Ray Seilie was recently featured in the Los Angeles Times article “DOJ seeks more information on $22 billion Roku deal after Trump blasts ouster of Fox News host,” where he provides insight into the U.S. Department of Justice’s review of Fox Corp.’s proposed $22 billion acquisition of Roku and offers perspective on what the DOJ’s request for additional information could mean for the transaction.
The Los Angeles Times examines the timing of the DOJ’s request, which came shortly after President Trump publicly criticized Fox following the departure of Fox News host Maria Bartiromo.
Fox and Roku said they received the DOJ’s requests for additional information as part of the department’s merger review and while the companies characterized the request as expected, the timing prompted questions about whether the deal could face heightened scrutiny.
Ray explains that an additional information request does not necessarily signal an unusually comprehensive review. “It doesn’t mean that their review is going to be more extensive than usual,” he says.
Ray points to the DOJ’s review of Paramount Skydance’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery as an example, noting that the department also issued a second request for information in that transaction. “The merging companies typically send information that helps the government figure out what the market impact will be of a merger,” Ray adds.
The Fox-Roku transaction, announced in June, would give Fox access to Roku’s platform, which reaches approximately 100 million households, while expanding Fox’s advertising business and reducing its reliance on traditional pay-TV platforms.
Read the full article in the Los Angeles Times. (Subscription may be required)
