logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2023
50m 48s

Microsoft's deal to buy Activision boost...

Bbc World Service
About this episode
A US court has given Microsoft the green light to buy the videogame maker Activision Blizzard in a deal worth $69bn. Microsoft said after the US win, it would focus on resolving concerns around competition in the UK. The tech giant's merger with the Call of Duty owner would be the biggest deal of its kind in gaming industry history. Bank of America has been ... Show More
Up next
Aug 23
Fed Chair Powell signals US interest rate cut
As Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signals a move to a rate cut in December, we find out what it means for the US economy and the financial markets. Also, friends again? Canadian PM Mark Carney calls a halt to some of the retaliatory tariffs imposed on the US. We find out wha ... Show More
49m 20s
Aug 22
Fed Chair set to deliver key speech at major US finance summit
Federal Chair Jerome Powell takes centre stage at Jackson Hole in the US to deliver his final speech. It comes at a time when tensions are high between him and President Trump. We look ahead to this important speech.Details emerge of a tentative deal between the European Union an ... Show More
49m 27s
Aug 21
Federal Reserve comes under pressure as interest rate decision looms
The Chair of the Federal Reserve chair are under scrutiny from Donald Trump after fraud allegations emerge about Governor Lisa Cook. How will it affect the interest rate decision? The authorities in Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi have declared an emergency and a public hol ... Show More
55m 27s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2022
How Will Gamers and Investors Respond to Microsoft’s Acquisition of Activision Blizzard?
In January 2022, Microsoft announced its acquisition of the video game company Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. The deal would make Microsoft the world’s third largest video game company, but it also exposes the company to several risks. First, the all-cash deal would requi ... Show More
18m 55s
Aug 2023
Microsoft makes new bid to unblock Call of Duty deal
Microsoft has made a new bid to buy Call of Duty-maker Activision Blizzard in the latest twist in the tale of what would be the biggest deal of its kind in the gaming industry. Its original $69bn (£59bn) deal was blocked by UK regulators, but under the new offer Microsoft has agr ... Show More
27m 21s
Jan 2022
Metabucks: Microsoft offers $69 billion to buy Activision Blizzard
Microsoft just announced its intention to buy video game developer, Activision Blizzard, for almost $70 billion. This has some people speculating about Microsoft's future metaverse aspirations. 
9m 52s
Oct 2023
How Microsoft bagged Activision Blizzard
In the 1990s, Microsoft was seen as a tech industry bully. Once viewed as combative and ruthless in the eyes of regulators, the company underwent an image makeover in the decades since. Now, the FT’s Richard Waters explains how Microsoft’s transformation pushed their $75bn acquis ... Show More
19m 3s
Oct 2023
Microsoft cleared to buy Activision Blizzard
From the BBC World Service: Microsoft’s revised offer to buy Call of Duty-maker Activision Blizzard has been approved by regulators in the U.K. The Competition and Markets Authority said the deal addressed its concerns, after the watchdog blocked the original $69 billion bid in A ... Show More
8m 30s
Feb 2023
Thee problem with the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard merger
A few days ago, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (UK CMA) released its provisional findings on an investigation it conducted into Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. And it found a few issues. So in today’s episode for 14th February 2023, we see why the UK CMA ... Show More
5m 48s
Oct 2023
Microsoft completes biggest deal in gaming history
Microsoft has completed its $69bn takeover of Call of Duty-maker Activision Blizzard in the gaming industry's biggest ever deal. Also in the programme, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved a set of regulations aimed at increasing transparency in short se ... Show More
27m 13s
Apr 2023
Microsoft’s $68.7bn Activation takeover blocked in the UK
David Harper hears about Microsoft's $68.7bn (£55bn) deal to buy US video game company Activision Blizzard being blocked in the UK by the Competition and Markets Authority. The proposed takeover would see Microsoft acquire such hit titles as Call of Duty and Candy Crush. The Bank ... Show More
27m 27s