VIACOM INC CL A (VIA)

All Comments on VIA

  • commenter
    User 167130
    Mar 23 04:16 PM
    My Website
    What Media Company Gained the Most Market Share in 2007? [view article]
    "What media company gained most market share in 2007" article by Erik Schonfeld superbly showed advertising revenue gains and losses among media companies. It showed Gannett Co. having the largest loss of all, which accounts for its continuous drop in share price.

    So why, after Gannett shares have dropped from $61 to $29, and are logically heading down to a realistic value of maybe $20/share, does FinanceYahoo.com and some of financial analysts suggest a target price of $40/share. This is absurd number, in view of Schonfeld's factual data showing Google, News Corp and others 'cleaning house' in sweeping up ad dollars while print dinosaurs like Gannett are sinking fast.
    Are these analysts crazy, or have they been seduced/co-opted by dinners and drinks by Gannett promoters in New York?     Reply
  • commenter
    J.P. Hannan
    Mar 13 06:50 AM
    My Website
    World Wrestling Entertainment’s Mixed Martial Arts Potential [view article]
    Excellent points imonit. Thanks for the comment. Reply
  • commenter
    imonit
    Mar 12 11:57 PM
    World Wrestling Entertainment’s Mixed Martial Arts Potential [view article]
    I just don't see this happening at all. Even being tangentially associated with the WWE would irreparably tarnish the brand of any MMA league. Besides, the ability to market stars, which you list as WWE's greatest advantage in this arena, may not be of much help. UFC already does a tremendously good job of marketing individual fighters. They actually do so well at it, that it might be harmful to the sport. Just look at the latest article you quote. The only way you can argue Ortiz being important to sign is because he is marketable, as a fighter he hasn't been particularly relevant lately and is certainly on the decline. TUF does an incredible job of bringing in viewers and building fighter's brands, does the WWE really have that much to add?

    If anything, MMA should move away from marketing superstars, and more towards marketing the sport as a whole to potentially increase and stabilize demand. Look at what happened to the NBA. Marketing superstars works great when you have people like Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, but not so great when you have people like Tim Duncan or teams like the Pistons.     Reply
  • commenter
    steveballmer
    Mar 12 11:31 PM
    My Website
    Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [view article]
    Microsoft set for explosive growth as masses are forced to use Vista! Reply
  • commenter
    Lisa
    Mar 12 05:03 PM
    Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [view article]
    Excellent summary. Reply
  • commenter
    J.P. Hannan
    Mar 12 08:57 AM
    My Website
    World Wrestling Entertainment’s Mixed Martial Arts Potential [view article]
    What amazing feedback... thanks to everyone.

    I should have been clearer that I in no way do I think WWE should attach the WWE brand to MMA. As most mentioned above, it would clearly confuse people as to the legitimacy of the sport. It doesn't mean they can't keep MMA as a separate league and still use their corporate prowess and managerial skills to their fullest advantage there, though.

    I have read that Shane McMahon is a big proponent of the sport, but that his mother Linda McMahon has said she thinks the sport will die out as a fad. Those comments were from over a year ago though, and one has to wonder if there has been any change of opinion based on the success the sport has seen since that time.

    There is another great article on Yahoo Sports today about competition for talent in MMA if anyone is interested-

    sports.yahoo.com/mma/n...

    Thanks for all of the comments and emails.     Reply
  • commenter
    Kimbo Slice
    Mar 11 11:36 PM
    World Wrestling Entertainment’s Mixed Martial Arts Potential [view article]
    Yes the spectre of 'worked' fights looms out there if the WWE org gets involved with a MMA promotion. Most serious MMA fans turn their noses up at wrestling entertainment, but both audiences are not mutually exclusive. See evidence of Brock Lesnar's recent fight in the UFC. The 3rd largest pay per view audience in UFC history. One problem that all start up leagues have is getting decent talent or developing new talent in such a way that UFC has done with its Ultimate Fighter Show. Can WWE produce legit fighters as a product and sell them to a generally cynical audience? Reply
  • commenter
    Roggg
    Mar 11 06:50 PM
    World Wrestling Entertainment’s Mixed Martial Arts Potential [view article]
    Pride (the offspring of professional wrestler Antonio Inoki) had to deal with the stigma of pro-wrestling from the first shows, and went on to greater success (despite having a couple worked fights in the early shows!) Is it really irrelevant?

    If WWE were to associate itself with MMA -- as it has attempted to do in the past (in 2006 WWE held meetings with DreamStage) -- the WWE brand *might* be a detriment. It's tough to say for sure; sentiments like that are common in the MMA-fan world and from the MMA practitioner's perspective, but does the entire potential audience for MMA, or an MMA-WWE hybrid, agree? The US audience for pro-wrestling was once quadruple what it is today. Whether or not the effort would be accepted by serious sports fans, it could still be profitable and popular.

    Shane McMahon has discussed it in interviews before. It seems a good possibility that WWE will head in this direction in the future, one way or another.     Reply
  • commenter
    Mudblood
    Mar 11 05:55 PM
    World Wrestling Entertainment’s Mixed Martial Arts Potential [view article]
    Roggg's comments (above) are valid, but not relevant. The history of how MMA WAS promoted is of no importance. The fact is, the current product has taken obvious efforts to distance itself from pro wrestling. The author makes some good points, but the fact still remains that if a company that made it's name presenting worked fights were to get involved in the legitimate sports world, that stigma would be nearly impossible to shake. All the marketing savvy and financial backing in the world can't compensate for a jaded and cynical audience. Reply
  • commenter
    Roggg
    Mar 11 02:21 PM
    World Wrestling Entertainment’s Mixed Martial Arts Potential [view article]
    Early modern MMA was very closely intertwined with professional wrestling. The UFC organization was started as a marketing tool for Gracie Jujitsu, not as a "legitimate" sports league.

    There are plenty of confirmed "works" and "worked shoots" (fake fights) in MMA history and the sport has been successfully promoted in a manner very, very similar to pro-wrestling. (See the history of Pancrase) It isn't so different from wrestling that WWE couldn't get a handle on it.

    (Not to say that they will do it right if they do try - WWF did a toughman competition in the 90s and it was a disaster)     Reply
  • commenter
    Emma
    Mar 11 10:36 AM
    My Website
    World Wrestling Entertainment’s Mixed Martial Arts Potential [view article]
    I'd be interested to see what the McMahon's could muster up to compete with the UFC. The main reason that the UFC is the single most profitable league/organization in MMA is that it features the best fighters. In MMA, most fans won't pay for less than the best. And, it should be clarified, the biggest obstacle facing the McMahon's is that MMA is not sports entertainment, it's a legitimate sport. Reply
  • commenter
    J.P. Hannan
    Feb 29 12:20 PM
    My Website
    Radio Industry Challenges and Opportunities [view article]
    Thanks for the emails I got this morning and all of the links to this over on the Yahoo message boards. Please keep the feedback coming. Reply
  • commenter
    J.P. Hannan
    Feb 29 12:10 PM
    My Website
    Writers Strike Barely Impacts the TV Networks [view article]
    Thanks for the emails I got on this one. Always welcome feedback on my articles. Reply
  • commenter
    John Capozzi
    Feb 29 11:05 AM
    Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [view article]
    MICROSOFT better raise their bid for Yahoo quickly. A great speculation and move by Yahoo would be to have Softbank and llibba team up and buy out the rest of Yahoo at between 45 to 50 dollars a share. It would be investing in themselves where their mix i products would fit in better and stronger then a merger with Microsoft. Their close contacts with the Chinese and Japan governments would blend very easily with no anti trust problems for Yahoo. Combining the three into one and when completed make an offer for NTT of Japan and become one of the biggest power houses in wireless and internet media add content. The merger of the three will also save jobs because their would be less over lapping of product lines and they will be able to add more. They could also add the smart phone market to their mix. They would also be able to access cash backing from the Chinese and Japan governments because of the close ties of Jack Ma and Softbanks close ties in Japan. The merger would go though faster and friendlier and would be the best solution to all shareholder value of the three companies. Microsoft is not well liked in Asia and major parts of Europe because of their old school ways of GM bullying which would slow down the merger and even have them have to sell off major assets and properties to complete it. So Microsoft make a 40 to 43 dollar a share new bid now or move on. Newscorp will make a higher bid because of the news released in the last few days if you have been following their business moves. My bet is Yahoo and i truly believe in the long run Yahoo will be king and Microsoft and Google will begin to lose major market share in Asia to Allibba, Softbank and Yahoo. If they all merger into one and keep the Yahoo name their potential has great potential. Better then a Microsoft take over of Yahoo. Reply
  • commenter
    Tom B
    Feb 29 09:10 AM
    Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [view article]
    "Slowdown, not recession - Bush. President Bush said the U.S. is not heading in to a recession, merely a 'slowdown,'"

    Bush is "reality challenged". Troubles will continue at least until lenders start offering mortgages at competitive rates again.     Reply
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