The feds approved the Comcast-NBCUniversal merger earlier this year, but the deal had to clear another hurdle Thursday. Earlier, the FCC and U.S. Department of Justice agreed that the company needed federal court approval of the online video aspect of the deal. Now a U.S. District judge has given the merger a thumbs-up on the condition that the court will keep a close eye on the company’s effects on the video industry for the next two years. [More]
Regulators Will Keep Stink Eye On Comcast-NBC Merger's Impact On Online Video
By September 2, 2011
AT&T "Surprised And Disappointed" By DOJ Effort To Block T-Mobile Purchase
By August 31, 2011
Hey AT&T, the federal government has put up a huge roadblock to your $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile USA. What are you going to do now? [More]
Dept. Of Justice Moves To Block AT&T Purchase Of T-Mobile
By August 31, 2011
Though it’s been said since the beginning that AT&T’s proposed $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile USA would be an uphill climb, most people seemed to think it would ultimately still go through. But earlier today, lawyers for the federal government filed a lawsuit in federal court to block the merger, saying it would violate antitrust law and “substantially lessen competition.” [More]
Google Adds To Tablet & Smartphone Business With Purchase Of Motorola Mobility
By August 15, 2011
Software giant Google announced this morning its intention to buy Motorola Mobility Holdings, the smartphone and tablet arm of Motorola, for $12.5 billion, or $40 per share–a 63-percent premium over Friday’s closing price for Motorola stock. [More]
Time Warner Cable Expands With Purchase Of Insight Communications
By August 15, 2011
Time Warner Cable, the nation’s second largest cable operator, will soon get a little bit larger, announcing today that it has acquired Midwestern television operator Insight Communications for $3 billion. [More]
T-Mobile Employee: AT&T Takeover Is "Like A Car-Jacking"
By August 11, 2011
We’ve been hearing a lot of buzz from those in the wireless world that T-Mobile employees are dreading the day their company is finally acquired by AT&T and they start reporting for work at the Death Star. But while most of T-Mobile’s 38,000 staffers have been reluctant to say anything bad publicly about their future overlords, one employee pulled no punches in detailing their feelings about the merger. [More]
Antitrust Committee Chairman: AT&T, T-Mobile Merger "Contrary To Antitrust Law" "Should Be Blocked"
By July 20, 2011
Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, called on the FCC and the Department of Justice to block the proposed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile, saying the deal would “likely cause substantial harm to competition and consumers, would be contrary to antitrust law and not in the public interest, and therefore should be blocked by your agencies.” [More]
News Corp Dumps MySpace For $35 Million
By June 30, 2011
When you buy something for $580 million, the goal is not to part with it for $35 million a few years later. Yet that’s exactly what News Corp has done, ending its 6-year ownership of the sputtering social networking site by selling it for scrap. [More]
Capital One Tries, Fails To Allay Fears Of ING Direct Customers
By June 22, 2011
When we first reported that Capital One would be purchasing online bank ING Direct, the response from ING customers was overwhelmingly negative with some variation on “noooooo” being a common comment. But lest you think everyone at Cap One is a barbarian (and/or viking), a rep for the perennial Worst Company In America contestant talked to the NY Times to allay ING customers’ fears about their new overlords. [More]
Today Is The Last Day To Tell The FCC How You Feel About The AT&T/T-Mobile Merger
By June 20, 2011
While AT&T’s pending purchase of T-Mobile may still be many, many months away from a final ruling by the Federal Communications Commission and Justice Department, today is the deadline for members of the public to add their comments to the FCC record. [More]
Report: Capital One To Buy ING Direct For $9 Billion
By June 16, 2011
The barbarians at Capital One have reportedly laid siege to the ING castle and are prepared to take control of online bank ING Direct, a move that would allow Cap One to leapfrog over the head of several competitors. [More]
AT&T Has $6 Billion Bet Riding On T-Mobile Merger
By May 13, 2011
AT&T must be pretty sure that its much-criticized proposed merger with T-Mobile will go through, because if regulators block the deal it will be out $6 billion. [More]
Yep, Microsoft Bought Skype For $8.5 Billion
By May 10, 2011
The rumor was true, Microsoft has purchased Skype for $8.5 billion in cash. The Wall Street Journal says the deal will allow the company to integrate Skype into everything from its Bing search engine to Windows smartphones and its Xbox 360 video game system. [More]
Report: Microsoft Close To Buying Skype For $8 Billion
By May 10, 2011
What do you do when you’ve got $8 billion burning a hole in your pocket? If you’re Microsoft, you head to the corner store and pick yourself up a Skype. A report says the software giant is on the verge of completing a mega-deal to turn itself into a more formidable player in online video communication. [More]
Report: Twitter Takes TweetDeck Under Its Wing For $40-$50 Million
By May 4, 2011
Twitter has apparently won the bidding war for TweetDeck, an app available on computers and smartphones that allows users more control over their Twitter accounts. The rising social networking giant will have to dip deep into its pockets to swallow up the supplementary service, paying between $40 million and $50 million, according to a report. [More]
Procter & Gamble Sells Off Pringles For $1.5 Billion
By April 6, 2011
Procter & Gamble continued its move away from the food industry, selling Pringles canned potato chips to Diamond Foods Inc. In recent years, P&G has rid itself of Folgers Coffee, Jif peanut butter, Sunny Delight orange drink and other food properties. [More]
Walgreens Does Some Online Shopping, Picks Up Drugstore.com For $429 Million
By March 24, 2011
After taking over New York City with its purchase of Duane Reade drugstores last year, Walgreens has made a move to dominate the online market with its plan to buy Drugstore.com for around $429 million. [More]
