people need to consider the wider picture.

Indeed, and NBCU have never used the peacock on most of their channels in the UK (Universal TV, E!, SyFy etc) so there is no reason why they would attempt to impose that logo on the Sky channels. It just wouldn't make any commercial sense.


If Comcast had taken over ITV, I don't think they would have gone for a name change either.

However, that's now out of the question for Comcast, so ITV plc must be breathing a sigh of relief - unless Disney now have them in their sights after smarting from the failed bid for Sky.

This could get yet more interesting. Laughing
ZE
zeebre12
So Universal TV will now be a sister channel to Sky 1/Sky Witness etc?
RK
Rkolsen
I remember some people on here were adamant that, when Comcast were eyeing up ITV, they'd rebrand the whole network as NBC UK or something. I know we're all more passionate about branding and logos than the average person, but some people need to consider the wider picture.


Would it be possible for Comcast to one day buy ITV?
ST
Stuart
I remember some people on here were adamant that, when Comcast were eyeing up ITV, they'd rebrand the whole network as NBC UK or something. I know we're all more passionate about branding and logos than the average person, but some people need to consider the wider picture.

Would it be possible for Comcast to one day buy ITV?

Not now. Competition rules would prevent it.
IS
Inspector Sands
So Universal TV will now be a sister channel to Sky 1/Sky Witness etc?

By ownership yes, but they won't necessarily be integrated operationally with each other. Though I would have thought that they would be merged in with Sky's channel operations at some point. Makes sense to
IS
Inspector Sands

Indeed, and NBCU have never used the peacock on most of their channels in the UK (Universal TV, E!, SyFy etc) so there is no reason why they would attempt to impose that logo on the Sky channels. It just wouldn't make any commercial sense.

Yep, it's unlikely on a brand level but on a corporate level maybe. Putting the Comcast/NBC stamp on the company could happen - a way of marking out with the old and in with the new.


The NBC peacock is one of the lost famous and oldest logos in broadcasting, it has recognition in the industry, whereas Sky's corporate identity is very understated
Last edited by Inspector Sands on 23 September 2018 3:54pm
RD
rdd Founding member
rdd posted:


I’m not saying Sky (or its content side) is going to suffer the same death by a thousand cuts CNBC did. It does however bring into question the plans NBC has at Euronews, particularly for English language studio programmes. Surely there will now a case be made by the soon-to-be-US owners that NBC does not need to be running two 24 hour English language general news channels in Europe?



Both channels are distinctive. One is a domestic news channel for the UK and Ireland, the other is a pan-European news channel with greater emphasis on the EU and the continent. Both different markets which will benefit Comcast and their other news services.

I suspect with CNBC being a global financial news channel was felt that concentrating on Wall Street is what their audience wants rather than a whole day concentrating on the FTSE, Cac 40 and the DAX, although I remember CNBC going over to Wall Street at lunchtime anyway before a late afternoon bulletin from London.


They did to be fair - they always took the last two hours of Squawk Box and the first of the mid morning show that followed. But it’s different now - their European presence has been completely slashed - it basically just four hours now. They once had a network of on-air correspondents in every major European capital and that’s been slashed too. It’s now effectively just an extended opt out of the US parent channel.

As I say I’m not suggesting this will happen to Sky or in particular to Sky News - it appears Comcast are making fairly cast iron guarantee of Sky News’ continued existence over the next decade, in so far as such guarantees can be regarded as cast iron. I’m more suggesting Euronews, and in particular the English language version, might be targeted in the first instance for any such cuts.
LL
London Lite Founding member
rdd posted:


As I say I’m not suggesting this will happen to Sky or in particular to Sky News - it appears Comcast are making fairly cast iron guarantee of Sky News’ continued existence over the next decade, in so far as such guarantees can be regarded as cast iron. I’m more suggesting Euronews, and in particular the English language version, might be targeted in the first instance for any such cuts.


Comcast are only a minority shareholder in Euronews, the bulk of the shares are with Media Globe Networks. Comcast's investment has helped them introduce the live programmes, presenters and correspondents on the English service.
NG
noggin Founding member

The NBC peacock is one of the lost famous and oldest logos in broadcasting, it has recognition in the industry, whereas Sky's corporate identity is very understated


Though equally the NBC Peacock has a huge 'American' connotation too - which may not be good for a European pay-TV operation.
DB
dbl
So Universal TV will now be a sister channel to Sky 1/Sky Witness etc?

A distant relative, I suspect the NBC Universal/Sky staff will remain separate unless Comcast wants to merge them both into one/restructure. But its early days.
DV
DVB Cornwall
Sky will operate independently after Comcast completes its £30bn takeover of the British media company, the US cable group’s chief executive has said after winning a drawn-out battle against rivals Walt Disney and 21st Century Fox.

Comcast won an auction for Rupert Murdoch’s pay television group this weekend with an offer of £17.28 a share, trumping Disney-Fox’s bid of £15.67 a share and concluding one of the UK’s longest takeover sagas.

The deal ends Mr Murdoch’s involvement with Sky almost 30 years after he created the satellite television group that came to be the main rival of the UK’s dominant terrestrial TV players.




RD
rdd Founding member
I’ve seen enough takeovers where that sort of promise is made. And usually, it’s at first adhered to. But down the road, perhaps under a different CEO and management, it’s usually reneged upon. “It no longer makes sense in the business world of today” may be the line trotted out. Or they may just be blunt about the effencies they need to make.

Here’s an example from 25 years ago when Carlton took over Central: “Central will remain a stand-alone regional broadcaster under executive chairman Leslie Hill and managing director Andy Allan. Central Television Enterprises, the international program sales arm, already distributes on behalf of Carlton and so will be relatively unaffected.“
http://www.variety.com/1993/biz/news/carlton-aims-for-central-116189/amp/

We all know how that went, with the benefit of hindsight.

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