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FOX Sports GO: New App to Launch with All-Sports Network

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March 7, 2013

On Tuesday, we reported that News Corp. has plans to launch FOX Sports 1, a new national cable sports network, in the U.S. by August. ETCentric has since learned that FOX Sports Media Group also has plans to launch FOX Sports GO, a mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. The “TV Everywhere” service, similar to WatchESPN, will also offer programming on the Web. Continue reading FOX Sports GO: New App to Launch with All-Sports Network

FOX Sports 1 to Launch in August: All-Sports Cable Network

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March 5, 2013

Media magnate Rupert Murdoch, chairman and CEO of News Corp., has plans to take on ESPN with a new national cable sports network. FOX Sports 1 is expected to launch in August in the United States, with plans to broadcast football, motor sports, baseball and much more. Murdoch hopes that the all-sports network will be as successful in the U.S. as Sky Sports has proven in the United Kingdom. Continue reading FOX Sports 1 to Launch in August: All-Sports Cable Network

Will Cablevision Suit Against Viacom Impact TV Bundling?

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February 28, 2013

Cablevision Systems sued Viacom this week, alleging antitrust violations and representing simmering tensions within the television industry about how TV channels are packaged and priced. The pay TV distributor alleges that Viacom forced it to carry and pay for more than a dozen less popular channels for the right to carry its more popular networks including Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central. Continue reading Will Cablevision Suit Against Viacom Impact TV Bundling?

Hulu Taken Off the Auction Block: Sale of Video Hub Tabled by Owners

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October 17, 2011
  • After months of bidding, Hulu’s owners — News Corp., NBCUniversal, Disney and Providence Equity Partners — have decided to stop its sale.
  • “Since Hulu holds a unique and compelling strategic value to each of its owners, we have terminated the sale process and look forward to working together to continue mapping out its path to even greater success,” explained the partners in a short statement. “Our focus now rests solely on ensuring that our efforts as owners contribute in a meaningful way to the exciting future that lies ahead for Hulu.”
  • In a related TechCrunch post, it was suggested that media companies saw more value in retaining licensing fees than selling them.
  • Bidders were not willing to pay more for Hulu knowing that the costs for content rights would increase dramatically after the two year period being sold. (Google reportedly bid $4 billion, but wanted streaming rights for longer than the guaranteed “couple of years.”)

Murdoch Urged to Drop BSkyB Deal, Hacking Scandal Widens

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July 12, 2011
  • UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg publicly urged News Corp. to drop its bid to acquire BSkyB, Britain’s largest satellite TV provider.
  • The announcement was delivered in the wake of the News of the World phone-hacking scandal, which continues this week with allegations involving additional News Corp. publications, possible classified information regarding the royal family, bribery of police and other illegal methods to obtain information.
  • Murdoch’s decision to shut down News of the World apparently has not muted the public outcry.
  • A group of disgruntled News Corp. shareholders has reportedly filed a lawsuit alleging nepotism and accusing the company of governance failures.
  • BSkyB’s stock posted a 5.5 percent drop on the news.

News Corp. Scandal May Impact BSkyB Acquisition

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July 7, 2011
  • New allegations have emerged that News of the World, a British paper owned by News Corp., illegally hacked into and tampered with the voicemails of crime victims, including a kidnapped 13-year-old girl.
  • The allegations arrive just as News Corp. was poised to acquire BSkyB, the largest pay TV service in Britain.
  • British regulators have yet to give final approval to the deal, which has already taken 13 months due to complicated regulatory hurdles.
  • It is unclear whether the growing scandal will affect its fate. However, Prime Minister David Cameron said the allegations are a “separate issue” from the regulatory process.

MySpace Efforts May Have Cost News Corp. More Than Millions

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July 1, 2011
  • ETCentric reported earlier in the week that social networking site MySpace would be sold to Irvine-based advertising firm Specific Media for $35 million in cash and stock.
  • Although News Corp. has claimed that its Google ad deals helped curb MySpace losses over the recent years, others suggest a darker picture.
  • The sale of MySpace for a mere 6 percent of its original $580 million purchase price may be yet another chapter in a disappointing tale, one which started with a failed attempt to build an all-service media empire.
  • Ars Technica suggests that when considering the entire picture, including the operating losses over the years, the MySpace acquisition may have cost News Corp. well over $1 billion (read the article for a breakdown of the math).
  • Specific Media, with Justin Timberlake as a backer, is expected to focus on music for MySpace’s new direction.

Social Networker MySpace to Be Sold to California Ad Agency

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June 30, 2011
  • News Corp. is in the process of selling once-popular social networking site MySpace to Specific Media, an Irvine-based ad network.
  • The cash and stock deal is reportedly valued at $35 million — a mere 6 percent of the $580 million News Corp. paid for the site in 2005 (although News Corp. claims it made back its investment earlier from a Google ad deal).
  • The one-time leading social networking destination, MySpace was decimated by the global popularity of Facebook.
  • Specific Media is expected to return MySpace to its music roots as a location to discover new bands and songs.
  • The sale comes in the same week that Google announces its own new networking service, designed to directly challenge Facebook for dominance in the space.
  • Facebook is presently valued at more than $70 billion.

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