Big media checking out games

David Johnson April 10th, 2007

Analysts are starting to sound a little like some bloggers we know, saying that big media companies like Disney, News Corp., and Time Warner may try to increase their presence in gaming in their attempts to reach younger consumers as movies and television growth slows. Fueling the discussion is speculation that News Corp. is interested in acquiring Take-Two Interactive, and we all know how successful Murdoch has been with beefing up his interactive portfolio through smart acquisitions. With the exception of Disney’s interactive unit, most media companies have licensed their content to existing producers rather than get into the game production space on their own. Analysts now say it is only a matter of time before big media companies either build their own shops or seek to buy successful production houses outright. The big question now is if they can afford to buy them: Electronic Arts, for example, has a market value of $16 billion dollars — nearly double the figure Sam Zell laid down to buy the Tribune empire.