Big Media Aggregated: Disney and News Corp goes shopping

By SDH Disney Interactive Studios (DIS) the game arm of the media and entertainment giant has reportedly agreed to purchase Chinese company Gamestar. DIS general manager Graham Hopper feels good about the deal saying Gamestar will play a significant roll in DIS’s global growth plan. Wonder if Gamestar’s 90 staff members fit into that growth plan? In other shopping news, News Corp’s Fox Networks, the company’s year-old online advertising network will announce today that it has bought control of European video ad network Utarget as part of a move to expand in Europe and Asia. Wendi Deng Murdoch, wife of Rupert is probably the mind behind this strategic swallowing. The Utarget deal comes after U.S.-based Fox Interactive Media (FIM) reorganized staff last week in anticipation of a possible revenue target shortfall. The reshuffling, long in the works, will also see the launch of FIM's long-anticipated U.S. online advertising network, called the FIM Audience Network.

Lachlan Murdoch's quest to buy Consolidated Media Holdings, dead in the womb

By SDH Lachlan Murdoch's comeback has just hit a second road block. When the deal was announced, it included Murdoch, and fellow media man James Packer who agreed along with Murdoch to go 50-50 on the deal. But then the deal’s private equity backer SPO Partners got cold feet and backed out of the deal leaving Lachlan and his buddy James scrambling for another deep pocketed private equity group which they did find in Providence Equity Partners. Well now the deal has reportedly fell apart again over price and because now James Packer only wants a 25% stake in the deal, leaving poor Lachlan with the task of trying to convince his backers to take a bigger chunk. So it looks like all has failed and Lachlan Murdoch is moving on announcing in a letter released by the Australian Securities Exchange today, that the consortium was abandoning the planned acquisition of a 75% stake in Consolidated Media Holdings. Why didn't Lachlan just give his daddy Rupert a call and said “dad, I really need this deal to happen” We think Rupe would have come to his sons rescue right away.

Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer taking a Suge Knight approach to the whole Yahoo! Thing

By SDH And we thought this evaporated into thin air when Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang said fuck you to Microsoft’s $40 billion offer. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer really wants Yahoo! and it looks like he is sick and tired of waiting around while Jerry Yang plays hard to get. Now Ballmer is offering ultimatums, telling Yahooers they had better come to the table or they will go over heads to get the deal done. Ballmer believes Yahoo! got the best offer out there and will try to convince the company’s shareholders that it is. "If we have not concluded an agreement within the next three weeks, we will be compelled to take our case directly to your shareholders, including the initiation of a proxy contest to elect an alternative slate of directors for the Yahoo board," wrote Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer.

Germany's Bertelsmann looking to take on China not America

By SDH German media giant Bertelsmann may be getting out of America if and when they sell off their book businesses and their 50% stake in Sony BMG. But they are getting into China even more. The company via its pan-European TV division RTL Group, has acquired a 16.5% stake in production group-ad agency Ad Society But the purchase seemed to have been approved after RTL issued public apologies through it's German channels and its news web N-TV for misrepresentations of the unrest in Tibet and Nepal. Bertie really has no love for America huh! Bertelsmann has long been exploring the Chinese market and in 2005 inked a joint venture with the Liaoning Publishing Group to launch Bertelsmann China Direct Group to sell books in the country.

When fantasies border on stupidity

By SDH We’ve heard crazy ideas/fantasies before like when it was suggested that Time Warner buy Starbucks, that one, though clearly just someone talking out of their rear was just extreme and made absolutely no sense no matter how anyone wants to look at it. Now comes another crazy idea/fantasy though not as extreme as the Time Warner Starbucks suggestion, this one is also someone talking out of their rear. After browsing over at “All Things Digital” we came across a post from Kara Swisher who begs that we indulge her, in her no sense fantasy/idea that instead of Microsoft buying Yahoo! They should buy AOL and the giant media company attached to it, Time Warner. AOL by the way is attached to Time Warner, and why say Microsoft buying Time Warner would be a bargain compared to Yahoo! While in the same breath mentioning that the current price tag for Time Warner is $51.5 billion but it would balloon to about $87 billion due to debt? Double the price of what Microsoft is offering for Yahoo! We know it’s just a fantasy but we’re talking reality here. If Microsoft were to even mention that they are kicking the tires on the overweight Time Warner, their stock would go into a free fall. Microsoft knows nothing about traditional media which is what makes up the majority of Time Warner. And bottom line, it would be AOL Time Warner 2.0. The only thing that would fit with Microsoft is AOL, so why not just grab AOL if Jeff Bewkes decided to sell. No need to buy a bunch of assets you’re going to have to unload just to gain control of one. There is no value in Harry Potter, HBO or any other Time Warner brands, shows, networks for Microsoft. If Former Time Warner CEO Geri Levine didn’t get caught up in the hype that was AOL, Time Warner would probably be in good shape right now. But it is still suffering from the after effects of that merger. Kara Swisher asks why doesn’t Microsoft buy Time Warner. Well the answer to that is simple. They have no interest in dumping a load of cash on a debt laced company in a business they know nothing about, that is still trying to find their way after being knocked on their ass. Oh yeah and Steve Ballmer kinda likes his job and net worth. We think the same goes for Bill Gates, at least on the net worth part.

Rupert Murdoch beefing up Dow Jones

BY SDH Dow Jones has long been a blip in comparison to other financial media companies like Thomson Bloomberg and Reuters, and now that both Thomson and Reuters are awaiting word on their pending join up, Dow Jones will end up being an even smaller blip. But New Dow Jones ruler Rupert Murdoch is working to make sure his little blip is still visible and has a voice to compete with the big boys. King Rupe's News Corp in an effort to bulk up Dow Jones' financial news coverage overseas, has purchased Betten Financial News and Dow Jones enterprise media group President Clare Hart spits the usual on why! We're dedicated to increasing our coverage of local markets in local languages, and this acquisition helps us to better serve the needs of our European customers," Dow Jones buys Betten Financial News [Reuters]

Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang to underlings: Chillax!

BY SDH Yahoo Founder turned CEO Jerry Yang joins the club of clueless CEOs who are totally out of touch with concerns of the little people that drive the engine of the ship they steer. Yahoo! employees are understandably worried about what will happen to them with major job cuts on the horizon. And if that wasn't enough, here comes Microsoft with a fat offer to take over the company. So are Jerry Yang and his number two Sue Decker Naive? They aren't worried about job cuts, because they are the ones doing the cutting, or at least ordered it. They aren't worried about what will happen to them if they do take Microsoft's money and run, because they will benefit from any sale financially. So what do we have to say to the poor bastards at Yahoo! awaiting their fate? Launch a “hire us” campaign aimed at Google. They are growing and hiring out the wazzooo! Oh yeah while you're at it, thank Terry Fucking Semel Yahoo! employees were already in a serious state of unrest awaiting word on the number and nature of layoffs leading up to last week's earnings call, where it was revealed that 700 people would be let go as part of the company's turnaround efforts. "Now they are in a complete state of turmoil, wondering if there are going to be a bunch more cuts since a lot of Yahoo!'s operations overlap with Microsoft's," said one source who has spoken with Yahoo! employees since the Microsoft offer emerged. YAHOO! WHINERS [NYP]

Philadelphia Style in the Binn! -UPDATE

-SDH Our friends at Fishbowlny.com get a little deeper into the Niche Media Philadelphia Style deal. Philadelphia Style which is/was owned by Dana Spain-Smith the heir to the 99 cent store fortune, not sure which one because there are so many. Anyway according to FBNY via Philadelphia Inquirer Spain-Smith is selling the magazine to spend more time focusing on her pet charity, Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society. It’s good to be an heir to something. Niche Media ruled by Jason Binn, will reportedly take over Philadelphia Style. This ads to Binn's stable of other titles like Hamptons Magazine, Gotham and others. Now of course with every acquisition comes the question, will heads roll? The bi-monthly magazine with a circulation of 70,000 is the first acquisition since November, when Jason Binn, founder of 15-year-old Niche, sold his company to Las Vegas-based Greenspun Media and merged it with Jerry Powers at Ocean Drive Media in Miami and became CEO of the combined entity. Niche publishes Gotham magazine and LA Confidential. BINN FINDS NEW NICHE IN PHILLY [NYP]

Former Yahoo! boss Terry Semel is probably praying his former company bows to Microsoft

-SDH Of all the shareholders out there praying that Yahoo! takes up Microsoft on their offer, former Yahoo! CEO Terry Semel is probably the loudest. See Semel holds a nice amount of Yahoo! Stock and with Microsoft's Murdochian style offer of $44 Billion to swallow the online giant, Semel may run out of places to put money. With Semel officially stepping down from Yahoo's board yesterday, there is no doubt that he is moving full speed ahead with his second act which may have him trying to buy a movie studio and installing himself as CEO. So is Terry Semel on his knees praying that Yahoo! says yes? You fucking bet ya!

In his father's shoes

BY SDH Lachlan Murdoch is taking a page out of his daddy Rupert's book and is building his media empire, one newspaper paper at a time. According to published reports the former New York Post Publisher and deputy Chief Operating Officer of News Corp has teamed up with Australia's richest man James Packer to acquire publishing company Consolidated Media Holdings for a cool $2 billion. Is Lachlan finally pulling the curtains up on his grand comeback plan? Word is an official announcement will be made later on today.

John Malone takes bigger chunk of Barry Diller's world

-BY SDH One of the most powerful men in media, John Malone is hardly written about and gawked at by mainstream media, but we doubt he gives a shit. He is arguably the most powerful known unknown in the biz and has the power to make even the biggest of them run for cover like the time he had Rupert Murdoch shaking in his pants. Now Malone's Liberty Media holding company has swallowed 14 million shares of the Barry Diller ruled IAC/Interactive Corp for $339.5 Million upping Liberty's stake to about 30%. Could Malone have taken a bigger chunk if he wanted, or does Diller have some Rupert Murdoch like, poison pill in place to block such a move? Stake Is Bought in IAC/InterActiveCorp [NYT]

Rupert Murdoch re-invests in company he lost $1 billlion on earlier

The man just continues to expand his reach it seems like every month or something like that. Media King Rupert Murdoch has swallowed a 14.6% stake in German pay-TV operator Premiere for for a reported $214 million just five years after losing $1 billion in an earlier investment in the same broadcaster. It looks like Rupe did a pull out and step back after losing that $1 billion and now that things are looking a little more firm, he is back with a fresh investment. Back when he lost the $1 Billion, King Rupe described it as a black eye. But today he is singing a new tune. -SDH "Pay-TV is a core business for News Corporation and it's a category that's thriving across Europe with a multitude of new services and innovations," Rupert Murdoch said. We see enormous potential for growth in Germany and believe the time is right to invest in its foremost pay-TV business, Premiere." News Corp buys stake in German pay-TV firm [Guardian]

QUICK NEWS: John Malone into body building

Liberty Media, which is controlled by media wild card John Malone is set to announce that it has acquired a controlling stake in Bodybuilder.com for $100 million. No word on why the interest in the site but we're sure it has to do with traffic which must be huge for that price tag. -SDH

United Business Media wants some Latin love

-YOSH United Business Media parent company of the still CEO-Less CMP Media Technology is expanding it's PR Newswire business. The company has announced that it plans to purchase a slew of Latin PR businesses including Hispanic PR Wire, LatinClips and Hispanic Digital Network. Great! So all UBM needs to acquire now to round out their audience is a Black PR firm and an Asian PR firm. "The acquisition of Hispanic PR Wire, LatinClips and Hispanic Digital Network is in line with PR Newswire's mission to enhance our multicultural services in the U.S. and internationally through a combination of organic development and acquiring leading companies," commented Charles Gregson, chief executive officer, PR Newswire. "The services of these companies represent a full scale Hispanic communications platform that runs the gamut from Hispanic press release distribution to news monitoring and online marketing. Merging this platform with PR Newswire's services will allow us to offer marketers and communications professionals unprecedented ROI for all their U.S. Hispanic communications efforts. These businesses are leaders in their space, and we look forward to welcoming them into the PR Newswire family." PR Newswire to Acquire Leading Hispanic Press Release, Clipping and On-line Advertising Services [PR NEWSWIRE]

Christopher Bancroft: I'm sorry we won't be as involved with Dow Jones now, were they ever? Rich Zannino knows his high end fashion

-YOSH It looks like reality has set in for some members of the Bancroft family who ruled Dow Jones for decades up until yesterday. Now that they no longer have control of the company, Bancroft family member Chris Bancroft is all sad, even with a fatter bank account. “I’m sad we’re no longer going to be involved as we had been, but I look forward to Rupert doing a great job in keeping Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal the quality organizations they have been,” said Christopher Bancroft, a Dow Jones board member. “I hope it doesn’t change in a way that would cause it to lose the credibility it has had. I’m optimistic.” As far as former Dow Jones CEO Rich Zannino goes... he's already getting some good advice from Dow Jones board member Evelyn Y. Davis who suggested to Mr. Zannino that he return to the apparel industry. She even challenged him to tell her which designer she was wearing and to no surprise, Zannino got it right. She was wearing Valentino. Hey, did Gap ever find a new CEO? Zannino should apply. News Corp. Completes Takeover of Dow Jones [NYT]

Newscorp says it isn't buying LinkedIn but we all know that really means they are

Rupert Murdoch's henchmen are said to be at it again this time talking up the folks at LinkedIn.com. We've always admired Newscorp's online interest over the years. They always seem to go the un-traditional route when seeking new online properties to swallow. If Newscorp lands LinkedIn, there is no doubt they will gel it with Myspace. They can even use the site to look for new talent and run ads based on the industry someone works in. Oh man the possibilities. Will this be Fox Interactive (FIM) head Peter Levinsohn's shot at major kudos like his cousin former FIM Prexy Ross Levinsohn got and continues to get for landing myspace and causing Tom Freston his job? Anyway, for now both News Corp and LinkedIn claim there are no talks going on between them. Is Rupert Murdoch eyeing LinkedIn? [Telegraph]