This week was filled with M&A chatter, a massive change for one pay-TV provider and more legal drama for an industry stalwart.
Twitter Was Rumored To Be Up For Sale...
The media was all over Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR) this week after Fox Business Network's Charlie Gasparino tweeted that the company was open to an acquisition by Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) or Facebook Inc (NASDAQ: FB).
"The window of opportunity to buy Twitter right now is the greatest for this quarter and the next quarter," Twitter expert Sean Udall told Benzinga.
Udall, who serves as the CIO of Quantum Trading Strategies and is the author of The TechStrat Report, said that Gasparino did some of the "absolute best reporting during the financial crisis on potential takeover deals."
"He nailed a bunch of them," Udall continued. "I think, historically, he's been a very good M&A reporter. He seems to be a guy who's very well connected and would have a lot of good sources."
Related Link: E3 2015: How Sony Could Lose Its Leverage To Microsoft
...But The Purchase Price Remained A Mystery
How much would Google be willing to pay for Twitter? Analysts had mixed reactions.
"Google might pay $40 billion because they want to monetize Twitter to where it will be worth $100 billion or more," Udall told Benzinga.
Niles Lawrence, president of stock analysis site Vuru told Benzinga that he doesn't think Twitter would be worth anywhere near $100 billion (as recently rumored) to Google right now.
Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry said he doesn't think Google would pay $20+ billion for any company, including Twitter.
Sony Launched A La Carte Options Ahead Of Apple
Sony Corp (ADR) (NYSE: SNE) got the jump on another competitor this week, but it wasn't Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) or Nintendo Co., Ltd (ADR) (OTC: NTDOY). Instead, Sony actually beat Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) to the punch in offering a la carte TV options.
"The existing cable agreements pretty much prevent this, as Intel found out -- which is why they bailed from their very well-funded TV effort," Rob Enderle, principal analyst at Enderle Group, told Benzinga. "So I expect this Sony effort, while well-intentioned, will fall short."
In the end, Apple's biggest problem may not be Sony -- it might simply be the industry's ongoing restrictions that prevent the Mac maker from succeeding.
Apple Fought A Monster
Monster LLC sued Beats for fraud involving the company's sale to Apple. Apple responded to the lawsuit by revoking Monster's ability to make licensed iPhone, iPad and iPod products.
"What it means [for the other case] is Apple no longer feels the need, from a business standpoint, to affiliate itself with Monster," Darren Heitner, a sports and entertainment attorney and founder of Heitner Legal, told Benzinga.