*By Lauren Babbage*
A federal judge is expected to decide Tuesday afternoon whether AT&T can proceed with its $85.4 billion takeover of Time Warner.
If Judge Richard J. Leon lets it go ahead, the media deal could open the market to a flood of merger possibilities, and pave the way for a takeover of 21st Century Fox, said Rich Greenfield, a media analyst for BTIG.
Disney is seeking to buy Fox in a deal worth $52.4 billion, but it faces a competing $60 billion all-cash offer from Comcast, depending on the outcome of the AT&T-Time Warner trial.
"We think the odds are still very high that Comcast is going to bid," Greenfield said in an interview Tuesday with Cheddar. "It would have to be a very, very broad decision ー meaning barring all vertical mergers ー to stop Comcast from bidding for Fox. They really want this. The word we keep hearing is 'we are not losing.'"
Last week, Greenfield said the Murdoch family, which controls Fox, is open to Comcast's $60 billion offer, after reports it was only interested in a stock deal from Disney.
If Judge Leon sides with the Justice Department and blocks the AT&T takeover of Time Warner, Greenfield said he doesn't expect an appeal. That might leave Time Warner open for Disney to come in should it lose Fox to Comcast.
"Imagine the minds of all the superhero comic-book fans would explode if the DC / Marvel universes were essentially united if Disney buys Time Warner," Greenfield said. "I think there could be a feeding frenzy for Time Warner's assets if this deal get blocked."
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/medias-biggest-trial-of-the-century).
Disney content has gone dark on YouTube TV, leaving subscribers of the Google-owned live streaming platform without access to major networks like ESPN and ABC. That’s because the companies have failed to reach a new licensing deal to keep Disney channels on YouTube TV. Depending on how long it lasts, the dispute could particularly impact coverage of U.S. college football matchups over the weekend — on top of other news and entertainment disruptions that have already arrived. In the meantime, YouTube TV subscribers who want to watch Disney channels could have little choice other than turning to the company’s own platforms, which come with their own price tags.
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
Universal Music Group and AI platform Udio have settled a copyright lawsuit and will collaborate on a new music creation and streaming platform. The companies announced on Wednesday that they reached a compensatory legal settlement and new licensing agreements. These agreements aim to provide more revenue opportunities for Universal's artists and songwriters. The rise of AI song generation tools like Udio has disrupted the music streaming industry, leading to accusations from record labels. This deal marks the first since Universal and others sued Udio and Suno last year. Financial terms of the settlement weren't disclosed.
