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Fox bid for Time Warner sparks content merger race

By WTOP Staff

RYAN NAKASHIMA
AP Business Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Even though Rupert Murdoch’s $76 billion bid for rival media giant Time Warner Inc. has been rejected, that doesn’t mean how you watch TV shows and movies will stop changing any time soon.

The cash-and-stock bid by Murdoch’s Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. was partly meant to counter consolidation among TV distributors like Comcast-Time Warner Cable and AT&T-DirecTV.

The more must-have channels like HBO and Fox News Channel are assembled under one company, the stronger that company’s bargaining position in demanding licensing fees from the TV distributors, no matter how big they get.

Time Warner also owns TV channels CNN, TNT and TBS, along with the Warner Bros. movie studio, which includes Batman, Superman and Harry Potter. Fox owns the 20th Century Fox movie studio, the Fox broadcast network and such TV channels as Fox News and FX.

Much of the value is in the television channels because of the ever-increasing fees they are able to command from cable and satellite TV providers. Disputes over such fees have led to temporary blackouts of popular channels from various systems.

The Comcast-Time Warner Cable and AT&T-DirecTV deals are both undergoing regulatory review. In disclosing the rejected bid Wednesday, Time Warner and Fox indicated that their talks were over, but analysts don’t expect Murdoch to give up. The offer was worth about $86.30 a share based on Tuesday’s closing price.

If talks resume and a takeover succeeds, analysts see some possible consumer benefits.

— TV EVERYWHERE COULD GET A PUSH

A combination could accelerate the industry’s “TV Everywhere” push, in which traditional media companies make their channels available over the Internet as part of a TV subscription. It’s the pay TV industry’s answer to the rise of streaming services such as Netflix, YouTube and Amazon.

The hang-up in making those channels available online has partly been licensing deals with content producers. A unified company with an even larger suite of channels from TBS to FX could make such deals standard industrywide. Apps modeled after Time Warner’s successful HBO Go could also be applied to more networks.

“A player with more scale would be able to work on that and make digital content offering more user-friendly to the consumer,” Nomura analyst Anthony DiClemente said.

— MOVIE STUDIOS COULD SHORTEN THEATER EXCLUSIVITY

With a North American box office market share of around 30 percent, a combined Warner Bros.-20th Century Fox movie studio could push movie theater companies to shorten the time between when a movie hits theaters and when it’s available for sale or rental through digital outlets like iTunes.

A shortened window helps studios spend less money on marketing because they wouldn’t have to advertise each time a movie becomes available on a different platform. Theater companies have pushed back, as earlier digital release times could cut into ticket sales.

“They would have a lot of ability to experiment with new release patterns for movies,” FBR Capital Markets analyst Barton Crockett said.

— ESPN COULD GET A CHALLENGER

While there’s no guarantee that the cost of sports rights would come down, a merger would reduce the number of bidders for such rights and allow a combined company to spread acquired content over more channels. For example, after Comcast bought NBCUniversal, it rebranded Comcast’s Versus channel as NBC Sports Network and used it to carry figure skating and hockey during the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Fox could bolster its sports channel, Fox Sports One, by combining efforts with Time Warner’s TNT to recapture the rights to broadcast NBA basketball games when they expire in 2016. TNT currently shares those rights with The Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN and ABC.

TNT also has rights to college basketball and professional golf, adding to Fox’s Major League Baseball and NASCAR racing.

“A combined portfolio of sports could better challenge ESPN,” DiClemente wrote in a research note.

— BUT THERE ARE POSSIBLE DOWNSIDES

To blunt the rise of streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Instant Video, a combined company would have more power to withhold content or demand steeper licensing fees. That, in turn, could force streaming services to raise subscription prices.

And further consolidation puts more media voices under the control of one entity. That’s why Fox, which operates the lucrative Fox News Channel, is willing to sell Time Warner’s CNN, according to one person familiar with the matter. That person spoke on condition of anonymity because that deal point wasn’t officially made public.

It’s unclear how regulators would view so many pay TV channels being owned by the same company.

— AND IT’S NOT OVER YET

DiClemente and Janney analyst Tony Wible both believe that with interest rates low and with Fox having a healthy balance sheet, Fox could raise its bid above $100 per share by borrowing more money.

It also could set off interest by other bidders for Time Warner, which in turn could set off other mergers among content companies that don’t want to be left out.

“It’s a chain reaction,” Wible said. “There will be more consolidation on the content side.”

Crockett agreed. “I think what this is, is ‘Game on.'”

___

AP Business Writers Mae Anderson in New York and Tom Murphy in Indianapolis contributed to this report.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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