Comcast to buy SeaWorld?

[Teebin]

This has become just too sad. We are all idly discussing the dismantling of a one time American institution that has yet to go out of business.

What would SeaWorld be today had it invested in a few 100 million dollar dark rides while fading out the Orca program... It seems they have always been a park looking for bang for the least buck. A swai and cod looking to impersonate a Tuna and Alaska Salmon.

 

[shiekra38]

This has become just too sad. We are all idly discussing the dismantling of a one time American institution that has yet to go out of business.

What would SeaWorld be today had it invested in a few 100 million dollar dark rides while fading out the Orca program... It seems they have always been a park looking for bang for the least buck. A swai and cod looking to impersonate a Tuna and Alaska Salmon.

What has always worked eventually stops working...

The public's opinion has changed and Sea World must adjust...we are talking about major organizational change though...all they've ever known is "Orca shows"..we will see if the company evolves

 

[IzzyB]

What has always worked eventually stops working...

The public's opinion has changed and Sea World must adjust...we are talking about major organizational change though...all they've ever known is "Orca shows"..we will see if the company evolves

I don't think they have to evolve. I personally think the larger tanks and time will make the bad PR go away. They just need to go on with their business and bite their tongue for a couple years. If they can do that, then they will survive this. If they financially can't do this, then they will find a buyer who can. Because honestly they can make money as a park and someone will come in and make money. They don't need to get rid of Orcas to do that. When Uni was in their dark days a lot of people were having similar talks about Uni minus the Orca issue.

 

[GAcoaster]

It will NEVER go away. PETA and their organizations will keep doing what they have been doing because it's working. They don't think any animal including pets should be in captivity.

 

[IzzyB]

It will NEVER go away. PETA and their organizations will keep doing what they have been doing because it's working. They don't think any animal including pets should be in captivity.

PETA has been after all places like this for years, but the general public does not always have a favorable view of PETA. Even people who work with pets on a regular basis think they can be a little nuts. This movie caused an uproar just like inconvenient truth and other movies like this do. But in the end people go back to their original views because movies like this are way to one sided. So after a couple years this won't be in peoples minds anymore.

A good example of this is the chick fil a controversy with gay rights. The majority of the country (I think almost 75%) is all for gay rights, so when chick fil a being a religious organization talked about their views on this subject they got blasted from one side and praised from the other side. Their were boycotts and there was go to chick fil a days to support them. But several years removed and the same people that went before go now and the same people that didn't go, still don't go. I have many friends are very pro-gay rights, yet this is a place they go to all the time. It got forgotten and their love of the food eventually won out. Even though gay rights is a very hot topic right now.

These extreme views just don't stick in the public's eyes for very long. Most go back to the way they lived before they watched the movie, read the news story, or watched the TV. Heck, right after the movie came out I think Sea World reported an upswing in attendance that quarter. Which I thought was funny. You really can't gauge this summer and say it is the movie, because Disney attendance is down also. So if the tourism industry can make an upswing then so will Sea World's numbers.

On a side note, do you think more families are opting to not vacation in the summer and instead vacation in the spring or fall. I ask this because a large portion of people I know from up north are pulling their kids out of school for long weekends or even for a full week to vacation down here in Orlando. I wonder if people are sick of the summer crowds and heat and just would rather their kids miss a couple days of school for a better vacation. I know we plan on pulling our kids out for vacation once they hit school age and it does seem like a trend. My one friend comes and sees me in Myrtle Beach in September and when the kids hit school age she would only take them out a day, now she says this year that she will pull them out more days because other parents do it and perfect attendance awards are a joke and not worth striving for.

 

[Mad Dog]

Izzy: On your summer vacation point, insider poster Test Track somewhat echoed that point last month. He said it appears that a lot of vacationers are tired of the too hot & rainy Florida summers and are moving their Orlando vacations to other times of the year....I think you're right on your PETA points, but I also believe that most of Sea World's problems are coming from bad management, not the Orca problem. Case in point is Busch Gardens Williamsburg. There is no Orca controversy there, and they have absolutely destroyed the public's image of that park.

 

[IzzyB]

Izzy: On your summer vacation point, insider poster Test Track somewhat echoed that point last month. He said it appears that a lot of vacationers are tired of the too hot & rainy Florida summers and are moving their Orlando vacations to other times of the year....I think you're right on your PETA points, but I also believe that most of Sea World's problems are coming from bad management, not the Orca problem. Case in point is Busch Gardens Williamsburg. There is no Orca controversy there, and they have absolutely destroyed the public's image of that park.

I agree management plays a large part of it. It will be interesting to see what they do in the next couple years with the Sea World parks. I think the reason why they are having issues is because of the cut backs they are making. But I think they are in survival mode right now. And I think as long as the survive a couple more years they can sell and then new people can come in and re-invest in the park. Similar to Uni. But right now selling would be too much of a hit for them because of bad PR. They need those couple years. But just like HP turned Uni around and Comcast continued, I think these new tanks and areas will come in right as another buyer swoops in and finishes everything for them.

 

[Mad Dog]

I agree management plays a large part of it. It will be interesting to see what they do in the next couple years with the Sea World parks. I think the reason why they are having issues is because of the cut backs they are making. But I think they are in survival mode right now. And I think as long as the survive a couple more years they can sell and then new people can come in and re-invest in the park. Similar to Uni. But right now selling would be too much of a hit for them because of bad PR. They need those couple years. But just like HP turned Uni around and Comcast continued, I think these new tanks and areas will come in right as another buyer swoops in and finishes everything for them.

Yes, I agree. I think they'll sell, but as you said not until some of these problems subside and they can get a better price. Blackstones' original objective was probably to suck out as much as the profit they could (which they did during the first years of the acquisition) and then sell at a high price. But their management style and the unexpected Orca problem ruined that. They'll sell at a fraction of their original intent. And with Universal's ascendancy in Orlando, their Orlando SeaWorld segment of the business will be in a steady decent. BGW will be hard to turn around since people are so turned off by Blackstone's management style. San Diego & San Antonio will suffer from the Orca & management problems. And Tampa, well Tampa is what it is. With their CFO promising more cutbacks to restore profitability, they may end up in a cycle they can't get out of. And these animal parks can go downhill pretty quickly. Case in point Geauga Lake Sea World. So, I think their future is grim, and only a corporation that wants to get their feet wet in the business can rescue them. That, or sell the company off piece by piece. I could see Comcast interested in the Orlando property, but only at a fire sale price and to reconfigure it into a more traditional third gate. I wouldn't think they'd be interested in the entire chain.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

The death of SeaWorld started when they closed SeaWorld Ohio. [HASHTAG]#truth[/HASHTAG] :thumbs:

As I said before, it's good business to at least look into such an acquisition. It soon becomes cheaper to buy a park and transform it than to build new. I know nothing about any such plans, but I imagine it's an option in the playbook.

 

[IzzyB]

The death of SeaWorld started when they closed SeaWorld Ohio. #truth :thumbs:

As I said before, it's good business to at least look into such an acquisition. It soon becomes cheaper to buy a park and transform it than to build new. I know nothing about any such plans, but I imagine it's an option in the playbook.

In this case it may not be as cheap as just buying land and building new. With Sea World being the type of park it is with the animals, tanks, etc. that can't be reused if they decide to go away from the Sea World brand all together it could actually be more expensive to do this. it is not like LegoLand where they could reuse all the buildings and some of the rides. Outside of the 3 thrill rides, two indoor shows, and some restaurants, they might have to start fresh. Which tanks that deep there is a lot of work to fill them in and make them stable enough to hold rides. Not to mention the cost to relocate all the animals. Might not be as easy or as cheap as it sounds.

I think the only scenario where this makes any sense is bankruptcy and Comcast just buying the Orlando property in a fire sale. Most likely at that point the animals would already be relocated and it would just be the destruction and rebuild costs. But if they get it cheap enough it would be worth it.

 

[GAcoaster]

It still comes down to the land being in a PRIME location and being already developed as a theme park. Anywhere else in the area they have to contend with neighbors who will object to the noise and the crowds and all the other things that come with a theme park. With the SeaWorld location the neighbors already know they have a theme park in their backyard so there's little the could do to try and stop redevelopment of the land.

I would guess if they did buy the park most of the existing structures would be removed or remodeled beyond recognition. There is very little there that I would imagine them keeping aside from Discovery Cove and Aquatica. SeaWorld is a nice park, but they have bigger plans and ambitions for a third gate.

 

[Mad Dog]

Behind the Thrills had an interesting rumor yesterday, & they emphasized it was only a rumor. They have Sea World being sold piecemeal, with Comcast buying Sea World Orlando/Discovery Cove, and converting it into a "Seas" oriented theme park similar to IOA or Disney Seas Tokyo. This is a bit similar to some of the possibilities we have discussed here.

 

[shiekra38]

Behind the Thrills had an interesting rumor yesterday, & they emphasized it was only a rumor. They have Sea World being sold piecemeal, with Comcast buying Sea World Orlando/Discovery Cove, and converting it into a "Seas" oriented theme park similar to IOA or Disney Seas Tokyo. This is a bit similar to some of the possibilities we have discussed here.

Hmm well Comcast will either have to pay for Sea Pens to rehab and release the whales or rebuild a facility for whale rescue, rehab and release...either way...$$$

Universal's version of Disney Sea would be much welcomed though

 

[Disneyhead]

Hmm well Comcast will either have to pay for Sea Pens to rehab and release the whales or rebuild a facility for whale rescue, rehab and release...either way...$$$

Universal's version of Disney Sea would be much welcomed though

There may be a reason SeaWorld San Diego is the first SeaWorld park getting the expanded Orca habitat.

 

[GAcoaster]

Hmm well Comcast will either have to pay for Sea Pens to rehab and release the whales or rebuild a facility for whale rescue, rehab and release...either way...$$$

Or, sell the whales to parks in China and make money and get rid of the problem.

 

[IzzyB]

Or, sell the whales to parks in China and make money and get rid of the problem.

Something tells me the PR for that sale would not go so well.

 

[shiekra38]

Or, sell the whales to parks in China and make money and get rid of the problem.

Not a good idea

 

[AK-Jake]

Something tells me the PR for that sale would not go so well.

^Indeed.

There may be a reason SeaWorld San Diego is the first SeaWorld park getting the expanded Orca habitat.

This crossed my mind as well...especially considering that California is allegedly working on that bill to ban orca shows in its state. Is this new exhibit/attraction/habitat going to be replacing the show in the event that the bill DOES pass? If so, good for SW for planning ahead and implementing a new strategy. I doubt that bill will ever come to anything, but I would think that would make SeaWorld a tad nervous to sink that much major capital into the park for their main bread-and-butter star attraction if it is being threatened otherwise.

As much as I want to believe it, I still don't buy the sale rumor. If there is any truth to it, the sale has to be put to the shareholders for approval. Depending on what the initial offer is and how much the prospective buyer is willing to pay, they may vote the buyout proposal down. There's no way an "announcement of sale" is coming before this...we would have heard publicly if someone had stepped up to make an offer. And as soon as that news breaks, the stock price of SEAS is going to go up...limiting (or eliminating) the "fire sale price" many have predicted.

Until it's officially announced, I don't buy this rumor at all. I think Comcast is a little too preoccupied trying to build up their existing properties first. But if it IS true, I certainly hope it's Comcast who buys the whole company and keeps it intact, investing money into the parks and bringing them up to the level they deserve to be. Florida needs a pair of killer airtime monsters in the form of a hyper and (AND!) a giga. And if the rumor is true, I don't believe Comcast will just foolishly wade into this purchase. They will have a plan for success, and the cash to make it happen (including improving the image of the SeaWorld parks).

I've always been for the merger of SeaWorld/Busch/Universal into one company and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for SeaWorld/Busch's future!

 

[GAcoaster]

Something tells me the PR for that sale would not go so well.

Except that SeaWorld could sell the animals, then SeaWorld could go away forever replaced with a new brand and new identity. People have short memories.

 

[shiekra38]

Except that SeaWorld could sell the animals, then SeaWorld could go away forever replaced with a new brand and new identity. People have short memories.

Not with this...PETA would not let it go, and CNN would have a field day...it would be bad news (CNN's motto ironically)

Rehab and release is the only option IMO