Philip Morris International, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes in overseas markets, is in talks to reunite with Altria Group more than 10 years after the tobacco giants split their operations. The deal would be the biggest since AT&T Inc. bid for Time Warner in 2016. Philip Morris had a market value of nearly $126.4 billion at the close of trading on Aug. 23, before speculation of a possible deal gained traction, while Altria was worth about $86.7 billion. The companies broke apart more than a decade ago, bowing to pressure from U.S. investors who wanted higher dividends and more share buybacks. The move was also pitched as a way to set free faster-growing overseas operations while the U.S. business was entangled in smoker lawsuits. But times have changed. Altria has recently diversified its portfolio with investments in vaping and cannabis, giving the company more growth potential even as fewer people smoke cigarettes. Some analysts and investors have argued that the companies should get back together, a move that would give Philip Morris more U.S. exposure. The transaction would give Philip Morris roughly 58% ownership of the new company, with Altria holding the rest, according to a person familiar with the terms who asked not to be identified because the details haven’t been made public. They are considering a no-premium deal based on the companies’ closing share prices on Aug. 23, according to the person. The companies would aim to close the deal within six... Continue reading at 'Advertising Age'
[ Advertising Age | 2019-08-27 18:36:32 UTC ]
AT&T is now part of Harry Potter lore as the first brand to ink a sponsorship deal with the new augmented reality game about the wizarding world. AT&T stores are incorporated into the landscape of the game, called “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite,” which is by Niantic, the creator of... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-06-21 21:00:51 UTC ]
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[caption id="attachment_160093" align="alignright" width="150"] Jon Werther[/caption] National Media Group president Jon Werther is out at Meredith Corp. after seven years with the company, effective immediately. In a statement from president and CEO Tom Harty, he said that there aren’t any... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2019-06-12 20:33:28 UTC ]
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Beleaguered bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc. has a buyer. Elliott Management Corp. agreed to purchase the chain for $6.50 per share in an all-cash transaction valued about $476 million, plus the assumption of debt, the company said in a statement Friday. Barnes & Noble shares rose as... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-06-07 16:16:58 UTC ]
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Gap Inc. tumbled as much as 16 percent—the most since 2016—after the clothing retailer reported a slump in sales at both its namesake line and Old Navy, threatening the potential appeal for a spinoff of the discount chain. Same-store sales, a key measure of a retailer’s performance, fell 4... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-05-31 15:50:27 UTC ]
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From the day in 2016 when AT&T announced its $85.4-billion merger with Time Warner, through three years of antitrust wrangling over the deal, the big telecommunications company promised that it would mean lower prices and more choices for consumers. Now AT&T has a message for everyone... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When AT&T announced in August that it had acquired the rights to a pay-per-view golf duel between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson on Thanksgiving weekend, its rechristened entertainment divisionWarnerMediafaced a challenge: how to create a golf event that would appeal beyond the sport's... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2018-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Films based on books take 44% more at the box office in the UK and 53% more worldwide than original screenplays, research from the Publishers Association (PA) has shown. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AT&T is acquiring ad tech platform AppNexus, with plans to integrate it into its advertising and analytics unit, the company said Monday. The move will undoubtedly shake up the current ad landscape as well as challenge the so-called duopoly of Google and Facebook.AppNexus, which has been... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2018-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Warner Inc. is no more. Late Thursday, AT&T Inc. announced that it completed its $85-billion acquisition of Time Warner Inc., just two days after a federal judge in Washington gave the deal the green light. AT&T wasted little time consolidating its hard-fought prize — a blockbuster... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The government on Monday made its final plea to a federal judge to block AT&T Inc.’s $85.4-billion purchase of Time Warner Inc. or order it significantly scaled back, arguing that the combined company would be so powerful it would hinder competition and raise pay TV prices for consumers.... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Warner Inc.’s chief executive testified Wednesday that the government’s assertions that AT&T Inc. wanted to buy the company to use its programming as leverage over distributors “makes no sense” because it would limit viewership. “I think it’s ridiculous. It’s not how this works,” Jeff... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Citizens of Lilliput, unite! We must subdue the evil Gulliverer, Zuckerberg!Variety's just-released cover story doesn't exactly say that, but that's the subtext of the trade magazine's "Gulliver's Travels"-inspired cover illustration (above right). In his piece headlined "Facebook Under Fire:... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2018-04-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The biggest U.S. antitrust case of this century kicked into high gear on Thursday as a government lawyer warned that AT&T Inc. wants to buy media giant Time Warner Inc. to “weaponize” its must-have content — a move that would raise prices for consumers and hinder innovation. “Time Warner... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The U.S. Department of Justice has sued to block AT&T’s proposed $85-billion purchase of Time Warner Inc. — one of the largest media mergers in American history — arguing that a bulked-up AT&T would stifle competition and lead to higher prices for consumers. “This merger would greatly... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AT&T’s proposed $85-billion purchase of Time Warner Inc., which owns CNN, HBO and Warner Bros. studios, is encountering resistance from the U.S. Department of Justice. For months, the Dallas telecommunications giant has been confidently predicting that it would finalize the takeover of Time... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Telecommunications giant AT&T has secured the blessing of Brazilian regulators for its $85-billion takeover of Time Warner Inc., moving the blockbuster deal closer to the finish line. The Dallas phone company on Wednesday said Brazil’s antitrust authority, the Conselho Administrativo de... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson indicated that President Trump’s tensions with CNN should not factor into the federal government’s blessing of AT&T’s proposed $85-billion purchase of Time Warner Inc., which owns the cable news network. “I don’t know what the relevance is of CNN... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mashable is exploring strategic options including the sale of all or part of the online media company, according to people with knowledge of the matter.Mashable, founded in 2005, may draw interest from buyers in Europe and the U.S., said one of the people, who asked not to be identified... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2017-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media ownership is being overhauled as companies try to figure out their place in a world where 85 percent of digital dollars are going to two companies: Facebook and Google. The platform giants' dominance were factors in AT&T's $85 billion bid for Time Warner and other mega deals that were... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2016-12-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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