>> ABSOLUTELY THANK YOU SO MUCH
, LIZ.
LIZ: ANY TIME, REGGIE IS THE
HEAD OF NINTENDO AMERICA.
ALL RIGHT SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
NETFLIX, MAYBE IT ENDS UP ON THE
SWITCH.
ITS CONTENT IS VERY MUCH WHAT'S
DRIVING THE MEDIA FEEDING FRENZY
WE'VE SEEN.
DISCOVERY BOUGHT SCRIPTS
NETWORKS, LIONS GATE PURCHASE OF
STARS, AT&T TIME-WARNER AND THEN
OF COURSE THE BIDDING WAR WITH
FOX A, COMCAST AND OF COURSE
DISNEY, SO WE'VE GOT THIS
CHANGING MEDIA LANDSCAPE, WHOSE
NEXT AND HOW ARE PEOPLE'S
VIEWING HABITS CHANGING UNDER
OUR FEET RIGHT NOW.
AUTHOR OF MEDIA MADNESS AND HOST
OF MEDIABUZZ ON FOX NEWSç CHANNL
HOWIE KURTZ JOINING US NOW ALONG
WITH THE CHIEF INVESTMENT
OFFICER OF TIGRESS FINANCIAL
PARTNERS, CURRENTLY HOLDING
POSITIONS IN DISNEY AND
TIME-WARNER.
I'LL FIRST GET TO YOU, IVAN,
BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH
DISCUSSION ABOUT THESE MERGERS
AND HOW PEOPLE ARE CONSUMING
MEDIA RIGHT NOW.
WHICH ONE HAS THE CHANCE TO
REALLY BE THE BIGGEST WHEN IT
COMES TO MUSCLE IN MEDIA AND
ENTERTAINMENT?
CONTENT IS KING AND DISNEY IS
THE KING OF CONTENT AND THEY ARE
KING IN A NUMBER OF KEY AREAS
AND THE MAIN AREA BEING ACTION
ADVENTURE MOVIES WITH THE MARVEL
FRANCHISE AND STAR WARS
FRANCHISE.
LIZ: EVEN IF IT DOESN'T WIN FOX
AND COMCAST PERHAPS WINS THAT
BIG PRIZE?
>> I THINK DISNEY STILL WINS,
IT SEEMS THAT RUPERT MURDOCH IS
LEANING MORE TOWARD THE DISNEY
OFFER OF A COMBINATION OF STOCK
IN CASH AND I THINK DISNEY FIRST
OF ALL, THE PURCHASE OF FOX
WOULD UNITE ALL OF THE CHARACTER
S FOR THE MARVEL
UNIVERSE WHICH DISNEY I THINK
COULD BEST MAXIMIZE THE VALUE OF
THE REASON THAT ACTION ADVENTURE
IS SUCH A HUGE FRANCHISE IS
BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE
BLOCKBUSTER MOVIES AND GROSS THE
MOST AMOUNT IN THE THEATRES BUT
ALSO, THE HALO EFFECT OF THE
LICENSING OF TOYS, ALSO THE
BUILDOUT OF THEME PARK PARK
ATTRACTIONS AND DISNEY CAN
MAXIMIZE THIS THE BEST.
LIZ: HOWIE MY HEAD ISç SPINNING,
THEME PARKS, VIDEO GAMES, MARVEL
CHARACTERS ALL KINDS OF SUPER
HEROS AND THEN OF COURSE THERE'S
THE STREAMING WHICH IS THE 800-
POUND GORILLA.
I'VE UPPED IT BY 200 POUNDS HERE
BUT WHAT IS CHANGING AND WHO
REALLY HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO
WIN AND LOSE I GUESS.
ARE WE GOING TO BE SITTING IN
FRONT OF OUR TV'S IN 10 YEARS?
>> WELL FIRST OF ALL A GUY WHO
GREW UP READING SPIDERMAN, I
LOVE THIS IDEA OF UNITING THE
MARVEL CHARACTERS.
I MEAN LOOK, IT'S NO SECRET AND
WE IN TELEVISION ARE LEARNING TO
COPE WITH THIS SLOWLY THAT A LOT
OF VIEWING IS MIGRATING OVER TO
THESE HYBRID WHERE YOU CAN PLAY
GAMES, WATCH WHAT USED TO BE
CALLED TV AND ALL THAT AND I
UNDERSTAND WHY THESE MEGA
COMPANIES LIKE DISNEY AND
COMCAST WANT TO GROW BIGGER AND
IT IS DRIVEN TO SOME EXTENT BY
COMPANIES LIKE NETFLIX OR EVEN A
FACTOR 10 YEARS AGO BUT I THINK
THERE'S DANGERS FOR THE CONSUMER
IN TERMS OF PRICING AND ALSO
AT&T NOW THAT ITS TAKEOVER OF
TIME-WARNER HAS BEEN APPROVED A
FEDERAL JUDGE, IT CONTROLS THE
MEANS OF DISTRIBUTION, WHAT IF
IT FAVORS CNN WHICH WOULD BE
INCLUDED IN THE DEAL OR HBO,
MAKES THOSE SPEEDS FASTER AND
THE COMPETITORS SPEEDS SLOWER SO
A LOT OF QUESTIONS HERE AS
EVERYBODY TRIES TO CATER TO THE
CONSUMERS AND TO GROW EVEN MORE
IN SIZE.
LIZ: WELL AS THE TRUMP
ADMINITRA(5=9jáU
THAT DIDN'T
LIKE NET NEUTRALITY SO THAT IS A
WHOLE DIFFERENT CONVERSATION
ABOUT THE FACT THAT IT SAID FINE
LET ANYBODY CHARGE WHAT THEY
WANT TO FOR SPEED OF THE PIPES.
IVAN, SCALE, SCALE, IS IT THE
ANSWER FOR EVERY MEDIA COMPANY
AND IF SO, WHAT HAPPENS TO AND
I'M NOT CALLING CHARTER A
STANDALONE OR BECAUSE CHARTER IS
TRYING LOOK THE BIG SECRET IS
THAT CHARTER IS REALLY TRYING TO
START ITS OWN I GUESS YOU COULD
SAY CONTENT JUST LIKE NETFLIX,
JUST LIKE APPLE IS TRYING TO DO.
YOU'VE GOT OTHERS OUT THERE AS
WELL THEY BOUGHT CABLEVISION.
COMCAST, VERIZON, COX IS NOT
PUBLICLY TRADED.
WHAT LOOKS GOOD AS AN
ACQUISITION TARGET AND WHERE DO
WE SEE FUTURE GIANTS MOVING IN
WITH EACH OTHER?
>> WELL I THINK AS FAR AS
CONTENT ACQUISITIONS, I THINK
LIONS GATE AND DISCOVERY, AND
POSSIBLY EVEN VIACOM BECAUSE
THEY DO HAVE GOOD CONTENT, THE
DISCOVERY DOCUMENTARIES ARE
PRETTY LOW COST TO PRODUCE AND
CAN BE SHOWN OVER AND OVER AGAIN
AND HAVE A LOT OF VALUE, BUT I
STILL SAY IT'S ACTION ADVENTURE
WHICH IS WHY THE FOX ASSETS ARE
SO VALUABLE AND IN PLAY, AND
IT'S REALLY ABOUT MARRYING
DISTRIBUTION WITH CONTENT AND
YOU HAVE TO HAVE CONTENT BECAUSE
YOU COULD HAVE ALL TYPES OF
DISTRIBUTION PLATFORMS UNLESS
YOU HAVE CONTENT PEOPLE ARE
STARING AT A BLANK SCREEN.
LIZ: HOWARD AS WE FINISH UP HERE
YOU'VE GOT THREE MEDIA GIANTS
AND WE FIND THIS STORY VERY
INTERESTING, BOB IGER, BRIAN
ROBERTS AND RUPERT MURDOCH AND I
JUST WONDER WHO GETS THE BEST
LEGACY WHEN IT COMES TO IF BOB I
GER DOESN'T WIN IT OR WHAT
BRIAN ROBERTS DOESN'T DOES THIS
SOMEHOW PUT YEARS OF SUCCESS
BEHIND THEM?
I DON'T LIKE THAT THEORY.
>> I DON'T THINK ANY OF THESE
CORPORATIONS ARE GOING TO STARVE
IF THEY DON'T GET THE NEXT BIG
ACQUISITION.
I MEAN THESE ARE HUGE
CONGLOMERATES THAT HAVE MOVIES
AND ONLINE BUT IT'S GOING BACK
TO YOUR QUESTION BRIEFLY ABOUT
CONSUMING CONTENT.
MY KIDS DON'T WATCH MUCH CABLE
TV.
THEY'RE ON THEIR IPADS, THEY DVR
STUFF PEOPLE ARE BECOMING
MORE SELECTIVE GETTING IT WHEN
THEY WANT NETFLIX HELPED CHANGE
THAT CULTURE SO THERE'S A LOT TO
BE DONE BY THESE COMPANIES THAT
GET BIGGER AND BIGGER BUT MAYBE
AT THE COST OF SOME DIVERSITY OF
VOICES.
LIZ: AND THERE ARE PEOPLE HERE,
DAGEN, I MEAN, DAGEN HAS MANAGED
TO COBBLE TOGETHER ALL KINDS OF
THINGS WITHOUT PAYING FOR CABLE.
IT'S FASCINATING I NEED TO LEARN
HOW TO DO THAT.