Media companies led by Walt Disney (DIS) and 21st Century Fox could get sacked for a loss if a regulatory crackdown on online fantasy sports networks puts the skids on fast-growing TV advertising dollars, say analysts. Fantasy sports market leaders DraftKings and FanDuel have become big advertisers during National Football League games and other sports programs. In September, DraftKings and FanDuel spent $118 million on TV ads combined, putting
Federal regulators could launch a probe if Comcast (CMCSA), 21st Century Fox (FOXA) and Walt Disney (DIS) bring in Time Warner (TWX) as a fourth partner in Hulu, especially if the media quartet becomes much more selective in licensing content to Web video streamer Netflix (NFLX). So says Paul Gallant, an analyst at Guggenheim Partners. Gallant notes that the Department of Justice in 2012 reportedly launched an antitrust investigation involving
Activision Blizzard (ATVI) announced Friday that it is launching its own film and TV studio. The company’s new studio head and former Walt Disney (DIS) executive Nick Van Dyk is aware of the risks of diving into a hit-driven business, but Activision Blizzard’s model is not that, he says. Follow Elaine Low on Twitter @IBD_ELow.