COURSE IS UP AND TALKING ABOUT
WHEN IT COMES TO CANADA THEY'RE
STILL AT LEAST HAVING SOME TYPE
OF CONVERSATION ACCORDING TO
CANADA.
LET ME LOOK AT COMCAST HERE IT'S
REALLY LIGHTING UP THE MEDIA
SHARE $65 BILLION BID FOR FOX
BUSINESS PARENT 21ST CENTURY
COMPANY FOX'S ENTERTAINMENT
ASSETS AS WE TOLD YOU THE
REGIONAL SPORTS NETWORKS, IT'S H
ULU PERCENTAGE, FOX A, NEW
HIGHS, COMCAST, DISNEY REALLY
JUMPING RIGHT NOW SO LET'S JUST
GIVE YOU THE RUNDOWN AS WE'RE
WAITING ON SARAH SANDERS.
THE BLOCKBUSTER ALL CASH $35 A
SHARE FIGURE FROM COMCAST IS AN
ALMOST 20% PREMIUM ON DISNEY'S
ALL STOCK BID WORTH
$52.4 BILLION, SO YOU'RE ONLY AT
A $10 BILLION PREMIUM HERE FOR
THE COMCAST OFFER.
THE DUALING OFFER SETTING UP
WHAT IS AN ALL-OUT BIDDING WAR.
THE CONSOLIDATION FLOODGATES
FLYING OPEN.
YOU'VE GOT TO GIVE CREDIT TO
AT&T AND TIME-WARNER WHO FOUGHT
AND FOUGHT AND WON THEIR BATTLE
AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT TO MERGE.
THIS IS A DEAL VALUED AT
$85 BILLION, DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE LOSING THIS BATTLE
SAYING IT WOULD BE BAD FOR
CONSUMERS THE JUDGE DID NOT SEE
THAT AT ALL.
THAT WIN SPURRING COMCAST TO
JUMP OUT.
YOU REMEMBER YESTERDAY, I WASN'T
HERE BUT BOY WAS CHARLIE HERE
BREAKING NEWS RIGHT AND LEFT UP
PING THE ANTE FOR THE MAJORITY
OF 21ST CENTURY FOX ASSETS
DESPITE WHAT SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN
A DONE DEAL WITH THIS, A DONE
DEAL WITH DISNEY, BUT AT THIS
TIME YESTERDAY, AS I SAID,
CHARLIE BROKE THE NEWS.
SO, LET'S GO RIGHT TO CHARLIE
RIGHT NOW BECAUSE SINCE THAT
MINUTE, YOU HAVE BEEN, I KNOW
YOU NEVER SLEPT LAST NIGHT
BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN WORKING FROM
THE FBN NEWS ROOM.
GIVE US THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
ON THIS MEDIA MERGER FRENZY,
CHARLIE, WHAT IS THE NEXT MOVE.
CHARLIE: HERE IS THE NEXT MOVE
IN MY VIEW.
THE NEXT MOVE IS EITHER ANOTHER
BIDDER COMING INTO BID ON THE
21ST CENTURY FOX ASSETS WHICH A
LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT
MAYBE A TECH PLAYER BUT ALSO THE
NEXT MOVE IS DOJ.
DOES DOJ APPEAL THE DECISION
THAT CLEARED AWAY FOR THE
COMCAST BID THAT'S A DECISION
APPROVING THE AT&T TIME-WARNER
MERGER BY JUDGE LEON.
THEY HAVE UNTIL SUNDAY NIGHT TO
APPEAL THIS AND IF THEY APPEAL
THIS THEY APPEAL IT TO THE D.C.
CIRCUIT COURT AND THAT'S WHERE
THIS THING GETS INTERESTING.
BASICALLY, DRAWING A LINE IN THE
SAND SAYING COMCAST, YOU WANT TO
BUY FOX'S ASSETS, WE MAY GO
AFTER YOU.
WE MAY HOLD YOU UP IN COURT.
AT&T YOU WANT TO COMPLETE YOUR
DEAL?
WELL GUESS WHAT YOUR INVESTORS
HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE FACT THAT
WE'RE GOING TO APPEAL THIS THING
AND THE JUDGE AND A THREE-JUDGE
PANEL, THE D.C. CIRCUIT COURT
WHICH IS FILLED WITH OBAMA ASIA
APPOINTEES WHO ARE VERY NEGATIVE
ON THIS DEAL, THEY MAY
ULTIMATELY OVERTURN JUDGE LEON'S
VERDICT THEREFORE, THE MERGER
PUT TOGETHER MAY ULTIMATELY COME
APART.
LIZ: AND DIDN'T JUDGE LEON WARN
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO
BACK OFF AND SAY ENOUGH ALREADY.
YOU'VE ALREADY PUT AT&T AND
TIME-WARNER THROUGH A LOT IT'S A
WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY.
CHARLIE: WELL THAT'S THE WHOLE
THING
THAT'S WHAT HE DID, BUT, THEY
DON'T WORK FOR JUDGE LEON.
THEY WORK FOR NOMINALLY, DONALD
TRUMP AND --
LIZ: AND HE DOESN'T LIKE THIS
MERGER.
CHARLIE: AND THEY DON'T LIKE
THIS MERGER AND THEY DON'T LIKE
COMCAST AND THEY DON'T WANT
COMCAST TO GET ANY BIGGER SO ALL
I'M SAYING IS THIS.
THIS CAN GO ON UNTIL SUNDAY
NIGHT I UNDERSTAND.
IF YOU SEE THE DOJ APPEALING
THIS DECISION, I'M TELLING YOU,
IT THROWS A MONKEY WRENCH INTO
THE BIDDING WAR THAT COULD GO ON
FOR OUR ASSETS AND OTHER ASSETS.
THIS IS A BIG BIG THING IF THIS
HAPPENS.
LIZ: INDEED BUT NOW LET'S GET TO
THE ACTUAL THREE PLAYERS.
BOB IGER OF DISNEY, RUPERT
MURDOCH OF 21ST CENTURY FOX, AND
BRIAN ROBERTS SO TO ME IT LOOKS
LIKE BOB IGER HAS TO SOMEHOW
WITH THIS DEAL.
CHARLIE: AS WE REPORTED A COUPLE
WEEKS AGO, 21ST CENTURY FOX IS
GOING TO ENTERTAIN ANY HIGHER
BID.
THEY ALMOST HAVE TO AND PEOPLE
THOUGHT THEY ALWAYS WANTED TO GO
WITH DISNEY WHICH MAYBE THEY DID
CULTURALLY BUT THIS IS A LOT OF
MONEY AND IT'S CASH, AND IT'S
ALMOST $10 BILLION MORE IN CASH
THAN WHAT DISNEY HAS PUT ON THE
TABLE WHICH IS A STOCK DEAL, SO
MR. MURDOCK AND THE MURDOCK
FAMILY HAS TO DO WHAT'S THE BEST
INTEREST OF THE SHAREHOLDERS AND
THAT MAY BE TAKING THIS DEAL,
BUT I AM TELLING YOU THE ONE FLY
IN THE OINTMENT IS WHAT KILLED
THE COMCAST BID BEFORE THEY WENT
HOSTILE.
THEY ESSENTIALLY WENT HOSTILE
WITH THIS BID AND THAT'S
REGULATORY CONCERN AND IF YOU
CAN MAKE A CASE, IF DOJ TRIES TO
APPEAL THE AT&T CASE, THEN YOU
CAN MAKE A CASE THEY WILL GO
AFTER THE COMCAST DEAL.
LIZ: THEN THEY SHOULD GO AFTER
DISNEY TOO BECAUSE BOTH DISNEY
AND COMCAST OWN MOVIE COMPANIES.
CHARLIE: THEY'RE LOOKING AT IT
DIFFERENTLY.
THEY HATE THE NOTION, THAT'S THE
OLD WAY OF THINKING.
I'M NOT SAYING THEY'RE RIGHT AND
BY THE WAY JUDGE LEON SAYS
THEY'RE NOT RIGHT BUT THEIR WAY
OF THINKING IS WHEN YOU PUT A
VERTICAL MERGER THAT COMBINES
DISTRIBUTION WITH CONTENT, YOU
CAN SQUEEZE THE CONSUMER, WE
DON'T WANT COMCAST GETTING ANY
BIGGER.
WE'RE GOING TO DO ALL WE CAN TO
PREVENT AT&T THIS DEAL FROM
HAPPENING INCLUDING HOLDING THEM
UP IN COURT AND BY THE WAY
THAT'S NOT A THEORETICAL RISK
FOR INVESTORS IF THERE'S AN
APPEAL.
LET ME JUST MAKE THIS POINT.
THE D.C. CIRCUIT COURT IS A
PANEL RIGHT?
IT'S FILLED WITH OBAMA
APPOINTEES AND I COULD TELL YOU
FROM MY SOURCES INSIDE DOJ, THEY
THINK THEY HAVE A BETTER CHANCE
WITH THEN, THAN A BUSH-APPOINTED
JUDGE LIKE JUDGE LEON ON THIS
ISSUE.
THESE LIBERAL JUDGES IT'S IRONIC
THEY'RE PRAYING FOR OBAMA-ERA
JUDGES BECAUSE THEY'RE THE TYPE
OF JUDGES THAT WOULD TURNAROUND
AND SAY LISTEN THIS IS BAD FOR
THE CONSUMER.
IF THERE'S ONE THING, LIZ THAT
DONALD TRUMP AND ELIZABETH
WARREN AGREE ON IT'S THAT THIS
AT&T DEAL, THE COMCAST DEAL WITH
NBC/UNIVERSAL, THEY'RE BAD
FOR CONSUMERS AND THOSE JUDGES
ON THAT PANEL MIGHT AGREE WITH
THAT.
LIZ: WELL LET ME JUST THROW IN
THIS LAST THING BEFORE WE GO.
NOW IT LOOKS LIKE A, TO ME, BOB
IGER HAS TO SOMEHOW UP HIS BID
AND NUMBER TWO THE BOARD OF 21S
AND NUMBER TWO THE BOARD OF 21SE
AND NUMBER TWO THE BOARD OF 21ST
AND NUMBER TWO THE BOARD OF 21SR
AND NUMBER TWO THE BOARD OF 21SY
AND NUMBER TWO THE BOARD OF 21SF
AND NUMBER TWO THE BOARD OF 21SX
AND NUMBER TWO THE BOARD OF 21SH
AND NUMBER TWO THE BOARD OF 21SS
AND NUMBER TWO THE BOARD OF 21ST
AND NUMBER TWO THE BOARD OF 21SO
AND NUMBER TWO THE BOARD OF 21SL
AND NUMBER TWO THE BOARD OF 21SS
AND NUMBER TWO THE BOARD OF 21SE
AND NUMBER TWO THE BOARD OF 21SN
TO BRIAN ROBERTS AND BRIAN
ROBERTS GOES DIRECTLY TO THE
BOARD.
CHARLIE: WAIT UNTIL IF DOJ
APPEALS, I THINK THAT THERE'S AN
OUT HERE WHERE YOU COULD SAY WE
DON'T WANT TO GET MESSED UP IN
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT'S
REGULATORY AGENDA BECAUSE THEY
HATE THESE DEALS.
YOU CAN CREDIBLY ARGUE THAT
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WILL TRY TO
KILL A COMCAST BID FOR US WHY
GET INVOLVED?
I'M TELLING YOU THAT'S NOT, THAT
IS, I'VE SPOKEN TO A LOT OF
PEOPLE ABOUT THIS AND I WILL
TELL YOU THIS.
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, THE
TRUMP JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FOR
THESE TYPE OF VERTICAL MERGERS
WITH DISTRIBUTION CONTENT, BIG
PLAYERS, IS ENORMOUS.
LIZ: WELL FOR NOW THOUGH AT&T
AND TIME-WARNER ARE BIG WINNERS
AND SO IS CNN.
>> SO FAR.
CHARLIE: THE FINAL CHAPTER ISN'T
WRITTEN.
WAIT UNTIL SUNDAY NIGHT.
THIS COULD GO INTO SUNDAY NIGHT.
LIZ: I SAY YOU AND I WORK LATE
SUNDAY NIGHT.
CHARLIE: I'M GOING TO BE IN