LIZ: WE GOT A BIFURCATED LEAD
HERE.
LET ME START WITH THIS ONE.
THE BIDDING BLITZ FOR DISNEY'S
NEWLY ACQUIRED REGIONAL SPORTS
NETWORKS ATTRACTING A WHO'S WHO
OF SPORTS AND MEDIA TITANS.
THIS IN A TOTALLY UNRELATED
STORY, MICHAEL AVENATTI, THAT
ATTORNEY, HAS BEEN ARRESTED ON
CHARGES OF EXTORTION.
TO DEAL WITH BOTH, CHARLIE
GASPARINO.
>> THANK YOU.
LIZ: FIRST THE RSN STORY.
>> WE JUST PUT A FINE POINT ON
THIS BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN
COVERING THIS.
THIS IS THE OUTGROWTH OF THE
DISNEY DEAL BUYING $71 BILLION
DEAL BUYING FOX'S ENTERTAINMENT
ASSETS.
THEY ALSO HAD ALL THESE REGIONAL
SPORTS NETWORKS, NETWORKS SOLD
TO CABLE PROVIDERS, 21 OF THEM
AROUND THE COUNTRY.
THEY FEATURE ALL SORTS OF
DIFFERENT PROGRAMMING.
THEY HAVE TO UNLOAD THAT BECAUSE
THEY OWN ESPN, ACCORDING TO THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, THIS BIDDING
HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE
NOVEMBER.
WE WILL HAVE A FULL WRITEUP ON
IT ON FOXBUSINESS.COM.
HERE'S THE INTERESTING THING.
IT IS FINALLY COMING TO AN END.
HERE'S WHAT WE HAVE FROM SOURCES
CLOSE TO THE DEAL, THAT APRIL
15th HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS THE
FINAL DROP-DEAD DATE FOR BIDS.
IF YOU WANT TO BID ON THIS
THING, IT'S FINAL --
LIZ: NEW GRAPHICS FOR THIS
STORY?
>> WE WILL HAVE THE BEST
GRAPHICS.
LIZ: WHEN THE STORY'S OVER.
>> WE GOT UNTIL APRIL 15th.
MAYBE THERE ARE MORBID E
MAYBE THERE ARE MORE D E
MAYBE THERE ARE MORE BIE
MAYBE THERE ARE MORE BIDDERS.
HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW.
THERE ARE FOUR BIDDERS, MAJOR
LEAGUE BASEBALL, SINCLAIR
BROADCASTING, LIBERTY MEDIA AND
HIP-HOP STAR, ICE CUBE'S BIG
THREE BASKETBALL LEAGUE ARE THE
BIDDERS ON THIS THING.
THERE MAY BE MORE.
THERE WAS A LOT OF TALK ABOUT
AMAZON BEING INTERESTED IN ALL
THE RSNs.
SO FAR, THEY HAVE ONLY BEEN
INTERESTED IN ONE OF THEM.
IT'S THE YANKEES, THE YES
ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK.
YANKEES ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK.
THAT DEAL WAS CLOSED.
PEOPLE DOUBT THEY ARE GOING TO
GET INTO THESE.
JUST SO YOU KNOW, THAT DOESN'T
MEAN THEY WON'T BUT I'M JUST
TELLING YOU, THEY DOUBT IT.
THIS THING IS COMING TO AN END.
A SIX-MONTH DEAL.
THEY INITIALLY THOUGHT THEY WERE
GOING TO GET $20 BILLION FOR ALL
THESE.
THEY ARE GETTING FAR LESS AND
YOU KNOW, THE REASON FOR THIS IS
NOT THAT THEY ARE NOT GOOD
TEAMS.
IT'S CALLED CORD CUTTING.
IT'S AFFECTING EVERY BUSINESS,
BROADCASTING BUSINESS --
LIZ: APPLE'S ANNOUNCEMENT.
>> THERE IT IS.
SO THIS THING IS GOING TO GO --
IF THEY GET ABOUT 10 FOR THE
YANKEES, THEY'RE NOT THAT FAR
BELOW 20 MILLION BUT THEY'RE
BELOW IT.
ANYWAY, GO AHEAD.
LIZ: A MAJOR ARREST THAT STARTED
TO UNFOLD THIS AFTERNOON.
MICHAEL AVENATTI, OF COURSE, YOU
MAY REMEMBER STORMY DANIELS'
ATTORNEY, FORMER ATTORNEY --
>> WHO CAN FORGET STORMY
DANIELS?
LIZ: HE'S BEEN CHARGED WITH
EXTORTION.
>> STORMY DANIELS HAD SEX WITH
TRUMP ALLEGEDLY.
RIGHT?
LIZ: ALLEGEDLY, YEP.
THIS WAS A VERY CONTENTIOUS
DONALD TRUMP/MICHAEL AVENATTI.
GREAT DAY FOR DONALD TRUMP
TODAY.
NOT ONLY DOES HE GET THE
MUELLER --
>> LET'S UNPACK THIS.
HE GOES TO NIKE AND SAYS I HAVE
SOME DIRT ON YOU GUYS.
LIZ: AVENATTI, YEAH.
>> AVENATTI, INVOLVING THE
SPORTS SPONSORSHIP.
LIZ: NCAA RECRUITING AND HE
SAYS?
>> PAY ME X OR I DISCLOSE IT.
LIZ: PAY ME X TO DO THE INTERNAL
INVESTIGATION OR I WILL
DISCLOSE.
X WAS $20 MILLION.
>> I WILL DISCLOSE IT AROUND THE
TIME OF YOUR EARNINGS SO IT WILL
HAVE MAXIMUM DAMAGE.
SOUNDS LIKE EXTORTION TO ME.
LET ME ASK YOU THIS.
PLAY DEVIL'S ADVOCATE HERE.
THIS STUFF HAPPENS MORE THAN YOU
THINK.
THE LINES ARE GRAY, PEOPLE GO
RIGHT UP TO THEM.
HE'S OBVIOUSLY BEEN CHARGED SO
THE U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE
SOUTHERN DISTRICT WHICH IS A
MAJOR, IT'S THE SORT OF CREAM OF
THE CROP IN TERMS OF
PROSECUTORS, SO THEY THINK HE
DID SOMETHING WRONG.
THEY ARE PRETTY INDEPENDENT.
PEOPLE WILL SAY THIS IS A DONALD
TRUMP ATTACK.
THE U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE
SOUTHERN DISTRICT, HE MAY
APPOINT THE U.S. ATTORNEY FOR
THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT BECAUSE
IT'S A PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENT
BUT THIS IS A VERY, VERY, VERY
INDEPENDENT OFFICE.
ALWAYS HAS BEEN.
LIZ: FIRED PREET.
A VERY INDEPENDENT OFFICE.
>> IT IS WHAT IT IS.
LET ME ASK YOU THIS.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
THIS AND THE BEZOS THING WHERE
DAVID PECKER WENT TO BEZOS AND
SAID IF YOU DON'T SAY SOMETHING
REALLY NICE ABOUT US, US MEANING
THE "NATIONAL ENQUIRER" BECAUSE
WE HAVE BEEN DOING ALL THE
REPORTING ON YOUR AFFAIR WITH
YOUR GIRLFRIEND, AND WE ARE
GOING TO RELEASE PICTURES OF
YOUR PRIVATE PARTS, ESSENTIALLY,
WHAT IT WAS.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
THAT AND HE HASN'T BEEN CHARGED.
LIZ: THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS
PHOTOS, MONEY.
I SAY THEY ARE BOTH EXTORTION.
>> I HAVE HEARD LAWYERS, JUST SO
YOU KNOW, THAT SAY BOTH -- WE'LL
SEE WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT
AVENATTI, BUT BOTH ARE
CONTRACTS.
LIZ: IF, COMMA, THEN EQUALS
EXTORTION.
>> NO, LEGALLY BINDING
CONTRACTS.
ENTER INTO A DEAL, YOU BENEFIT,
I BENEFIT, NO ONE LOSES.
I'M TELLING YOU.