Comments on: A Brief History of Media Merger Hysteria: From AOL-Time Warner to Comcast-NBC http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/ Keeping politicians' hands off the Net & everything else related to technology Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:26:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Make Money - Maybe a Second AOL-Time Warner Marriage Would Work Better http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/comment-page-1/#comment-74348 Make Money - Maybe a Second AOL-Time Warner Marriage Would Work Better Fri, 12 Aug 2011 07:17:48 +0000 http://techliberation.com/?p=23968#comment-74348 <p>[...] not long after the merger, AOL-Time Warner reported a loss of $54 billion. Less than a year later, in January 2003, that number [...]</p> [...] not long after the merger, AOL-Time Warner reported a loss of $54 billion. Less than a year later, in January 2003, that number [...]

]]> By: Comcast-NBC & the FCC’s Unprecedented Merger Shakedown http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/comment-page-1/#comment-72636 Comcast-NBC & the FCC’s Unprecedented Merger Shakedown Thu, 20 Jan 2011 21:42:46 +0000 http://techliberation.com/?p=23968#comment-72636 <p>[...] can be when two very different media operations are merged. [Read my old paper on "A Brief History of Media Merger Hysteria" for all the grim details on those deals and how they went south so [...]</p> [...] can be when two very different media operations are merged. [Read my old paper on "A Brief History of Media Merger Hysteria" for all the grim details on those deals and how they went south so [...]

]]> By: Anonymous http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/comment-page-1/#comment-67846 Anonymous Fri, 09 Apr 2010 04:44:54 +0000 http://techliberation.com/?p=23968#comment-67846 <p>[...] article about that and various other mergers like Comcast/NBC, Sirius/XM, and News Corp/DirecTV: http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02...o-comcast-nbc/ [...]</p> [...] article about that and various other mergers like Comcast/NBC, Sirius/XM, and News Corp/DirecTV: http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02…o-comcast-nbc/ [...]

]]> By: Why Google Wants In On The Broadband Game http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/comment-page-1/#comment-66508 Why Google Wants In On The Broadband Game Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:11:54 +0000 http://techliberation.com/?p=23968#comment-66508 <p>[...] of the content and infrastructure industries — whether in the form of Googlephobia or Media Merger Hysteria — is fundamentally wrong-headed. To be sure, mistakes will be made, mergers will fail, and [...]</p> [...] of the content and infrastructure industries — whether in the form of Googlephobia or Media Merger Hysteria — is fundamentally wrong-headed. To be sure, mistakes will be made, mergers will fail, and [...]

]]> By: The Progress & Freedom Foundation Blog http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/comment-page-1/#comment-66197 The Progress & Freedom Foundation Blog Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:36:39 +0000 http://techliberation.com/?p=23968#comment-66197 <p><strong>State of the Net confernece panel on Net Neutrality & Investment...</strong></p> <p>Panel #2 at this year's "State of the Net" pre-conference featured a lively debate about net neutrality and investment. It included a debate between Hal Singer of Empiris LLC and Michael Livermore of the New York University Law School. It......</p> State of the Net confernece panel on Net Neutrality & Investment…

Panel #2 at this year’s “State of the Net” pre-conference featured a lively debate about net neutrality and investment. It included a debate between Hal Singer of Empiris LLC and Michael Livermore of the New York University Law School. It……

]]> By: State of the Net confernece panel on Net Neutrality & Investment — Technology Liberation Front http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/comment-page-1/#comment-66189 State of the Net confernece panel on Net Neutrality & Investment — Technology Liberation Front Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:39:22 +0000 http://techliberation.com/?p=23968#comment-66189 <p>[...] horror stories driving debate… remember AOL-Time Warner?  ended up being no big deal (Indeed!) [...]</p> [...] horror stories driving debate… remember AOL-Time Warner?  ended up being no big deal (Indeed!) [...]

]]> By: The Progress & Freedom Foundation Blog http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/comment-page-1/#comment-64645 The Progress & Freedom Foundation Blog Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:04:16 +0000 http://techliberation.com/?p=23968#comment-64645 <p><strong>AOL-Time Warner Merger at 10: Lessons for Today...</strong></p> <p>"It was then, and is now, the largest merger in American business history," notes Tim Arango of the New York Times about the AOL-Time Warner mega-merger, which happen ten years this month. And yet, as he points out in his......</p> AOL-Time Warner Merger at 10: Lessons for Today…

“It was then, and is now, the largest merger in American business history,” notes Tim Arango of the New York Times about the AOL-Time Warner mega-merger, which happen ten years this month. And yet, as he points out in his……

]]> By: AOL-Time Warner Merger at 10: Lessons for Today — Technology Liberation Front http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/comment-page-1/#comment-64644 AOL-Time Warner Merger at 10: Lessons for Today — Technology Liberation Front Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:40:04 +0000 http://techliberation.com/?p=23968#comment-64644 <p>[...] Arango interviews several of the principals involved in the deal and gets their take on why things unfolded so miserably and, ultimately, came to an end this year. I highly recommend the essay because it should serve as a caution to those worrywarts who are constantly predicting that the sky is going to fall if we allow a truly free media marketplace–including freedom for firms to structure themselves as they wish.  Reality usually plays out quite differently. As I argued in my recent paper, “A Brief History of Media Merger Hysteria: From AOL-Time Warner to Comcast-NBC,” [...]</p> [...] Arango interviews several of the principals involved in the deal and gets their take on why things unfolded so miserably and, ultimately, came to an end this year. I highly recommend the essay because it should serve as a caution to those worrywarts who are constantly predicting that the sky is going to fall if we allow a truly free media marketplace–including freedom for firms to structure themselves as they wish.  Reality usually plays out quite differently. As I argued in my recent paper, “A Brief History of Media Merger Hysteria: From AOL-Time Warner to Comcast-NBC,” [...]

]]> By: The Progress & Freedom Foundation Blog http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/comment-page-1/#comment-64416 The Progress & Freedom Foundation Blog Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:37:53 +0000 http://techliberation.com/?p=23968#comment-64416 <p><strong>What an Amazing Decade (of Technological Progress)!...</strong></p> <p>My friend Larry Magid, a technology columnist for CBS News.com and others, has a wonderful new column out about "The Decade in Technology." You have to read it to appreciate just how far we have come in such a short......</p> What an Amazing Decade (of Technological Progress)!…

My friend Larry Magid, a technology columnist for CBS News.com and others, has a wonderful new column out about “The Decade in Technology.” You have to read it to appreciate just how far we have come in such a short……

]]> By: The Progress & Freedom Foundation Blog http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/comment-page-1/#comment-63898 The Progress & Freedom Foundation Blog Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:35:16 +0000 http://techliberation.com/?p=23968#comment-63898 <p><strong>And so the Comcast-NBC Merger Hysteria Begins: Help Me Document It!...</strong></p> <p>As I noted in my recent paper, "A Brief History of Media Merger Hysteria: From AOL-Time Warner to Comcast-NBC," every time a media merger is proposed we hear all sorts of silly Chicken Little predictions of impending doom. Among the......</p> And so the Comcast-NBC Merger Hysteria Begins: Help Me Document It!…

As I noted in my recent paper, “A Brief History of Media Merger Hysteria: From AOL-Time Warner to Comcast-NBC,” every time a media merger is proposed we hear all sorts of silly Chicken Little predictions of impending doom. Among the……

]]> By: And so the Comcast-NBC Merger Hysteria Begins: Help Me Document It! — Technology Liberation Front http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/comment-page-1/#comment-63895 And so the Comcast-NBC Merger Hysteria Begins: Help Me Document It! — Technology Liberation Front Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:34:09 +0000 http://techliberation.com/?p=23968#comment-63895 <p>[...] now, we can look back and see how well those predictions match up with reality.  I suspect that, as was true of those earlier case studies, reality will look quite different than the rhetoric we are hearing [...]</p> [...] now, we can look back and see how well those predictions match up with reality.  I suspect that, as was true of those earlier case studies, reality will look quite different than the rhetoric we are hearing [...]

]]> By: “Big Media” Critics Miss the Big Picture on Comcast-NBC Deal | OpenMarket.org http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/comment-page-1/#comment-63877 “Big Media” Critics Miss the Big Picture on Comcast-NBC Deal | OpenMarket.org Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:44:58 +0000 http://techliberation.com/?p=23968#comment-63877 <p>[...] say that those media activists making a fuss over this media merger (business as usual for them) are missing the bigger picture would be a huge understatement. In the age of youtube, hulu, and a [...]</p> [...] say that those media activists making a fuss over this media merger (business as usual for them) are missing the bigger picture would be a huge understatement. In the age of youtube, hulu, and a [...]

]]> By: Mortgage and Real Estate Fraud – Mortgage Fraud News – Michigan … | Michigan Real Estate http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/comment-page-1/#comment-63874 Mortgage and Real Estate Fraud – Mortgage Fraud News – Michigan … | Michigan Real Estate Fri, 04 Dec 2009 10:15:25 +0000 http://techliberation.com/?p=23968#comment-63874 <p>[...] A Brief History of Media Merger Hysteria: From AOL-Time Warner to … [...]</p> [...] A Brief History of Media Merger Hysteria: From AOL-Time Warner to … [...]

]]> By: Ryan Radia http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/comment-page-1/#comment-65043 Ryan Radia Fri, 04 Dec 2009 05:05:18 +0000 http://techliberation.com/?p=23968#comment-65043 <p>The media is more fragmented today than it's been in decades. Thanks to the Web, scarcity of information sources has largely disappeared, and consumers can get news and entertainment from a limitless number of outlets. In the face of this changing media environment, the idea that Comcast and NBC would gain any lasting "power" by joining forces doesn't make much sense. If Comcast starts privileging NBC content on its ISP, consumers will go someplace else. Most people have multiple ISP choices, and if anything, idiot moves by Comcast will only <i>hasten</i> the emergence of new ISP competitors.</p> The media is more fragmented today than it's been in decades. Thanks to the Web, scarcity of information sources has largely disappeared, and consumers can get news and entertainment from a limitless number of outlets. In the face of this changing media environment, the idea that Comcast and NBC would gain any lasting “power” by joining forces doesn't make much sense. If Comcast starts privileging NBC content on its ISP, consumers will go someplace else. Most people have multiple ISP choices, and if anything, idiot moves by Comcast will only hasten the emergence of new ISP competitors.

]]> By: Ryan Radia http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/comment-page-1/#comment-63867 Ryan Radia Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:05:18 +0000 http://techliberation.com/?p=23968#comment-63867 <p>The media is more fragmented today than it's been in decades. Thanks to the Web, scarcity of information sources has largely disappeared, and consumers can get news and entertainment from a limitless number of outlets. In the face of this changing media environment, the idea that Comcast and NBC would gain any lasting "power" by joining forces doesn't make much sense. If Comcast starts privileging NBC content on its ISP, consumers will go someplace else. Most people have multiple ISP choices, and if anything, idiot moves by Comcast will only <i>hasten</i> the emergence of new ISP competitors.</p> The media is more fragmented today than it's been in decades. Thanks to the Web, scarcity of information sources has largely disappeared, and consumers can get news and entertainment from a limitless number of outlets. In the face of this changing media environment, the idea that Comcast and NBC would gain any lasting “power” by joining forces doesn't make much sense. If Comcast starts privileging NBC content on its ISP, consumers will go someplace else. Most people have multiple ISP choices, and if anything, idiot moves by Comcast will only hasten the emergence of new ISP competitors.

]]> By: geoffnathan http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/comment-page-1/#comment-63865 geoffnathan Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:38:17 +0000 http://techliberation.com/?p=23968#comment-63865 <p>Although I generally agree with Adam's analysis, I am a Sirius/XM subscriber, and I can attest that following the merger prices increased and choice decreased. The traffic/weather channels now double up cities so you have to wait longer to hear yours, and a number of good XM channels were dumped (and I gather the same happened on Sirius). Of course, once WiMax is implemented more widely we won't need satellites to get off-the-air music channels while driving around--we can just use Pandora or similar.</p> Although I generally agree with Adam's analysis, I am a Sirius/XM subscriber, and I can attest that following the merger prices increased and choice decreased. The traffic/weather channels now double up cities so you have to wait longer to hear yours, and a number of good XM channels were dumped (and I gather the same happened on Sirius). Of course, once WiMax is implemented more widely we won't need satellites to get off-the-air music channels while driving around–we can just use Pandora or similar.

]]> By: chesterj1 http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/comment-page-1/#comment-63864 chesterj1 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:45:57 +0000 http://techliberation.com/?p=23968#comment-63864 <p>Of course, Adam is funded by Comcast, NBCU, Time Warner (AOL), News Corp and all the other media giants he often writes about. That point should be made at the very top when he or his PFF colleagues write on these issues. We all recognize there is a changing media environment--but we can examine this with different perspectives. The history of media consolidation has undermined journalism, public service, diversity of programming, among other harms. This deal involves the leading residential broadband ISP that can have a powerful impact over online programming access (absent meaningful network neutrality rules). With the future of the Internet involved, the debate over Comcast/NBCU--and the need for regulatory intervention--is obvious.</p> Of course, Adam is funded by Comcast, NBCU, Time Warner (AOL), News Corp and all the other media giants he often writes about. That point should be made at the very top when he or his PFF colleagues write on these issues. We all recognize there is a changing media environment–but we can examine this with different perspectives. The history of media consolidation has undermined journalism, public service, diversity of programming, among other harms. This deal involves the leading residential broadband ISP that can have a powerful impact over online programming access (absent meaningful network neutrality rules). With the future of the Internet involved, the debate over Comcast/NBCU–and the need for regulatory intervention–is obvious.

]]> By: Tim Lee http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/comment-page-1/#comment-63853 Tim Lee Thu, 03 Dec 2009 06:00:28 +0000 http://techliberation.com/?p=23968#comment-63853 <p>Amen. But aren't you supposed to be running a think tank? ;-)</p> Amen. But aren't you supposed to be running a think tank? ;-)

]]> By: Ryan Radia http://techliberation.com/2009/12/02/a-brief-history-of-media-merger-hysteria-from-aol-time-warner-to-comcast-nbc/comment-page-1/#comment-63851 Ryan Radia Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:59:50 +0000 http://techliberation.com/?p=23968#comment-63851 <p>Amen! It'd be interesting to see a broad analysis of the entertainment video marketplace that takes into account not just cable/broadcast/PPV television but DVDs and online video as well. I suspect that when giants like YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix are brought into the equation, the share controlled by Comcast/NBC Universal looks downright trivial.</p> Amen! It'd be interesting to see a broad analysis of the entertainment video marketplace that takes into account not just cable/broadcast/PPV television but DVDs and online video as well. I suspect that when giants like YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix are brought into the equation, the share controlled by Comcast/NBC Universal looks downright trivial.

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