I'm interested to see what you think of the agreement, Goodboy. I know it is available through Edgar Online, becuase DISH attached it to an SEC filing. You should take a look. I've read it, and while I am not an attorney, it noes seem to include plain language that will be hard for News Corp. to wiggle out of.
Ironically, DISH seems to have come out of that merger a much stronger, more focused company, while News Corp. was weakened. My personal feeling is that, prior to the merger, Charlie Ergen accepted the general Wall Street line that he had to "partner up" with an established player to survive. After the merger, it was clear that for better or worse, nobody else would want to merge with a company now suing its last suitor, so Egren re-thought his business plan and realized that he could hit many of his goals by using a combination of debt and equity financing.
Finally, if you take a look back through Echostar's past, they have been markedly successful with their court actions. Don't be surprised to find News Corp. paying up, albeit several years down the road. The only bright spot for Murdoch is that if DISH remains successful it will be hard for Echo to prove some of the damages due to lost business.
Go DISH!
NOEL
PS. Q. How many US DBS subs does Murdoch have? A. Zero. |
