It's official. Disney will buy Fox properties for $52 billion in stock. Rich Greenfield, Media & Tech Analyst at BTIG, joins Cheddar soon after the announcement to break down why he thinks this deal cements Disney in the past, rather than projecting it into the future.
Greenfield says if Disney bought Snap, Twitter, Activison, or Spotify it would have been more exciting than this Fox deal. Its mobile strategy is lacking, so although it will have tons of content, it still doesn't have that mobile presence and is taking on a lot of risk by buying Fox. Who are the biggest losers in this deal? Greenfield believes it's the consumer.
As far as how this deal impacts streaming networks: Greenfield thinks this will actually help Netflix in the short-term. Hulu, though, will still be a mess ownership-wise, as no one was able to give a clear answer as to who's in charge of the streaming network.
This deal is not a slam dunk and will have to jump through many regulatory hurdles before it's closed in the projected 12-18 months. Fox shareholders will hold a 25% stake in Disney, and the deal is expected to save $2 billion in costs. Disney CEO Bob Iger will stay at the company through 2021.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
