Filed under: Deals, Private equity, Clear Channel Commun (CCU)
In November of 2006, Thomas H. Lee Partners and Bain Capital announced that they were pursuing a deal for Clear Channel Communications (NYSE: CCU). It took a few months to reach an agreement, but in Might 2007 buyout terms were reached, and shareholders approved the deal in September. The deal is worth almost $20 billion, one of the largest buyouts in history.
As of noon today, Clear Channel is trading at $33.94, a significant discount to the buyout price of $39.20. This suggests that there is considerable — and growing — skepticism about the deal. Concerns include the weak track record of current massive buyouts as well as the uncertain prospects of commercial communications companies like Clear Channel, which face growing competition from internet-based services and MP3 devices.
The Financial Times, via MSN.com, is reporting that while bankers involved in the deal still think it will probably go through, there is some resistance. One banker is quoted as saying, “there are a lot of undercurrents, including the fact that the returns for the sponsors are terrible and the break-up fee isn’t big.” The ‘not huge’ break-up fee is $500 million — not a small amount for your average music lover, but small enough when compared to big losses on a $20 billion deal.
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