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Disney, Fox seal $52.4B deal; T-Mobile touts new TV service

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Europe: 5 key OTT trends to watch in 2022

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Broadcast deal market recap 2021

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Price wars in India: Disney+ Hotstar vs. Amazon Prime Video vs. Netflix

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Volume of Investment Research Reports on Inflation Increased in Q4 2021


Disney, Fox seal $52.4B deal; T-Mobile touts new TV service

Top News

* Walt Disney Co. is acquiring 21st Century Fox Inc. for about $52.4 billion in stock. The sale includes the Twentieth Century Fox Film and Television studios, along with cable and international TV businesses. Immediately prior to the acquisition, Fox will separate the Fox Broadcasting network and stations, FOX News Channel (US), FOX Business Network (US), FS1, FS2 and Big Ten Network into a new listed company that will be spun off to its shareholders. Under the terms of the agreement, Fox shareholders will receive 0.2745 Disney share for each Fox share they hold. The total transaction value of the deal is about $66.1 billion.

* T-Mobile US Inc. executives promised a robust TV offering in 2018 following its acquisition of IP video service provider Layer3 TV Inc., though specifics about the content and cost of the service were scant. John Legere, T-Mobile president and CEO, said its "disruptive" new TV offering would eliminate "pain points" in legacy operators' TV services and would incorporate elements of Layer3 TV's current model.

* A day before the Federal Communications Commission's expected vote aimed at overhauling net neutrality regulations, leaders from the cable industry defended the regulatory maneuver against claims it will destroy internet freedom.

Film & TV Programming

* Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema settled a lawsuit over the "Conjuring" horror franchise filed by author Gerald Brittle, who claimed that it infringed his exclusive rights to tell the story of the films' protagonists, The Hollywood Reporter reports. According to a joint statement by Brittle and New Line, the author agreed to dismiss his lawsuit after realizing that it was a "mistake," and that "New Line had no liability and did nothing wrong." Brittle is now accusing "Conjuring" producer Tony DeRosa-Grund of encouraging the litigation.

* Univision Holdings Inc.'s Fusion Media Group signed an agreement with Charter Communications Inc. to expand distribution of the Fusion (US) cable channel in all of the homes Charter inherited after acquiring Time Warner Cable and Bright House, Broadcasting & Cable reports. "This is significant as Fusion will achieve a much stronger footprint in major markets such as New York City, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas and Austin, among others," said Felipe Holguin, Fusion Media CEO, in a staff memo.

* John Skipper, ESPN (US) president and co-chairman of Disney Media Networks, said the upcoming launch of the sports programmer's direct-to-consumer offering will provide it with flexibility as business models and consumer consumption patterns continue to evolve.

* TV programmers seeking to engage a diverse audience of viewers in the U.S. and abroad are leveraging a variety of programs and organizations to attract, retain and promote women and people of color. These programs range from internal groups representative of employees of a range of ethnic and other backgrounds to university and employee networking initiatives intended to connect with new and up-and-coming talent.

Mobile

* AT&T Inc. reached a tentative agreement with the Communications Workers of America for a new contract covering about 20,000 employees. The four-year agreement will be submitted to the union's membership for a ratification vote in the coming days, according to an official release.

Internet & OTT

* Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s Chinese video-streaming service Youku signed licensing agreements with NBCUniversal Media LLC and Sony Pictures Television Inc. The multiyear agreements will give Youku subscribers access to hundreds of films from the two U.S. studios for free, which can be streamed through multiple Youku distribution channels, including its flagship online platform, Smart TVs and set-top boxes. NBCUniversal will also provide special entertainment programs to be hosted exclusively on Youku.

* Netflix Inc. is in active discussions with cable TV operators in India to get the streaming service included in set-top boxes across the country, The Economic Times of India reports, citing Nigel Baptiste, director of partner engagement at Netflix. Baptiste also confirmed that the company is in talks with Asian cable operators in Malaysia and Singapore.

The day ahead

Early morning futures indicators pointed to a higher opening for the U.S. market.

In Asia, the Hang Seng dropped 0.19% to 29,166.38, while the Nikkei 225 slid 0.28% to 22,694.45.

In Europe, around midday, the FTSE 100 shed 0.19% to 7,482.40 and the Euronext 100 fell 0.29% to 1,042.12.

On the macro front

The jobless claims report, the retail sales report, the import and export prices report, the PMI Composite Flash, the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index, the business inventories report, the EIA natural gas report, the Fed balance sheet and the money supply report are due out today.

Featured news

The Daily Dose Asia-Pacific: Japan's Rakuten eyes mobile carrier biz; Netflix seeks pay TV deals in Asia: Japanese online retailer Rakuten confirmed media reports that it plans to enter mobile network operator business, while Netflix is seeking tie-ups with cable TV operators in India, Malaysia and Singapore to be included in set-top boxes.

Hires and Fires: Disney elects Oracle, Illumina CEOs to board; Match Group increases board size: Walt Disney elected Safra Catz and Francis deSouza to its board. TEGNA's board elected former Time Warner Cable executive Melinda Witmer as a new director of the company.

France 24 launches Spanish service in Mexico; piracy hits Brazilian pay TV: In this monthly Latin American video spotlight feature, S&P Global Market Intelligence provides a roundup of news related to over-the-top, video-on-demand and other video initiatives in different Latin American markets.

M&A Replay: Asia-Pacific: Tencent, Spotify swap stakes; Bain finalizes ADK tender offer: Spotify and Tencent Music agreed to buy equity stakes in each other, while Bain Capital finalized its tender offer for Asatsu-DK, acquiring 87.05% of Japan's third-largest advertising agency.

The Daily Dose Europe: Ofcom prepared to regulate Facebook, Twitter; RTL Group co-CEO steps down: Ofcom said it is primed to regulate internet giants such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, while Guillaume de Posch will step down as co-CEO of RTL Group, effective Jan. 1, 2018.

Featured research

Wireless Investor: Thailand operators to focus on monetizing 4G data consumption: Thailand's fast-growing mobile market ended 2016 with more than 90 million subscriptions, representing a 133.5% penetration rate of total pops.

Economics of TV & Film: Databook: State of Home Entertainment: Consumers now have a number of ways to get content at home, on devices from Blu-ray players to smartphones, and the bulk of video viewing on mobile products now takes place in the home. We analyze this evolving sector in our exclusive new report.

Wireless Investor: Advanced 4G markets set stage for Asia-Pacific to lead in 5G era: South Korea remains the leader in 4G penetration among the developed Asia-Pacific markets at 76% as of year-end 2016, followed by Australia at 65%, Taiwan at 63% and Japan at 60%.

The Daily Dose is updated as of 7 a.m. ET. Some external links may require a subscription.