FCC: Stay of Orders Could Delay Comcast-TWC / AT&T-DirecTV Decisions Past Early Spring

[dfergie]

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Communications Commission told a federal court Monday that granting a stay of its decision to allow third-party vetting of contract documents by programmers could not only delay a decision on the Comcast-Time Warner Cable and AT&T-DirecTV deals beyond a current "early spring" timetable for completion, but could affect whether those mergers are approved or denied.

"Staying the order pending appeal will materially disrupt the current schedule for the commission’s expeditious review and resolution of the proposed mergers, and by itself, could impact the outcome of these applications," FCC general counsel Jonathan Sallet said to the U.S Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

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[whitewolf8214]

U.S. FCC restarts clock on Comcast-TWC, AT&T-DirecTV mergers
WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday restarted its informal 180-day countdown to review the proposed mergers between Comcast Corp and Time Warner Cable Inc, and AT&T Inc and DirecTV.The FCC's self-imposed, non-binding "shot clock" will restart at Day 70 for the AT&T-DirecTV merger and Day 85 for the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger, the agency said.The agency had paused the clock on the reviews as it figured out how to properly consider and allow the public to review sensitive documents related to agreements with media companies.The FCC will now restart its collection of public comments on various aspects of the merger, allowing some reviewers to access highly confidential information that is not related to video programming agreements.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, at the request of numerous content companies, is weighing how the FCC should handle the confidential materials related to programming agreements.
Once the court rules, the FCC indicated it may further reset or delay the deadline to ensure enough time for outside parties to comment and for the agency to properly consider those comments.The country's biggest cable company Comcast has bid $45 billion for the No. 2 Time Warner Cable, while second-largest wireless provider AT&T has bid $48.5 billion to buy biggest satellite TV provider DirecTV.The FCC has to determine whether the deals are in the public interest. It is reviewing the mergers alongside the Justice Department, whose antitrust review also includes sensitive programming documents but is confidential.A group of critics of the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger on Wednesday announced a coalition to press regulators to block the transaction. The "Stop Mega-Comcast" coalition includes satellite company Dish Network Corp, consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge and TheBlaze, conservative commentator Glenn Beck's media company.Critics say the merger would create a cable and Internet provider that would have too much control over what Americans watch on TV and their web activity, among other things.Comcast has stressed that it does not compete against Time Warner Cable in any market and that, together, they would offer better services to more consumers. https://tv.yahoo.com/news/u-fcc-restarts-clock-comcast-164427312.html

 

[whitewolf8214]

Media: Streaming, mergers, and theater traffic big themes of 2015
Dec 31 2014, 08:42 ET | By: Clark Schultz, SA News Editor

Streaming: Sony (NYSE:SNE), HBO (NYSE:TWX), CBS (NYSE:CBS), and Dish Networks (NASDAQISH) are set to unveil streaming products in 2015. The theory of the companies that the skinny bundles will draw in more cord-cutters and cord-nevers than they will cannibalize current pay-TV subscribers will be put to the test. The rush of streaming options could help or hurt Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) depending upon which analysis an investor leans on.
Theater traffic rebound: Exhibitors (CNK, RGC, AMC, CKEC, IMAX) and movie studios (LGF, VIA, VIAB, DIS, FOXA, CMCSA, TWX) maintain that the decline in theater attendance in 2014 (-6%) was due to a slate of films light on blockbusters. A bounce is forecast for 2015 with high-profile films such as Avengers: The Age of Ultron, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, Fifty Shades of Grey, Jurassic World, Spectre (James Bond), and Mission Impossible 5 all set to premiere - along with the reboot of the Star Wars franchise in December. Capex spending on theater upgrades could also help boost in-theater spending and average ticket price for exhibitors.
Mergers: If regulators allow the Comcast-Time Warner Cable (NYSE:TWC) and AT&T-DirecTV (NASDAQTV) mergers to sail through it could clear a path for other media combinations, note analysts. Potential buyers include Alibaba (NYSE:BABA), Wanda Group, Softbank (OTCPK:SFTBY), and a TWX-rebuffed 21st Century Fox (NASDAQ:FOXA). Content producers which could be targets include Starz (NASDAQ:STRZA), Lions Gate (NYSE:LGF), DreamWorks Animation (NASDAQWA), AMC Networks (NASDAQ:AMCX), and Scripps Networks (NYSE:SNI). A split-up Madison Square Garden (NASDAQ:MSG) could also be enticing.
http://seekingalpha.com/news/220106...ic-big-themes-of-2015?uide=8461831#email_link
If in wrong section please move and I apologize for it!!

 

[whitewolf8214]

FCC pauses review of Comcast-TWC, AT&T-DTV; likely weeks away
Mar 13 2015, 16:28 ET | About: Comcast Corporation (CMCSA) | By: Jason Aycock, SA News Editor

As signaled before, the FCC has paused the 180-day "shot clock" on reviewing two megamergers -- Comcast's (NASDAQ:CMCSA) deal for Time Warner Cable (NYSE:TWC), and AT&T's (NYSE:T) deal to buy DirecTV (NASDAQTV) -- as it's tied up with another case over programming contracts.
The review of the deals was set to expire by the end of March, but now may take somewhat longer, likely several more weeks.
The cause is the ongoing dispute with programming firms -- Disney (NYSEIS), CBS, Twenty-First Century Fox (NASDAQ:FOXA), Viacom (VIA, VIAB) and others -- over whether third parties commenting on the mergers will get access to private documents containing sensitive pricing and strategy information.
The FCC has argued it has sufficient protections to keep those details from getting out. But the merger reviews now appear to be dependent entirely on that case's timetable.
"In reaching this conclusion, the commission reserves the right to restart the clock as it believes will best serve the public interest," the FCC said.

http://seekingalpha.com/news/236866...f:493bef0ac3404da63ab24a33414da41d#email_link FCC Stops The Clock, Again, On Comcast And AT&T Merger Deals https://www.yahoo.com/tv/s/fcc-stops-clock-again-comcast-195950329.html

Here we go again. The FCC hit the pause button today on its 180-day informal clock to review Comcast’s plan to buy Time Warner Cable and AT&T’s to buy DirecTV.The sticking point, in both instances, involves a dispute over how much information about the video providers’ contracts with programmers the FCC can share with outsiders. CBS, Scripps Networks, Disney, Time Warner, Fox, Univision and Viacom are among the companies that don’t want potential critics of the deals to see their arrangements with the distributors, now on file at the agency. The FCC decided that it needs to hear informed views from all sides and would make sure that the details remain confidential.Programmers asked the U.S. Court of Appeals to overturn the FCC on the matter. The court heard the case on February 20 but has yet to rule.As a result, the FCC says it would be “prudent” to pause the 180-day countdown because “the Commission would be advantaged by knowing the resolution” of the case before the time periods run out at the end of March. This is Day 165 for Comcast and 170 for AT&T.Comcast says no worries. The FCC “appears to be making significant progress in the review of our transaction in order to bring it to a conclusion,” VP Sena Fitzmaurice says. “The comment cycle is complete, the economists have all weighed in, and the parties have responded to all of the FCC’s Requests for Information. We look forward to working with the government to complete the regulatory review process.”The FCC stopped the clock on the Comcast and AT&T deals for 42 days ending December 3, and stopped the Comcast one for an additional 21 days ending January 12.