DirecTV’s terrestrial-cable competitors like Comcast and Time Warner offer home security systems, a logical extension of a business that’s already running wires through and piping information back and forth from customers’ homes. DirecTV decided to get a piece of that very profitable action, and bought an existing alarm company, LifeShield Home Security. [More]
Nation’s Two Largest Funeral Companies To Merge, Form Bereavement Voltron
By May 29, 2013
Back in 2008, Service Corporation International, the nation’s largest funeral-service company, made a bid to acquire the second-largest company, Stewart Enterprises Inc. The smaller company rebuffed its suitor, but reconsidered after an offer this year. The two companies will now form one large mega-death-services-corporation just as baby boomers are about to consider planning–and more importantly, pre-paying for–their funerals. [More]
Yahoo To Pay $1.1 Billion Cash For Blogging Platform Tumblr, Maybe Not Ruin It
By May 20, 2013
Yesterday, Yahoo and Tumblr announced that they’re getting hitched. Why? Yahoo needs content that uses design principles from the last decade, and Tumblr needs some grown-ups to supervise the place and figure out how to actually earn money. Is everyone involved in this transaction making a huge mistake? [More]
suds dudsThough Anheuser-Busch InBev may have failed in its Worst Company In America battle against Electronic Arts, the beer behemoth is getting much closer to owning even more big-name beer brands, saying it has reached an agreement in principle with the Dept. of Justice that would allow it to acquire the rest of Mexico’s Grupo Modelo. [More]
Bankruptcy Court Signs Off On US Airways/American Merger, But Not On $20 Million Payout To Outgoing CEO
By March 28, 2013
Yet another hurdle in the race to the altar for American Airlines and US Airways has been cleared, with the bankruptcy court giving its blessing on the matter, but reserving judgment on a proposed $19.9 million payout to outgoing CEO Tom Horton. [More]
American Airlines Trustee Looks At $20 Million Payout To Outgoing CEO, Says There’s Some Explaining To Do
By March 18, 2013
Though so much of the news about American Airlines has been about its impending nuptials to more financially stable suitor US Airways, let’s not forget that the airline is still clawing its way out of bankruptcy protection. Which is why the trustee put in charge of this process thinks someone should have to explain why outgoing the American CEO is being rewarded to the tune of $19.9 million. [More]
Looks Like DOJ Is A-OK With T-Mobile/MetroPCS Merger
By March 6, 2013
The proposed marriage of underdog T-Mobile and upstart MetroPCS is one step closer to the altar today, as the Justice Dept. was given the chance to speak out against the merger but appears to have decided to forever hold its peace. [More]
Am I Asking Too Much, Or Does Logitech Not Care About Harmony Remote Line Anymore?
By February 8, 2013
It wasn’t that long ago that readers routinely wrote to us with joyful accounts of how Logitech replaced their pricey Harmony remote controls for free when something went wrong. Winning Harmony customers’ loyalty and gratitude isn’t a priority anymore, though. Along with their disappointing third-quarter results, Logitech announced late last month that they will be selling off their remote control and video security systems, and ending their lines of console accessories and speaker docks. Mike heard those tales of wondrous service from the past, and expected something similar when his replacement remote broke and needed replacing. [More]
DOJ Tells Anheuser-Busch It’s Had Enough To Drink & Should Put Down That Grupo Modelo
By January 31, 2013
Last summer, Anheuser-Busch InBev NV continued its attempt to buy every beer in the bar by buying a controlling interest in Grupo Modelo, the folks behind Corona, Modelo, and Pacifico, among others. But today, the Justice Dept. decided that AB InBev might be getting too drunk on beer company acquisitions. [More]
AT&T To Buy Alltel — Wait, Didn’t Verizon Already Buy Alltel?
By January 22, 2013
Earlier today, it was announced that AT&T would buy up Alltel’s U.S. wireless service for $780 million, leading many to wonder how AT&T is buying a company that was already purchased by Verizon a few years back. [More]
Starbucks To Buy Teavana For $620 Million, Declines $800 Million Tea Tin Upsell
By November 15, 2012
If you’re not familiar with Teavana, they’re a chain of about 300 mall shops that sell exotic (and expensive) loose-leaf teas, along with pricey tea-holding tins and tea-making accessories. Starbucks, which already owns a tea brand (Tazo) sees something special in Teavana, and has purchased the company for $620 million in cash. [More]
Will A T-Mobile/MetroPCS Wedding Be Good Or Bad For Consumers?
By October 3, 2012
If you’ve been to enough weddings, you’ve inevitably sat through some nuptials that you knew would only result in bratty kids and constant bickering. So now that T-Mobile and MetroPCS want to take their brief love affair to the next level, it’s time to start thinking about whether this marriage deserves a blessing or an intervention. [More]
T-Mobile Moving On From AT&T Affair, Now Wooing MetroPCS
By October 2, 2012
Almost a year after the FCC and DOJ came running up the aisle of the AT&T/T-Mobile wedding, offering up numerous reasons why the couple should not be wed, T-Mobile is already updating its OKcupid profile and going out on coffee dates with a younger, less-experienced beau: MetroPCS. [More]
Hertz To Buy Dollar Thrifty… For Real This Time
By August 27, 2012
This is like one of those romantic comedies where a couple makes it oh-so-close to the altar only to break up, then spends years realizing that they made a mistake and they should get hitched, have babies and move to Connecticut… Except it’s about two rental car companies, so it’s even sexier. [More]
Ousted Duke Energy CEO Says He Had No Idea He’d Only Have The Job For 20 Minutes
By July 19, 2012
Earlier this month, Bill Johnson enjoyed one of the shortest — and most lucrative, in dollars/hour — terms as CEO in U.S. history, as he was ousted from his new position at Duke Energy after only a few minutes on the job. Earlier today, Johnson explained to regulators that his brief time on the job was just as surprising to him as it was to the rest of the world. [More]
Sprint Sets Nextel Execution Date: June 30, 2013
By May 30, 2012
Remember 2004-2005? Let’s go back there now… Remember… back when people still thought Revenge of the Sith was going to redeem the prequels… Ok, let’s not remember, it’s too painful. Anyway, in late 2004, Sprint and Nextel announced a “merger of equals.” And now, after billions of dollars in mistakes, they’ve finally announced that Nextel will officially die on June 30, 2013. What does this mean for Nextel customers? Yes, apparently they still exist! [More]
U.S. Airways CEO Really Wants To Get His Merge On With American Airlines
By April 20, 2012
To date, the folks at U.S. Airways have been quite coy about their intentions regarding a possible marriage to struggling-but-adorable American Airlines, saying things like “we’re not opposed,” and that they “wouldn’t rule it out,” but all that double talk may have ended with the latest hot-and-heavy chatter from U.S. Airways’ CEO. [More]
Facebook Loves Instagram So Much, It's Buying The Company For $1 Billion
By April 9, 2012
Since it seems like most everyone’s Instragram photos end up in their Facebook stream, it just makes sense for the huge website to snap up the company behind the photo-sharing app for the princely sum of $1 billion. [More]
