Cablevision Agrees To Divide Assets With News Corp.
Charles Dolan Looking to finance VOOM?
By PETER GRANT Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL February 23, 2005; Page B2
Cablevision Systems Corp. and News Corp. reached a deal to divvy up more than $3 billion of sports and entertainment assets they own jointly, fueling expectations that the country's sixth-largest cable operator is getting ready to put itself up for sale.
Under the most significant terms of the deal, Cablevision will acquire News Corp.'s 40% stake in Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks and Rangers and four regional sports networks. In exchange, News Corp. will get Cablevision's 60% interest in two regional sports networks and Fox Sports Net. Some other assets are also involved in the swap.
Cablevision and News Corp. have been negotiating off-and-on for more than two years over ways to unwind their joint holdings. Pressure was rising on them to cut a deal because at the end of this year News Corp. had an option to sell its stake in the assets to Cablevision for cash.
Nevertheless, Wall Street saw yesterday's announcement as yet another sign that Cablevision was preparing itself for a sale. "It's a step in the right direction of simplifying what is an overly complex portfolio," says Craig Moffett, analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. "It puts Cablevision one step closer to an eventual asset sale."
Cablevision shares rose 11 cents in 4 p.m. composite trading on the New York Stock Exchange to $28.05, just $1.20 below its 52-week high hit last month. News Corp. shares went with the general market sell off, declining 40 cents, or 2.3%, at $17.01, on the exchange.
Analysts and investors have been speculating for years that Cablevision would be sold, most likely to Comcast Corp. or Time Warner Inc. But expectations have risen greatly since the beginning of the year because of a falling out between Charles Dolan, Cablevision's chairman and founder, and his son James Dolan, chief executive.
Charles Dolan wanted Cablevision to keep funding a money-losing satellite-TV venture named Voom. But James Dolan in January joined a majority of board members in cutting funding for Voom and voting to sell its only operational satellite to EchoStar Communications Corp.
Charles Dolan subsequently formed a company with another one of his sons, Tom Dolan, which cut a deal with Cablevision to buy Voom's remaining assets including 21 high-definition channels. They have until the end of February to finalize the transaction.
Charles Dolan's apparent determination to keep Voom operating has prompted some analysts to predict that he may sell his stake in Cablevision to keep the satellite service funded. "Voom will not be able to raise any external financing unless Mr. Dolan puts in at least $500 million," analyst Niraj Gupta, of Citigroup Smith Barney, wrote in a report released yesterday.