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Technology Stocks : AUTOHOME, Inc -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Maverick who wrote (20025)	3/8/2000 8:40:00 PM
From: M. Frank Greiffenstein	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29970

That would not affect exclusivity contract... Whether ATT physically owns ATHM shares or not is irrelevant to the ATHM bull case. Of course, some hotheads may figure that this is bad news for ATHM. Let them sell their shares. I'll buy all I can get under $30. I did today and I have plenty of firepower left. ATT is involved in some kind of gamesmanship with AOL. Are they trying to screw up AOL-TWDX deal? If ATT agrees to sell ATHM, that means AOL is pressurred into giving up Roadrunner. ATT may be betting that Steve Cases' pain would be much greater than its pain. Why? The big slam against AOL has been its lack of broadband strategy. If ATT plays the good corporate citizen angle and gets the FCC to agree to the ploy, then a precedent is set and AOL is forced to cough up Roadrunner. If this scenario is true, I'll give ATT credit for pure deviousnessness! Then we would have two pure broadband plays competing with each other. That would be interesting. ATHM has the experience as an independently operate cable provider, while Roadrunner has always been run by Gerry Levine. Gee, who is better able to adapt? Duh! DocStone

To: Maverick who wrote (20025)	3/8/2000 8:44:00 PM
From: Maverick	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 29970

IMHO, T will acquire ATHM as ATHM had more subs (1.15 MM by end 99) - according to Message 13126971 - and signs up subs faster than anyone else (will add > 2.8 MM subs in 2000) according to the CFO in Message 13126683 In addition ATHM has had a great portal - no. 5 - which is necessary to grab eyeballs. Little wonder why YHOO & AOL had such huge valuation for their ability to grab and retain eyeballs. ATHM has had so many Joint Venture w/ international markets, and DJ also. AT&T owns 26 percent of Excite AtHome but a 58 percent voting stake. Comcast and Cox have the ability to veto major decisions, however. By 2002, ATHM will have 6MM subs. Even if T wants to divest ATHM, it would not dumb ATHM at such a low price. As any sane investor, T would try to get the highest possible bid for its stake. T owns all ATHM class B shrs. Besides, Cox and Comcast won't let T do anything stupid to hurt their investments either. That's called check and balance. In order to get DOJ's approval by end of 3/00, T needs to make a decision soon. This would be an excellent catalyst for stock. Who T really fears are WCOM and AOL. There ain't no way T would sell it to AOL nor WCOM. The later already had xDSL, cable is not a problem since it will be open in 6/2002. T might sell to MSFT & CHTR if it doesn't want to get into content. I still think T will buyout ATHM as it wants one-stop-shopping for all its local, long distance, 2-way interactive, cable modem/home networking broadband, TV programming, wireless thru McCaw & Cellular One. If T decide to divest RoadRunner near end of 3/2000, it is a sure bet that it will buyout ATHM.