The Last of the Mohicans: Comcast plans to buy DreamWorks studio for $ 3 billion (UPD)

Comcast , the largest US cable operator, is considering buying DreamWorks Animation SKG, an American film studio. The amount of the transaction could exceed $ 3 billion, believe the sources of The Wall Street Journal.

The market estimates DreamWorks at $ 2.3 billion. Probably, Comcast is not in a hurry with the purchase of the company, as it is trying to determine how much it is willing to overpay for expanding influence in a new market for itself.
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If the deal goes through, Comcast will be able to compete with a giant like Walt Disney Pictures . In the meantime, Universal Pictures acquired by Comcast remains a minor player in the animation market, even despite the success of the Despicable Me and Minions cartoons released by it.

In the case of the purchase of DreamWorks and Comcast Universal Illumination Entertainment animation studio, they will continue their activities as two independent studios. WSJ also notes that as a result of the transaction Comcast Universal Pictures will expand its presence in China.

DreamWorks - the last of the major animated film studios that are not part of a particular conglomerate. In 2014, the company negotiated the purchase with the Japanese firm Softbank . In the same year, this issue was discussed with the toy manufacturer Hasbro . DreamWorks founder Jeffrey Katzenberg has been looking for a buyer for several years. 3 years ago, the company entered the online video market. In 2013, DreamWorks bought the Awesomeness TV media company, which deals with multiplatform video streaming.

Comcast Corporation operates in various markets and cooperates with major players.

March 22, Comcast announced the launch of a joint project with a leading online retailer of Amazon . It is expected that within the framework of the joint project, Amazon will sell Comcast package products, including Internet, TV, telephony and other packages. On the Amazon website, users can not only order a package of services, but also select the installation time for Comcast equipment. Companies believe that such cooperation should increase sales of cable products for Comcast and expand the range of services for Amazon.

Comcast Corp. on Friday, April 24, officially announced the breakdown of negotiations on the purchase of telecommunications company Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC) for $ 45.2 billion. The deal was to lead to the merger of the two largest US cable operators. The refusal is due to the unwillingness of US regulators to approve the deal. Time Warner Cable is one of the largest companies in the US telecommunications market. Comcast is the largest company in this market.

UPD.: Re / Code confirms a $ 3.8 billion deal to be closed before the end of 2016.