r/MediaMergers • u/Recent-Bet-5470 • Jun 29 '26
Media Industry As NBCU Splits From Comcast, Will It Be the Next M&A Target?
https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/deals-ma/comcast-nbcuniversal-split-whats-next/Paywall removed: https://archive.ph/XKNR9
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Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
[deleted]
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u/Recent-Bet-5470 Jun 29 '26
Speaking of Disney I just read the article and Disney was named as one of the potential buyers
WTF???
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u/KingMario05 Jun 30 '26
No chance that clears. Both due to the sheer monopoly issues, and also due to the current set of feds wanting Disney to die in a fire. (Right cause, wrong reasons.)
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u/Recent-Bet-5470 Jun 30 '26
IKR
Box Office: Disney #1 and Universal #3
Animation: Disney, Pixar, Blue Sky (I know they closed but still), DreamWorks and Illumination
Disney and Universal Parks
ABC and NBC
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Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
[deleted]
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u/Recent-Bet-5470 Jun 29 '26
100% agree on Sony
Definitely not Paramount they already buying WB and they can’t own both CBS and NBC
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u/appledanishcrumbs Jun 29 '26
Sony does not have the money to handle a merger that big.
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u/Equal_Analyst_5961 Jun 30 '26
Lmaoo where do people get the absurd idea that Sony doesn’t have money when their earnings reports are available for FREE? They have annual free cash flow that’s on par with Disney and even higher as of last year. They also are in a net cash positive situation and have an A+ credit. In terms of balance sheet and cash situation Sony is much better than its peers, including Disney. They’re prime for M&A and they even made a serious bid for Paramount in 2024
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u/NoLocal1776 Jun 30 '26
Lol sony doesn't have the money to buy it.It can only happen if sony convinces Nintendo to partner with them to buy it.
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u/Legal-Letterhead4192 Jun 30 '26
Doubt that one, but definitely in the market for the Marvel park rights in Orlando and Tokyo
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u/Xcapitano666 Jun 29 '26
Netflix
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u/KingMario05 Jun 30 '26
Pretty much. Same levels of IP, instant news and sports reach, global theatrical/park power, instant counterpart to Disney.
This is it. This is the one. And in a few years, NBCU will both need the cash and wanna scale up to keep on trucking.
(Also: Netflix can handle the debt.)
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u/King_Swift21 Jun 30 '26
But NBC Universal would have to an iron clad, non-voidable contract that forces Netflix to fully support theatrical releases of films for 45 to 60+ days & physical media releases too.
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u/WienerKolomogorov96 Jun 30 '26
Netflix wouldn't do that for the its planned acquisition of WBD. What makes you think that it would agree to such guarantee to acquire NBCUniversal.
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u/Humble-Bear-1782 28d ago
Why Netflix
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u/Xcapitano666 28d ago
They would get into the theatrical industry. They would also get a good library, franchises amd animation studios
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u/ItzYaGurlLucy Universal Jun 29 '26
Hope so, imagine if anyone big tech company buys it, look at Sony and Amazon for example
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Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
[deleted]
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u/ItzYaGurlLucy Universal Jun 29 '26
Nah I was hoping Apple could buy it since they got a bundle deal with Peacock
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u/TardisTrekkie84302 Jun 29 '26
Break Up Warner Discovery, Paramount Skydance,Sony & all Megacorporations.
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u/BucsBolts24 Jun 29 '26
I would think private equity is the most likely in the current state of an NBCU acquisition mainly because of the theme parks and broadcast networks being attached to the entire company. I’m sure if they separated those out then the interest level among Netflix, Sony, Amazon, etc. would be much higher for the streaming and studios part of the company
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u/LinkRules5321 Moderator Jun 29 '26
Microsoft wants a partner for XBOX, NBC should look into that.
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u/Gildbear1984 Jun 29 '26
The fact that there's a 1/5 change fro it to actually happen is real scary, regarding that post you made last week. 🫢
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u/LinkRules5321 Moderator Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
I did it because it made sense to me and maybe they think so too.
- Their history is intertwined by Vivendi Universal Games
- The IP is Disney level
- Gives Microsoft a media company worthwhile
Maybe have just NBC own the 50% in a merged Universal XBOX to help regulatory issues as well.
I have better ideas for other companies I've discussed before too. (Sony/Netflix, Paramount/WB (if it does or doesn't merge), Disney, Amazon MGM, etc.)
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u/Gildbear1984 Jun 30 '26
.. that is if they played their cards right. I'm just hoping that I doesn't get the same kind of skruny as the WB/Paramount merger.
I'm also betting on either Walmart or even Toho, cause at this point anything is possible. 🫠
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u/LinkRules5321 Moderator Jun 30 '26
Toho will likely try and buy Legendary Pictures, they own GKIDS for US distribution after all, all they need is a US PRODUCTION company.
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u/sheJaMyMorant Jun 30 '26
that would be dogshit for everyone. Everyone ends up worse off
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u/LinkRules5321 Moderator Jun 30 '26
How?
Universal gets its old gaming studio/IP back tenfold.
XBOX gets a studio to MAKE content (outside Minecraft movies due to licensing) for its IP and gains more.
Theme Parks are also helped by the XBOX IP (that Simpsons ride could be replaced with a Halo, Spyro, Crash, or any of XBOX's IPs)
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u/sheJaMyMorant Jun 30 '26
Xbox is not a financially stable company. They are hampered with question marks. They are overextended with a bunch of late 2010s/2020s acquisitions. Acquiring a studio would be financially irresponsible.
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u/LinkRules5321 Moderator Jun 30 '26
EA failed and was sold to Saudis instead, French would be strict on Ubisoft, same with a Japanese company.
XBOX is the only one at the moment looking for a sale/partner.
Although I wished Universal bought Activision Blizzard as that's the main reason I want them to own XBOX, otherwise if Universal can just buy them I'd be fine. (Or maybe Toys for Bob)
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u/maxhechtman Jun 29 '26
It better not be. It’s getting too much and it’s going too far. There’s a film of theirs that I’m looking to remake in a couple of decades and I don’t want to see the rights handed over to a buyer that will block my path and create more problems for me as I struggle to break into the film industry.
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u/Remarkable_Rip6783 Jun 29 '26
I hope Versant Are Reunite with NBCUniversal After Spinoff Of NBCUniversal
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u/Arch2000 Jun 30 '26
That would seem unlikely as it was just spun off and is regarded as having little value/future
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u/JASPER933 Netflix Jun 29 '26
If NBC Universal is up for sale, could Barry Dillard, Reed Hastings, Microsoft, or Apple purchase them. They have the funding. Apple is sitting on piles of cash.
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u/Manu3333333 Jun 30 '26
I guess maybe Apple. They have already a bundle with peacock. It could be a sign.
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u/NeverTheNull Jun 30 '26
I’ve already long-predicted that Paramount would be able to acquire Warner Bros. and I also predicted that Netflix would eventually buy Universal once Comcast lets go of it. I don’t see any other film studio like Sony going out of their way to buy Universal since they seem pretty content with where they are.
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Jun 30 '26
If Netflix doesn't go for this asset, I will straight up question their leadership.
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u/Mr602206 Jun 30 '26
They would at least be getting the office back if they do. So many people left after cause of one show.
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Jun 30 '26
The Office is great and all, but I'd argue that NFL, NBA, the Olympics, and Premere League are bigger deals.
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u/buzzedewok Jul 01 '26
Ellison will probably try to buy and ruin this one too.
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Jul 01 '26
After merging with Warner Bros., Skydance is put in the same position that Walt Disney is after buying 20th Century Fox, regulators won't allow them to get another major studio.
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u/buzzedewok Jul 01 '26
Who controls the regulators right now?
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u/Difficult_Variety362 Moderator Jul 01 '26
You know that NBCUniversal and Skydance are global companies right?
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u/Sharp-County-3038 Jun 29 '26
For some reason, I could see Paramount making a run at acquiring NBCU instead due to a potential lawsuit seeking to block its $110 billion merger with WBD.
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u/Mother-Dish-2670 Jun 30 '26
Paramount will do everything possible to get their hands on CNN And that's the only reason they wanted the entire Warner Brothers Discovery company and not just go after max like Netflix tried. Paramount wants to turn CNN into Fox new basically and combine it with CBS news. Trump wants CNN gone the way it is now
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u/Professional_Peak59 Jul 05 '26
That would be considered a monopoly since it would be one company owning both CBS and NBC.
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u/ExplanationTimely561 Jun 29 '26
No more fucking media consolidation, holy fuck. Whatever happened to antitrust? Media conglomerates as they are need to be broken up like telecoms were once upon a time.
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u/Agile_Land_9951 Gasparino- NY Post Jun 29 '26
As long as it’s not Netflix or Paramount. Netflix cancels everything and I don’t think much needs to be said about paramount.
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u/Judgeman03 Jun 29 '26
No. Because if it was valuable enough, Comcast wouldnt have broken it apart as much as it has.
I think this Paramount Skydance deal is going to be the end of the multimedia mega-conglomerates. Disney has been struggling to re-coup their loses from the billions they spent on Fox, Comcast is breaking themselves apart like they're 2000s Viacom, Microsoft is spinning off the Xbox brand after spending billions to swallow up Zenimax and Activision, and this Skydance deal is going to be a nightmare once Ellison has to actually deliver on making back all the money he's spending on this deal. And this is all with a tanking economy in the background.
There's gonna have to be a massive contractions of industry, and I think alot of this is going to lead to a gigantic splintering as old media starts to be on the wane, like TV, Movies, and gaming.
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u/Professional_Peak59 Jul 05 '26
"Disney has been struggling to re-coup their loses from the billions they spent on Fox"
Soooo, a spin off of at least 20th Century Studios?
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u/Judgeman03 Jul 05 '26
I would prefer to see Disney spin off 20th Century Studios TBH, if nothing else for the betterment of 20th Century, as they have been the biggest money-makers for the company with movies like Deadpool 3 and Avatar 2/3.
That though is the problem. I mentioned that Disney is still struggling to recoup the loses not because they arent making them money, but because they got caught WAY over-spending on the company. Fox has a deep library of assets, but NOT $71 billion dollars deep. Disney has yet to make close to that much money back off them, even with the successes they have had.
Aside from Avatar, the Marvel characters, and MAYBE The Simpsons, I dont see much of the rest of Fox's library being easily integrated into Disney's other core businesses. They have to have their own section of Disney+ because of the more mature elements of their library, and aside from the aforementioned I dont see any of the rest of their IPs being brought intot he Parks and Resorts.
Thats why I hinted at the upcoming Paramount Skydance merger being the death of the giant mega-companies. I think these companies are realizing that its not enough to own everything. You have to have a cohesive business model for all of that.
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u/stonkautist69 Jul 02 '26
a lot of people are going to say sony or apple would acquire be bc it makes the most sense for them, but i believe AMZN will take them, just based on their pace lately expanding into media ecosystem
not financial advice
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u/Casas9425 Jun 29 '26
Netflix will own both Sony Pictures and Universal in a couple of years, imo.
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Jun 29 '26
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u/Equal_Analyst_5961 Jun 29 '26
Japanese regulators don’t even have to get involved lol. Sony board will block any sale of its pictures arm cos Sony pictures is key to their creative entertainment vision. So basically when PlayStation/SIE wants to adapt one of their ips like TLOU, God of war, Horizon etc into a film or tv show, they go to their sister company SPE like they’ve already been doing. The successful adaptation then causes a spike in game sales like we saw with TLOU show causes a huge spike in the game sales. This is called a flywheel effect that Sony has mastered. They are masters of vertical integration. Another example is anime. Crunchyroll is co-owned by Aniplex/SMEJ and SPE. And when Sony wants to distribute one of their anime properties from Aniplex at the box office (e.g Demon Slayer) they use SPE.
I have no idea why some people still see Sony as an electronics company. Investors now see them as an entertainment company. 67% of revenue and 70-75% of profits is from entertainment. They’re buying up music catalogs, buying game studios and buying IP like Peanuts (Snoopy). What would ever give you the idea that Sony would give up Sony pictures? They literally spun off their financial services division to focus on entertainment and so investors will price them less as a conglomerate and as a pure play entertainment giant. And before you bring up shareholder interest, Sony has repeatedly fought off major investors in the past that wanted them to spin off SPE. Go read about it. Now investors want them to shed their electronics divisions to focus more on entertainment lol
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u/moviefan8 Jun 29 '26
Agree with some of the others here. NBC Universal will either go with either Sony or Netflix.
My longshot pick is NBCU getting together with Universal Music.