Seeking Alpha

Seeking Alpha Portfolio App for iPad

733 people get NWS articles and Market Currents by email alert.

Get email alerts on NWS »

NWS

News Corporation

5/23/2013, 10:29 PM ET

Quote & Headlines Market Currents StockTalk

All
| Earnings
| Dividends
| M&A
| On the move

Sunday, October 14, 2012, 7:17 AM Kindle (AMZN) owners could be in line for refunds of $0.30-$1.32 for each e-book they purchased between April 2010 and May 2012 if a court approves a legal settlement with publishers over alleged price fixing. The publishers, News Corp's (NWS) HarperCollins, CBS's (CBS) Simon & Schuster and Lagardere's Hachette, would pay for the refunds. A hearing is due in February. 6 Comments [Tech, Consumer]
Sunday, October 14, 2012, 6:10 AM Providence Equity Partners has reportedly sold its 10% holding in Hulu back to the online video service for $200M in a transaction that values the company at $2B. Hulu is taking a loan to fund the acquisition, which leaves News Corp. (NWS), Comcast (CMCSA) and Disney (DIS) as the remaining owners. Separately, Hulu's CEO is poised to receive $40M. Comment! [Top Stories, M&A, Consumer, Tech]
Thursday, October 11, 2012, 10:25 AM Barclays Capital analyst Anthony DiClemente cuts his estimate for U.S. advertising growth due to a "choppy" economy to 4% for 2012 and 1.9% for 2013 from 4.6% and 2.3%, respectively. TV advertising felt a negative effect from the Olympics, but is due for a bounce with political ads ramping up through the November elections. His big picture view of the media sector is still positive on decent growth expectations as he backs News Corp. (NWS, NWS) as his top pick. Comment! [Consumer]
Wednesday, October 10, 2012, 10:49 AM A new book from author David Denby makes the case that serious film dramas may be a thing of the past as studios increasingly stick to a formula of producing comic book and animated hits on top of the typical cycle of genre films. Younger audiences also have an outsized influence on what films are greenlighted with their stronger voice on social media channels. Profits over awards: TWX, DIS, NWS, LGF, DWA. 2 Comments [Consumer]
Wednesday, October 3, 2012, 3:31 AM News Corp's (NWS) Fox and Time Warner's (TWX) Turner networks extend their contracts to televise Major League Baseball until 2021, with Bloomberg reporting that the broadcasters have agreed to pay a combined $6.8B. The contracts allow Fox and Turner to stream games live via the Internet to viewers who already subscribe to a pay TV service. Comment! [Consumer, Top Stories]
Monday, September 24, 2012, 9:11 AM Hulu (DIS, CMCSA, NWS) nabs content from World Wresting Entertainment in one of it largest streaming deals to date. Starting today, subscribers will have access to popular wrestling shows only a day after they air on cable networks. The pesky Hulu continues to make its presence felt with its original programming and new content plays, leading some analysts to scratch their heads over the ultimate goal that co-owners Disney, Comcast, and News Corp. have in mind for the upstart. Comment! [Consumer]
Friday, September 21, 2012, 5:24 AM News Corp. (NWS) is reportedly considering handing James Murdoch oversight of Fox Networks, which includes Fox broadcast network and cable networks, although not Fox News. The speculation comes after a U.K. regulator slammed Murdoch for his conduct in the phone-hacking scandal. "If his last name wasn't Murdoch he wouldn’t be considered for this position," says Needham analyst Laura Martin. Comment! [Consumer]
Thursday, September 20, 2012, 4:56 AM Following an investigation in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal, British media regulator Ofcom finds that News Corp. (NWS) affiliate BSkyB is "fit and proper to hold its broadcast licenses." However, Ofcom slams former Sky Chairman James Murdoch, who's now deputy COO at News Corp, saying that his behavior was "difficult to comprehend and ill-judged" and that he "repeatedly fell short" of his duties. (PR) Comment! [Tech, Consumer]
Wednesday, September 19, 2012, 5:31 AM Amazon (AMZN) is set for another win in the e-book wars after Apple (AAPL) and four major publishers offer to allow retailers to sell the books at discounts for two years in order to end an EU antitrust probe. The publishers include CBS's (CBS) Simon & Schuster and News Corp's (NWS) HarperCollins. The offer follows a similar deal in the U.S. with publishers, although not with Apple. 5 Comments [Tech, Consumer]
Wednesday, September 19, 2012, 3:42 AM Anschutz says it intends to sell its AEG sports-and-entertainment unit in a deal that could reportedly be worth several billion dollars. AEG's assets include a 30% stake in the LA Lakers, sports teams, stadiums and music festivals, as well as the world's second-largest concert promoter. Potential buyers could include News Corp. (NWS) and Liberty Media (LMCA), which owns 21% of AEG ticket rival Live Nation (LYV). Comment! [M&A, Consumer, Top Stories]
Monday, September 17, 2012, 10:53 AM News Corp. (NWSA +1%) says its chairman and chief executive of Fox Filmed Entertainment, Tom Rothman, is going to step down at year-end. Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and CEO of Twentieth Century Fox Film, will takeover the duties as head of the film unit. Comment! [On the Move]
Thursday, September 13, 2012, 1:30 PM News Corp. (NWS, NWSA) saw a flurry of hedge fund buying in Q2 with at least six different firms adding multi-million share positions. The leader of the pack, Highfields Capital, bought 37.365M shares. News Corp. trades 36% higher YTD as the company's growth potential has easily overshadowed its headline-grabbing scandals. Comment! [Consumer]
Tuesday, September 11, 2012, 4:30 AM Amazon (AMZN) cuts prices on "a broad assortment" of HarperCollins e-books following a judge last week approving an antitrust settlement in which the News Corp. (NWS) unit and other major publishers agreed to end alleged price-fixing deals with Apple (AAPL). HarperCollins also reaches agreements with other e-retailers to lower prices. Comment! [Tech, Consumer]
Monday, September 10, 2012, 6:48 AM Twentieth Century Fox (NWSA, NWS) says it plans to distribute twelve CG animated films from DreamWorks (DWA) over the next four years. The pace of CG films from DreamWorks marks the fastest in the industry. Comment! [Consumer]
Friday, September 7, 2012, 12:03 PM 20th Century Fox (NWS, NWSA) plans to offer HD versions of its movies closer to their theater release date and in advance of availability through video-on-demand services or physical purchase. With the flurry of new ways to download movies, the strategy is viewed as well-timed to help Fox drive up digital sales. Prometheus, which has churned up $351M so far, will be the guinea pig for the new plan with a Sept. 18 digital release well in front of its Oct 11 release on DVD, Blu-ray, and VOD. Comment! [Consumer]
Friday, September 7, 2012, 4:34 AM District Judge Denise Cote yesterday approved an antitrust settlement in which major publishers - Lagardere's Hachette, CBS's (CBS) Simon & Schuster and News Corp.'s (NWS) HarperCollins - agreed to end alleged price-fixing e-book deals with Apple (AAPL). It's a major win for Amazon (AMZN), while Pearson's (PSO) Penguin, Macmillan and Apple are going to take their chances in a trial. 5 Comments [Consumer, Tech, Top Stories]