LIZ: COMCAST STOCK IS ON THE
MOVE.
IT HAS JUST HIT THE TAPE.
CHARLIE GASPARINO HAS TWEETED
THIS OUT.
GO FOR IT.
>> DOJ SOURCES ARE TELLING US
THAT THE ANTITRUST DEPARTMENT
STILL MONITORS COMCAST.
EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT THE FEUD
BETWEEN ANTITRUST DEPARTMENT,
THE TRUMP ANTITRUST AND AT & T,
THAT'S GOING TO COURT, AS YOU
KNOW.
BEHIND THE SCENES, A BIGGER FEUD
IS GOING ON, IT'S THE DOJ'S
CONSTANT MONITORING OF COMCAST.
WHAT ARE THEY WORRYING ABOUT
COMCAST?
WELL, THEY HATE THE BUSINESS
MODEL.
THAT'S THE SAME BUSINESS MODEL
AT & T HAS, COMBINE MASSIVE
DISTRIBUTION WITH CONTENT.
WHERE COULD THIS BATTLE, WHERE
COULD WE GET THE FLASHPOINT?
I THINK WE OWN 30%, COMCAST OWNS
30, DISNEY OWNS 30, AT & T OWNS
10.
A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY IN THE MEDIA
BANKING BUSINESS THEY WANT A
CONTROLLING STAKE THERE.
THEY WANT SOME FOOTHOLD OR
TOEHOLD IN THIS OVER THE TOP
UNIVERSE CONSIDERING THE FACT
THEY DON'T HAVE MUCH OF THAT.
A LOT OF THE BIG BROADCASTERS
HAVE STAYED AWAY FROM OVER THE
TOP.
EVERYBODY KIND OF GOT INTO IT
BEFORE, AND I UNDERSTAND,
BANKERS ARE SAYING THEY WANT A
BIGGER STAKE.
IF THEY TRY TO GET A CONTROLLING
STAKE OF HULU THAT'S WHERE YOU
WILL FIND THE BATTLE AND I CAN
TELL YOU, PEOPLE INSIDE THE
TRUMP DOJ ARE TALKING ABOUT
THIS.
THEY ARE SAYING IF THEY GO FOR
HULU, THAT'S WHEN THE TRUMP DOJ
IS GOING TO HAVE A PROBLEM AND
THEY MAY FACE FIERCE RESISTANCE
TO THAT.
WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THIS.
IT'S ALMOST AS IF THE TRUMP DOJ
HAS A TEAM OF PEOPLE MONITORING
COMCAST'S BEHAVIOR BROADLY.
ARE THEY COMPLYING WITH
ANTITRUST STATUTES.
WE SHOULD POINT OUT THERE'S A
CONSENT DECREE OVER BUYING NBCU,
ALL THOSE CONDITIONS THAT ENDED
IN SEPTEMBER, BUT --
LIZ: ONE OF THEM WAS DON'T
BANISH FOX BUSINESS TO SOME
RIDICULOUS CHANNEL WAY OUT IN
SATURN ON THE DIAL.
WILBUR FOUGHT THE FIGHT.
THEY DIDN'T WANT TO BE BANISHED
BECAUSE COMCAST ON CNBC.
I DON'T KNOW, I THINK THEY
COMPLIED FOR AWHILE.
>> I CAN TELL YOU THAT THERE ARE
COMPETITORS OF COMCAST THAT
CONSTANTLY COMPLAIN TO TRUMP DOJ
ABOUT THEIR BEHAVIOR ON A LOT OF
ISSUES.
WHERE THEY PUT CERTAIN PEOPLE ON
THE PROGRAMMING DIAL.
OTHER STUFF.
SO THERE IS, FROM WHAT I
UNDERSTAND, ALMOST A TEAM OF
PEOPLE INSIDE THE TRUMP DOJ THAT
MONITORS THEIR BEHAVIOR.
WE SHOULD POINT OUT EVEN THOUGH
THE CONSENT DECREE OVER BUYING
NBCU ENDED ON SEPTEMBER 1st, I
THINK THERE'S A BUNCH OF
CONDITIONS THEY WOULD HAVE TO
MEET, THEY CAN STILL COME UNDER
REVIEW BY THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
AND THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT CAN
EASILY, IF THEY THINK THEY ARE
VIOLATING ANTITRUST LAWS, ISSUE
WHAT'S KNOWN AS A CIVIL
INVESTIGATIVE DEMAND.
ESSENTIALLY LAUNCH ANOTHER
INVESTIGATION.
FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THIS
BATTLE, THIS QUIET BATTLE, AT &
T IS THE HOT BATTLE, THIS IS THE
QUIET BATTLE, WHERE IS THE FOCAL
POINT?
WE UNDERSTAND IT COULD BE OVER
HULU BECAUSE THEY WILL MAKE A
DECISION AT SOME POINT AS TO
WHAT TO DO.
DO THEY WANT TO GO FOR ALL OF
IT, DO THEY WANT TO SELL THEIR
SFWAKS THE
STAKE BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT
ANTITRUST BACKLASH FROM THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OR DO THEY
WANT A CONTROLLING STAKE BECAUSE
THEY NEED ESSENTIALLY AN OTT,
OVER THE TOP --
LIZ: WHIPPERSNAPPERS ARE CUTTING
THE CORD AND PEOPLE OUR AGE ARE
DOING IT, TOO.
THEY'RE OVER IT.
MEGAN FIGURES IT ALL OUT.
I HAVE HEARD HER SAY SHE DOES
APPLE TV --
>> SHE'S A MILLENIAL.
I HAVE TO HAVE 2,000 CHANNELS
JUST BECAUSE I WANT TO WATCH
HISTORY CHANNEL ONE MINUTE, I
WANT DOCUMENTARIES HERE, I HAVE
TO HAVE ALL MY SPORTS.
I'M OLD-FASHIONED LIKE THAT.
BUT YOU KNOW, OLDER PEOPLE ARE
STARTING TO CUT THE CORD.
MY WIFE'S AN EXPERT AT THIS IN
TERMS OF SERVICES AND IT'S NOT
AN EASY THING.
YOU GET A LOT OF GOOD STUFF BY
HAVING THE CORD BUT THEY ARE
CUTTING IT AND COMCAST IS GOING
TO NEED SOME SORT OF TOEHOLD
THERE.
ONE WAY TO HAVE IT IS HULU.
THEY HAVE ALWAYS HAD THEIR EYE
ON A BIGGER STAKE OF HULU BUT IF
THEY DO THAT, THAT'S WHERE THIS
BATTLE WITH THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE
TRUMP DOJ IS JUST ITCHING TO
PICK A FIGHT WITH THESE GUYS.
TRUMP HATES NBC AS YOU KNOW.
THE HEAD OF THE ANTITRUST
DEPARTMENT DOES NOT LIKE THE
BUSINESS MODEL, WHEN YOU COMBINE
LOTS OF --
LIZ: HE NEEDS TO NOT WORRY ABOUT
THE NETWORK.
>> HERE'S THE THING.
IF YOU COMBINE DISTRIBUTION AND
CONTENT, YOU CAN APPLY PRICING
PRESSURE AND THAT'S WHAT HE