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Starz CEO: Media M&A could rebound in '12 to 18 months'
Starz CEO: Media M&A could rebound in '12 to 18 months'

Yahoo

time6 days ago

  • Business
  • Yahoo

Starz CEO: Media M&A could rebound in '12 to 18 months'

Jeffrey Hirsch, Starz (STRZ) CEO and president, joins Market Domination Overtime host Julie Hyman and Yahoo Finance Senior Reporter Allie Canal to discuss the company's recent separation from Lionsgate (LION) to become an independent streamer and the state of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the media industry. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Domination Overtime here. We saw the news earlier today that Byron Allen is putting up his broadcast TV stations for sale. We know Comcast, Warner Brothers Discovery, they've positioned potentially their businesses to spin off those cable units. Um you said before that M&A could help improve your revenue picture. Are you still a buyer? Do would you consider yourself a buyer of those linear assets? And what's attractive to you out there right now? You know, look, I'm not gonna speculate about M&A. Uh, what I would say is that we have two very, very, very valuable demos and women and underrepresented audiences, 20 million subscribers with an opportunity for another, you know, 80 million total. Uh, we have a tech platform that we built ourselves that we can scale and so it looks a lot like the BAMTech business was that Disney bought years ago. So it's a very valuable business. Now, what that tech platform allows us to do is help some of our linear peers that have been marooned on the linear side by actually giving them a digital product and launching them into the digital world. And so whether that's through commercial arrangements or potential, you know, tie-ups between the companies, I think there's an opportunity there, but on the other side, I think what we've built is very valuable to anybody who's looking to scale themselves. Well, let me ask you this then, as someone in this industry, we've seen media deal making kind of take a backseat over the past several years. What will it take for that to pick up again? Is it lower interest rates? Is it more clarity around the tariff picture? What are you watching as sort of an executive here? You know, look, we're always watching the tariff situation. Uh, interest rates obviously, you know, there was a lot of talk about that today and last week, and that's always helpful in a lower interest rate environment. I think DC obviously, what's going on with the FCC and the SCC right now is really important to watch. I do think once folks figure out what, what I'm seeing right now in this space is a lot of folks are inward looking and trying to figure out who they are and what they do well. Once they figure that out, then I think they'll shed assets before they actually try to combine, and so there'll be a great shedding first, and then there'll be a reconnecting of other things. So I think it'll take, you know, I don't think anything will happen for the next 12 to 18 months, but I think after that you'll start to see people reconfigure their businesses. And as you mentioned, it sounds like that you are focused not on that rolling up, but more on organic growth and maybe adding services to other networks with commercial arrangements, but then you also mentioned maybe you would be a good acquisition candidate if I read that correctly down the road, maybe when that door opens back up to more M&A activity. Look, again, if you, if you have a very valuable, profitable business that throws off a lot of cash, that has a unique tech platform that others don't, of course, it makes you interesting to others. I do think there's an opportunity for us to build around the demos that we have and get to scale and build kind of a scaled media business focused on women and underrepresented audiences, but you know, again, right now, four weeks from separation, we're really focused on, you know, just driving the core business and delivering on the guide that we gave to the street last week. Sign in to access your portfolio

Starz CEO: Media M&A could rebound in '12 to 18 months'
Starz CEO: Media M&A could rebound in '12 to 18 months'

Yahoo

time6 days ago

  • Business
  • Yahoo

Starz CEO: Media M&A could rebound in '12 to 18 months'

Jeffrey Hirsch, Starz (STRZ) CEO and president, joins Market Domination Overtime host Julie Hyman and Yahoo Finance Senior Reporter Allie Canal to discuss the company's recent separation from Lionsgate (LION) to become an independent streamer and the state of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the media industry. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Domination Overtime here. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Can you lose your job for what you post on social media? Here's what the experts say
Can you lose your job for what you post on social media? Here's what the experts say

CNN

time15-03-2025

  • Business
  • CNN

Can you lose your job for what you post on social media? Here's what the experts say

Workers thinking about criticizing their employer on social media might want to think twice. While there are some protections in place that allow employees to speak about their employers, the situation is tricky – as evidenced by the recent firing of a Tesla manager who posted critical comments about CEO Elon Musk on LinkedIn, according to The New York Times. Some of those safeguards may only apply to certain situations, and employers generally have a lot of leeway to terminate employees for reasons they deem fit. 'In general, an employer could fire an employee for just about anything, including criticizing the company on social media or anywhere else,' said Jeffrey Hirsch, a professor of labor and employment law at the University of North Carolina. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. Still, there are laws in place to protect workers, although it's a wise idea to get familiar with the terms of your employment and your company's social media policies. Whether you'll get in trouble for what you post on social media depends on many factors, including whether you're employed under an 'at-will' contract. This type of agreement allows either a worker or their employer to terminate their employment for any reason. But there are exceptions to the principle, such as anti-discrimination laws or a contract that stipulates the terms for which a worker's employment may end. Employment-at-will is the default model of work for all states in the US except Montana, where employers can only fire an employee for cause, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Employees are also protected under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which states that workers are allowed to engage in a 'concerted activity,' such as engaging with co-workers about employment conditions. 'If the employee can argue that they were either communicating with coworkers or speaking on behalf of coworkers or trying to encourage coworkers, the speech is very likely protected (under the law),' said Catherine Fisk, a professor of employment law at the University of California, Berkley. The bar for an employee to make this type of claim is low, according to Hirsch, who said even an interaction as simple as 'liking' another employee's Facebook post could be protected. But the discussion also needs to be specific to workplace policies that affect multiple employees, said Mark Kluger, an attorney at the firm Kluger Healey who advises companies on their labor policies. 'If it's something more general, like 'my employer stinks' or 'my boss is a jerk'…those are not protected activities,' Kluger said. Public sector employees, including federal, state and local government workers, are also protected by the First Amendment if their speech was made off-duty and if the speech addresses a 'matter of public concern and is not unduly disruptive,' according to Fisk. 'There are a lot of cases, for example, of teachers or police officers who get disciplined for social media posts and successfully bring First Amendment claims,' Fisk said. While a company can prohibit its employees from posting false statements about the business, it cannot outright prohibit the employee from making critical posts, said Kluger, who helps companies draft social media policies. 'The National Labor Relations Board previously has looked at those types of provisions and said (they're) too broad,' Kluger said. 'Because it would be perceived as inhibiting an employee from complaining about terms of employment.' Employers do, however, have more latitude to prevent employees from disparaging a company's products or services, as opposed to their employment practices. When advising a company on its social media rules, Kluger said he recommends that clients outline how an employee's personal social media posts can harm a company's reputation while encouraging workers think carefully about the impact of their words. He added that policies often direct employees to avoid disparaging competitors or revealing trade secrets, along with disclosing that their posts do not represent the views of the company they work for. If an employee believes their employer retaliated against them for what is a protected activity, they can file a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. 'The bad news is most people don't know about it,' Hirsch said. 'And most lawyers don't even realize that a non-unionized employee could have this protection.' A regional office of the NLRB will then investigate the report and reach out to the employer to determine if the case has merit. If the employer does not settle the dispute, the NLRB will take up the case at no cost to the employee, Hirsch explained. While the process can be time-consuming, the employee is entitled to return to their job and receive backpay if a judge rules in favor of the employee. Soon after President Trump took office, he fired the chairwoman of the NLRB, Gwynne Wilcox, leaving the board with just two members and causing it to lose its quorum. The board is traditionally made up of three members appointed by the party that controls the White House and two appointed by the opposing party. Last week, a federal judge ruled that Wilcox's firing was unlawful and allowed her to return to work, though no longer serving as chairwoman. Though the board will likely have a Republican-appointed majority soon, Hirsch said the change isn't likely to impact most cases related to wrongful retaliation for an employee's posts on social media, as these cases often have clear evidence. However, the board's views could influence a case with murkier facts, according to Hirsch. 'It depends on how close to the margin a case might be,' Hirsch said. Kluger said he receives more inquiries from businesses concerned about their employees' posts during times of increased political or social debate, such as during election seasons or protests. 'When things are a little calmer — although I can't remember any of those times recently – then things calm down a little bit,' Kluger added. 'But there always seems to be something that people are commenting on that may impact their employers' feelings about whether they want to be associated with those views.'

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