Even before Time Warner(TWX) spun it off in June 2014, Meredith(MDP) was in talks trying to effect a Reverse Morris Trust transaction. Over the subsequent years, Time repeatedly was the subject of buyout discussion, and Meredith was always in the mix. Well after five years, Meredith finally got its prize. On January 31, Meredith closed its $2.8 billion… Read More »
Four months after its failed sale process, Time Warner(TWX) spinoff Time, Inc.(TIME) is pursuing the part of its strategy described as “selective portfolio rationalization”. Bloomberg reports that CEO Rich Battista stated in an interview that these “wonderful brands” need a new home so that Time can invest elsewhere. In the interview, Battista called the three publications “wonderful brands”… Read More »
It looks like Rich Battista will get his chance to dilate Time,Inc.(TIME) after all. After months of speculation and talks, beginning just after he began as CEO last fall, Time announced on Friday that its Board had determined not to sell the company at this time and to instead continue pursuing Battista’s strategic plan. What is the key… Read More »
Time, Inc.’s(TIME) brief interlude as a public company following its 2014 spinoff from Time Warner(TWX) appears to be coming to a close. Rumors about Meredith(MDP) interest in some or all of Time have been rampant for years. Speculation that a sale was near increased dramatically with reports last November that a group led by Edgar Bronfman, Jr. had… Read More »
It’s hump day. Here are some links to help you get through it: Marketfolly published some notes on a panel titled ‘The Future of Shareholder Activism’ at the Reuters Live Newsmaker Event. The panel featured some currently ‘active’ managers including ValueAct’s Jeffrey Ubben, Mantle Ridge’s Paul Hilal, Blackrock’s Zach Oleksiuk and Cadwalader’s Richard Brand (lawyer). Mr. Ubben has been… Read More »
Time, Inc.(TIME) CEO Rich Battista has big plans for the transformation of the venerable magazine publisher, but it is doubtful that he will be given the time to execute on them. Battista became CEO late last year, replacing Joe Ripp, who had led the company since its 2014 spinoff from Time Warner(TWX). Rich Battista, the new chief executive… Read More »
To everything there is a season, and the season for magazines has passed and will not return. In the summer of 2014, Time Warner(TWX) spun off Time, Inc.(TIME), its magazine publishing division. Joe Ripp, the CEO who presided over the spinoff, valiantly tried to cut costs and move to digital, but his efforts fell short. This summer, he… Read More »
Under pressure, once again, from Starboard following the abandonment of its plan to spin off its huge stake in Alibaba(BABA), Yahoo(YHOO) has formed an independent committee of its Board Of Directors to explore strategic alternatives. The Board has formed a Strategic Review Committee of independent directors to lead this effort, with the assistance and support of management. The… Read More »
One does not need a particular gift for forecasting the future to know that magazines are in the midst of an inexorable decline. No doubt, there is still some profit left to be made, but it will be less and less each year. Joe Ripp certainly knows this. As CEO of Time, Inc.(TIME), his job is to transform… Read More »
In a nod to ‘Throwback Thursday’, lets take a look at a recent spin that has been in the news recently. Last June, following a broader market trend, Time Warner (TWX) spun off its magazine business into Time Inc (TIME). After a year of independence the new company’s stock is mostly flat, which is not too shabby considering… Read More »
With all the spinoff excitement, Forbes looks ahead at the next brands that might be granted independence by their corporate overlords. Ebay(EBAY)’s StubHub. StubHub dominates live event ticket reselling. On the heels of a successful spinoff of PayPal, perhaps Ebay will go back to the well and spin off StubHub. Time Warner(TWX)’s HBO. Time Warner is no stranger… Read More »
After a failed sale to Meredith (MDP) and numerous delays in the process, Time Warner (TWX) is finally ready to spin off its magazine business, Time Inc. The new company will trade on the NYSE under the ticker ‘TIME’ and TWX shareholders will receive 1 share of TIME for every 8 TWX shares owned. The distribution will take place… Read More »
One step forward, another step back. With a new CEO finally in place, Time Inc’s spinoff seemed to be gaining some momentum. It turned out to be short lived though as Time Warner (TWX) CEO Jeff Bewkes announced during the most recent conference call that the spin would be pushed off until next year. The reason? Our top… Read More »
Time Warner(TWX) is no stranger to spinoffs. The company once known as AOL Time Warner lost the AOL(AOL) in what has proven to be a successful spin- much more successful, certainly, than the disastrous merger, perhaps the worst in American history, which brought the two firms together. Earlier in 2009, the company spun off Time Warner Cable(TWC). And… Read More »
With the announcement last week that News Corp.(NWSA) would be spinning off its publishing business, analysts have been looking for copycat transactions to propose. It was inevitable that some of them would turn their attention to Time Warner(TWX), and, indeed Jeanine Poggi reports at AdAge that Pivotal Research analyst Brian Wieser renewed the calls for a Time Inc.… Read More »