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REV: APRIL 27, 2012
ERIK STAFFORD
JOEL L. HEILPRIN
Valuation of AirThread Connections
In early December 2007, Robert Zimmerman, senior vice president of business development for
American Cable Communications (ACC), was in his office sifting through a number of investment banking proposals related to potential acquisition targets when he paused to consider the recent presentation made by Rubinstein & Ross (R&R).
Rubinstein & Ross was a boutique investment bank with a strong reputation for doing deals in the media and telecommunications sector. During that meeting, Elliot Bianco pitched the idea of
American Cable buying out AirThread Connections, a large regional cellular provider. The basic premise of the AirThread
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In addition to the strategic fit, R&R believed that it could obtain a significant amount of debt financing for an AirThread acquisition. Bianco was confident that the high quality of AirThread’s network assets, its valuable wireless spectrum licenses, and its steady cash flow would merit a debt to value ratio as high as 45% to 50% based on EBITDA coverage ratios exceeding 5.0x.1
American Cable Communications
In December of 2007, American Cable Communications (ACC) was one of the largest cable operators in the United States. The company’s cable systems passed roughly 48.5 million homes and served approximately 24.1 million video subscribers, 13.2 million high-speed internet subscribers, and 4.6 million landline telephony subscribers. Consolidated revenue for 2007 was expected to be
$30.9 billion with net income of $2.6 billion.
Overview of Cable Industry Dynamics
The cable industry had been rapidly transforming over the last decade as a result of advances in technology, changes in regulation, and shifts in competitive dynamics. In turn, these forces had been driving large investments in network infrastructure that require commensurate increases in the customer base to effectively utilize the new capacity. It was this need to acquire economies of scale and scope that led American Cable’s executives to believe that only a handful of very large network providers would survive into the
However, in the era of the Internet, the market has changed. Cable television has been challenged by many alternative venues of media consumption, most notably in the form of the Internet. "There has been some competition from satellite TV players and (in a few areas) TV over IP" (Masnick 2008). "Thanks to the rise of Netflix, Hulu and hardware like the Roku box and Apple TV, cutting the cord to cable TV doesn't mean cutting yourself off from your favorite shows and channels" (Glaser 2010). However, most high-speed Internet consumers receive their Internet connection from the cable company, which indirectly funnels money to support cable TV.
James Gitanga was not sure about the unusual capital structure of the Company, avoiding the long-term debt. We believe that the long-term capital structure across the industry was pre-determined by the high capital expenditures and steady cash inflows. Thus, issuing long-term debt was more preferable. Besides, by issuing debt they would enjoy the tax shield since interest on long-term debt is tax-deductible.
2. New bank credit facility, 600 million cash on hand to take advantage of opportunities that may arise
Comcast is planning expanding globally. With the main competition with the Dish Television Network. Comcast’s have devised
In addition there was an increase in the amount of shipping requirements (increased by 20% in ten years). Logically, the industry grew in order to meet the increased customer demand. This also increased the
Rogers Cable is the leader in Canada’s cable television market, with a over 2.3 million cable television subscribers and 500000 internet subscribers. In 1993 the Canadian government relaxed the norms of telecommunications industry followed by an application in 1999, allowing local carriers to change the content of the information passing through their networks. This led to increased competition in the market and the customers enjoyed a lot of choice. As such Rogers Cable focused completely on increasing its subscriber base and
In 1963, with the purchase of American Cable Systems and its 1,200 subscribers in the city of Tupelo, Massachusetts, Ralph Roberts founded Comcast. By 2016 Comcast is one of the nations leading providers of entertainment, communication as well as cable products and services. Nationwide Comcast has over 100,000 employees; each day the company provides over 142 million phone calls, over 136 million emails and over 12 million received voicemails. To date Comcast is the leading cable provider in 19 states nationwide. Since 1963 Comcast has continued to grow with monumental purchases as well as mergers that were blocked by the government in efforts to stop a potential monopoly. Throughout the company’s history, it has grown in three categories Cable, Phone and internet.
Comcast Corporation, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the largest cable company in the United States. Comcast develops broadband cable networks and are involved in electronic retailing and television programming content.
I. BACKGROUND: CelluComm and GMCT and the Industry AT&T’s Bell Laboratories cellular telephone networking innovation had enabled several cellular network operators to get licenses from the FCC to operate in separate license territories right about the same time AT&T was broken up in early 1980s. These operators were either companies like Cellular Communication Services, Inc. (CelluComm) or small entrepreneurs who had won license territories through the lottery system. CelluComm’s president and founder Ric Jenkins was known for being an aggressive businessman who had extended it to a 200 million dollar enterprise ranking in the top 20 of the industry. Key to
1. Changes in the US regulatory environment created additional challenges for Continental’s core business: 1992 Cable Act limited the cable TV companies’ ability to raise cable rates whereas costs at market prices reached up to $2000/subscriber. This inevitably led to constrained profit margins
According to Stafford and Heilprin, “American Cable Communications (ACC) was one of the largest cable operators in the United States (AirThread Case).” ACC serviced roughly 24.1 million video subscribers, 13.2 million high-speed internet subscribers, and 4.6 million landline telephony subscribers. In 2007, ACC saw revenues of $30.9 billion and had net income equaling $2.6 billion. In order to adapt to the changes in the industry, ACC started aggressively acquiring smaller companies, which resulted in huge customer growth and the development of, “a strong corporate finance team with significant acumen in identifying, valuing, structuring, and executing corporate control transaction (AirThread Case).” That being said, ACC has set its sights on yet another company--AirThread Connections--with the expectation of further revenue growth and customer acquisition and retention.
But, unfortunately due to the enormous cost and very little public interest and demand Time-Warner decided to pull the plug on its nationwide change over to digital lines. This shows that the cable companies are surpassing the consumer demand for technology, making this industry a very hard one to market.
* Capital raised in an IPO can be used to pay off debt and thus reduce the interest costs and enhance the company’s debt to equity ratio
In light of the organization 's affect ability to obligation settled component, I consider it a far-fetched resource of assets to fund the 2005 profit they guaranteed. Despite the fact that a 2005 profit guaranteed, but it doesn 't imply that a stock buyback is not feasible or off the table. However, every alternative requires a new source of assets.
Netlix strategy by virtue of product design addresses the bargaining powers of both buyers and suppliers. It’s highly price efficient for both. The threat of new entrants is addressed by Netflix’s technologically savvoy “linear linking” of newer apps over broad band width. The company strategically designed the mapping and application of video streaming packages to where it has became highly speacilized. New entrants to the video streaming market would need equal broad band capability. Strategically, Netflix also didn’t compete against the cable service giants, rather relied exclusively on internet carrying cable outlets.