The ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER reported Friday that
Broadcom co-Founder & CEO Henry Nicholas III and a "small"
group of investors "is close to signing a letter of intent
to buy" the Angels and Mighty Ducks from Walt Disney Co. for
between $400-500M. Sources said that the group "is fewer
than six" and includes Broadcom co-Founder Henry Samueli and
Gotcha CEO Marvin Winkler (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 9/10).
In L.A., Reckard & Shaikin wrote that acquiring the teams
would allow Nicholas and Samueli to "move rapidly from
vendors of high technology to interactive pioneers, with
enormous potential for revenue. Along with selling computer
chips that allow quality transmission via the Internet,
cable TV, phones or satellites, they could sell game
tickets, event souvenirs and travel packages to games."
Reckard & Shaikin noted that Nicholas and Samueli are also
partners with Winkler in the Gotcha Glacier indoor sports
complex in Anaheim, and Nicholas and Samueli are Dirs of the
Broadband Interactive Group (BIG), which has sponsored pro
surfing events in CA under the Gotcha name. Big reached a
deal with Fox Sports Net under which Gotcha will sponsor a
daily hour of extreme sports programming starting in January
and BIG providing content in July (L.A. TIMES, 9/11).
In Orange County (CA), Farnsworth & Hardesty reported that
the Nicholas group is "talking" with Cox Communications
about a system for interactive cable TV "that could include"
PPV sports and other events (O.C. REGISTER, 9/11).
