Megamedia Shakeout : The Inside Story of the Leaders and the Losers in the Exploding Communications Industry

Megamedia Shakeout The biggest thing to hit the business world since Henry Ford introduced assembly line production is the concept of megamedia—the merging of the computer, telephone, software, entertainment, and cable TV industries. The technological convergence of companies from all corners of business has sparked the most sensational corporate shakeouts in history. Now in an engrossing tale of big ideas, big egos, and the billions to be won or lost in the exploding communications industry, USA Today reporter Kevin Maney spins an insightful account which includes:Predictions of the five biggest winners and the five biggest losers in megamedia in the next few yearsVivid personality portraits of media moguls at the top of this new industry including Ray Smith (Bell Atlantic), Robert Allen (AT&T), Frank Biondi (Viacom), John Malone (TCI), Bill Gates and Nathan Myhrvold (Microsoft), Lew Platt (Hewlett Packard), Barry Diller, Ted Turner, and moreProfiles exploring the current and future direction of many of the world’s leading companies including Time Warner, Microsoft, Disney, Intel, and IBMWriting in a taut, hard driving journalistic style, Maney takes us behind the scenes at leading companies for the first inside look at the shakeout in the communications industry. Megamedia Shakeout cuts through the hype to bring us a bold vision of the future and a clear sighted, practical assessment of the exciting business and investment opportunities being opened up by the communications revolution. Kevin Maney has been chronicling the communications revolution for several years now, and he has interviewed all the key players involved. In this book, he pieces together a coherent picture of where the industry is headed, explains the technologies involved, and offers a highly plausible vision of what the future will look like.