Midway Games - 1. Informationsthread - persönl Kursziel 18$ - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

der thread zu midway games soll lediglich einen informationsthread und keine kauf- bzw. transaktionsempfehlung meinerseits darstellen.


Midway Games steigen immer weiter

04.03.04 23:08

Obwohl der Videospiel-Produzent Midway Games Ende Februar den Markt mit schwachen Zahlen herb enttäuscht hatte, steigt die Aktie immer weiter. Am heutigen Handelstag legten die Titel des Herstellers von Spielen wie "Mortal Combat" und "Pong" um weitere 9,14 Prozent auf 6,21 Dollar zu.Beobachter vermuten, dass die große Story in weiteren Zukäufen von Sumner Redstone, dem CEO von Viacom, liegen könne. Dieser plant laut SEC-Angaben, insgesamt Titel im Wert zwischen 50 und 100 Millionen Dollar zu erwerben. Die Anti-Trust-Behörden haben außerdem jüngst einige Hürden für weitere Zukäufe Redstones abgebaut.

Quelle: Börse-Go

Midway Games erhöht Umsatz-Guidance um 50%

06.04.04 16:51

Midway Games hat seine Guidance für das erste Quartal angehoben und bezieht sich dabei auf einen stärker als erwarteten Absatz eines neuen Action-Horror-Videospiels. Der Umsatz soll nach der neuen Prognose bei $18 Millionen liegen, was 50% über der vorigen Prognose von $12 Millionen liegt. Der Verlust werde niedriger als die bisher erwarteten $19 Millionen sein, jedoch rechnet man nicht mit einer „zum Umsatz proportionalen Entwicklung“. Details wollte man zu dem nun erwarteten Verlust nicht angeben. Grund für die Guidance-Erhöhung sei das Spiel "The Suffering", das für die PlayStation 2 und Xbox am 8. März an den Markt kam. Midway gab an, die nicht börsennotierte Spieleschmiede Surreal Software gekauft zu haben, die „The Suffering“ entwickelte. Midway bezahlte damals mit 540,317 eigenen Aktien. Die Anteile des Videospieleherstellers verteuern sich aktuell um 5.16% auf $8.15.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Die Analysten von UBS Investment Bank bewerten in ihrer Analyse vom Donnerstag, 1. April 2004 die Aktie von Midway Games Inc. nach wie vor mit dem Rating "Neutral". Das Kursziel für die Aktie liegt momentan bei 7 $.

© finanzen.net

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

gründe für die gestrige und heutige kurskorrektur:

UPDATE 3-Midway Games to raise $82.3 mln in share offer
TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 2004 12:25 PM
- Reuters U.S. Company News

LOS ANGELES, April 13 (Reuters) - Money-losing video game publisher Midway Games Inc. (MWY) said on Tuesday that it would sell 11.35 million shares at $7.25 each in a stock offer, raising $82.3 million.

Midway shares fell sharply on news of the share sale, which an analyst said would lead to dilution of up to 20 percent.

The Chicago company expects the sale to be completed on April 14. Net proceeds of about $78.4 million, after fees and other costs, will be used for general corporate purposes including working capital, financing capital expenditures, research and development, marketing and distribution.

It said that if opportunities arose, it could use the funds for acquisitions or strategic alliances. The offering is being made under a $100 million shelf registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Midway said it would withdraw the balance of the registration after the offering.

"This offering will cause dilution of approximately 20 percent," Southwest Securities analyst Arvind Bhatia said in a note. "At the end of (fiscal 2003), total shares outstanding were 54.47 million shares."

Bhatia lowered his loss per share estimates for the second and third quarters of the year and trimmed his profit per share estimate for the fourth quarter on the effects of the dilution.

Midway, which has not posted quarterly net or operating earnings in four years, recently raised its first-quarter revenue outlook on strong sales of the new game "The Suffering."

Separately, RBC Capital Markets raised its estimates and price target on Midway on Tuesday after checks with retailers showed another of its new games, "NBA Ballers," is off to a good start.

Analyst Stewart Halpern said of 30 specialty game retail stores surveyed, 80 percent reported positively on sales of the game, and 40 percent of the stores said they are sold out or nearly so. Halpern raised his price target to $4 from $3 and cut his second-quarter loss estimate to 4 cents from 8 cents.

Shares in Midway, nearly 50-percent owned by Viacom Inc. (VIAB) Chairman Sumner Redstone, were down 9.6 percent at $7.36 in midday trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

After Hours Trading
4/13/2004 7:59:00 PM Last:
7.90 Change:
+0.65 Volume:
9,411,300

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

der kurs zieht wie erwartet wieder an:

Last:
8.08 Change:
+0.83 Open:
7.52 High:
8.15 Low:
7.51 Volume:
3,476,300
Percent Change:
+11.45%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

HEADLINE STOCKS - U.S. stocks to watch on April 14

INTEL CORP. (INTC)

Intel reported after Tuesday`s close that first-quarter earnings soared 89 percent as sales improved in all regions, but the world`s No. 1 chip maker said current-quarter revenue could miss expectations. Though Intel`s earnings matched analysts` estimates, its mid-point revenue forecast for the second quarter fell below Wall Street average estimates. It also said profit margins would be hurt by both lower revenue and higher spending on new technology. Intel shares ended at $27.67.

MCDONALD`S CORP. (MCD)

McDonald`s, the world`s largest restaurant chain, forecast after Tuesday`s close better-than-expected first-quarter earnings and said its March same-store sales rose 9.9 percent in the United States. However, same-store sales fell 2.9 percent in Europe, its second-largest market, raising concerns that sales overseas were ebbing. McDonald`s shares ended at $28.27.

MIDWAY GAMES INC. (MWY) ,

Sumner Redstone, chairman of Viacom Inc. (VIAB) , said in a regulatory filing that he may buy Midway Games or increase his stake in the company. In a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Redstone, who is already Midway`s biggest shareholder, said there was no timetable to complete a review of his options, which also could include seeking a seat on Midway`s board. Midway shares ended at $7.25.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Midway shares surge on Viacom CEO interest
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2004 1:32 PM
- Reuters U.S. Company News


NEW YORK, April 14 (Reuters) - Midway Games Inc.`s (MWY) stock surged 12 percent in midday trading on Wednesday, a day after Viacom Inc.`s (VIAB) Chairman and CEO Sumner Redstone filed documents indicating his interest in either buying or raising his stake in the struggling video game maker.

Sumner Redstone, who is Midway`s largest single shareholder with a 49.51 percent stake, on Tuesday disclosed in a filing he may boost his stake, pursue a board seat and/or seek to acquire the company outright.

Redstone`s interest remains shrouded in mystery. The company, once known for its hit roster of classic games like "Mortal Kombat" and "Defender," has not reported a quarterly net or operating profit in more than four years.

Sales of some of its new games such as "The Suffering" have been strong, though, leading analysts to expect the company to post a profit as soon as the June quarter.

Still, Redstone has never explained his enduring fascination with raising his position at the Chicago-based company.

"I don`t know what his rationale is," media analyst Dennis McAlpine of McAlpine Associates. "There`s no tie-in to Viacom I can see. It has to be a personal preference."

Harold Vogel, veteran media analyst at Vogel Capital Management, said: "People just assume that it started out when he was National Amusements, a theater operator. The arcades biz was very strong and prospering and it looked like it would be a good match for theater lobbies to increase profits.

"That was easily 20 years ago. We don`t understand why he`s continued to be fascinated by it."

Redstone owns the Midway shares and shares of former Midway owners WMS Industries, both individually and through a holding company, National Amusements Inc.

Through a spokesman, Redstone declined to comment on his personal holdings.

Video game industry analysts said Midway`s stock`s ascent was mainly due to Redstone`s interests.

"We still think (Midway) is expensive and is trading solely on Sumner Redstone`s recent buying and not on fundamentals," said Michael Wallace, an analyst at UBS, in a research note.

Midway shares gained 92 cents, or 12.7 percent, to $8.17 on the New York Stock Exchange

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Top Viacom execs sees salaries rise, bonuses fall
THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2004 6:08 PM
- Reuters U.S. Company News


LOS ANGELES, April 15 (Reuters) - Both Sumner Redstone, the chairman and chief executive of media conglomerate Viacom Inc. (VIAB) , and Mel Karmazin, its president and chief operating officer, saw their salaries rise and bonuses fall in 2003, according to a statement filed with securities regulators.

In a proxy statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday, Viacom said both Redstone and Karmazin received salaries of $3.99 million and bonuses of $15 million in 2003. Both received salaries of $3.63 million and bonuses of $16.5 million in 2002.

Both were also granted options on 800,000 shares of Viacom Class B common stock at exercise prices of $44.08 per share.

Redstone, through his company National Amusements, holds about 71 percent of the voting interest in Viacom. He also recently disclosed that he may seek to take ownership of video game publisher Midway Games Inc. (MWY) , in which he is the largest shareholder.

Earlier on Thursday, Viacom said it would reduce the number of board directors to 15 from 17 at its annual meeting. It also said its eventual target for the board was 14 members.

Shares in Viacom`s Class B stock closed down 38 cents at $40.24 on the New York Stock Exchange

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Midway Games Inc. to Report 2004 First Quarter Financial Results and Host Conference Call and Webcast On April 28th
FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 2004 7:00 AM
- BusinessWire


CHICAGO, Apr 16, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Midway Games Inc. (MWY) announced today that it will release financial results for the three-month period ended March 31, 2004 and provide an update on the Company`s 2004 outlook after the close of the market on Wednesday, April 28th. Midway will host a conference call and simultaneous webcast that afternoon at 4:45 p.m. EDT. Both the call and webcast are open to the general public.

The conference call number is [phone]; please call five minutes in advance to ensure that you are connected prior to the presentation. Questions and answers will be reserved for call-in analysts and investors. Interested parties may also access the live call on the Internet at www.investor.midway.com or at www.fulldisclosure.com. Please log-on fifteen minutes in advance to ensure that you are connected prior to the call`s initiation. Following its completion, a replay of the call will be available for twelve months on the Internet via www.investor.midway.com.

Midway Games Inc. is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. Midway videogames are available for play on all major videogame platforms including the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft, and Nintendo GameCube(TM) and Game Boy(R) Advance.

SOURCE: Midway Games Inc.

Midway Games Inc.
Miguel Iribarren, 773-961-2222
[e-mail]
or
Jaffoni & Collins Incorporated
Joseph Jaffoni, Nathan Ellingson, 212-835-8500
[e-mail]

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
04/13/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 483,100 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $4,206,347.00

04/13/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 120,500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,075,065.00

04/13/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 1,600 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $11,956.00

04/13/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 648,800 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $4,793,975.00

04/12/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 28,800 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $254,416.00

04/08/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 337,100 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $3,017,061.00

04/08/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 96,500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $864,075.00

04/08/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 26,500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $241,140.00

04/07/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 333,900 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $2,795,216.00

04/07/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 2,300 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $18,912.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

mein persönliches KZ: 18$

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com


Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
04/14/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 1,600 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $12,583.00

04/14/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 45,000 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $358,133.00

04/14/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 331,900 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $2,695,265.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

8.60 Change:
+0.30 Open:
8.30 High:
8.60 Low:
8.15 Volume:
1,306,500
Percent Change:
+3.61%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last:
8.75 Change:
+0.45 Open:
8.30 High:
8.75 Low:
8.15 Volume:
2,533,000
Percent Change:
+5.42%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com

Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
04/16/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 854,300 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $6,979,165.00

04/16/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 41,200 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $327,058.00

04/15/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 107,700 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $857,712.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Midway Series D holder buys $4.5 mln more shares
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2004 10:33 AM
- Reuters U.S. Company News


LOS ANGELES, April 21 (Reuters) - Video game publisher Midway Games Inc. (MWY) on Wednesday said one of the holders of its Series D convertible preferred stock has exercised the right to purchase another 446 shares, for proceeds to the company of $4.46 million.

Midway said it would use the funds for working capital and general corporate purposes.

The 446 preferred shares, priced at $10,000 per share, are convertible into common stock at any time before mid-May 2006 at a price of $4 per share, for a total of 1.115 million shares.

Midway did not disclose the identity of the purchasing entity

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last:
8.94 Change:
+0.33 Open:
8.63 High:
9.00 Low:
8.30 Volume:
1,779,300
Percent Change:
+3.83%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

schlusskurs vom 21.4.2004

Last:
9.03 Change:
+0.42 Open:
8.63 High:
9.04 Low:
8.30 Volume:
2,867,000
Percent Change:
+4.88%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last:
9.36 Change:
+0.19 Open:
9.18 High:
9.44 Low:
9.13 Volume:
1,658,000
Percent Change:
+2.07%

23.04.2004

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
04/20/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 589,700 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $5,125,855.00

04/20/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 43,500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $380,131.00

04/19/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 457,100 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $3,930,348.00

04/19/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 25,100 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $212,586.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

MWY Last: 9.75 Change: +0.39 +4.17% Volume: 785,700 10:58am
4/26/2004

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
04/22/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 523,300 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $4,775,496.00

04/22/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 3,200 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $29,151.00

04/21/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 152,700 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,319,673.00

04/21/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 915,600 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $8,079,295.00

04/21/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 3,700 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $31,227.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Redstone seeks to boost Midway stake to 60 percent
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2004 1:08 PM
- Reuters U.S. Company News

LOS ANGELES, April 28 (Reuters) - Viacom Inc. (VIAB) Chairman Sumner Redstone intends to boost his stake in video game publisher Midway Games Inc. (MWY) to "at least" 60 percent of its stock, he said in a filing with securities regulators on Wednesday.

In a holdings report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Redstone said he filed for permission with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday to boost his Midway stake past 50 percent and said he indicated in the filing he intended to go to at least 60 percent.

Redstone, individually and through his company National Amusements, owns 49.3 percent of Midway, which has not posted a quarterly profit in more than four years.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

UPDATE 1-Redstone seeks to acquire control of Midway Games
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2004 4:05 PM
- Reuters U.S. Company News

By Ben Berkowitz

LOS ANGELES, April 28 (Reuters) - Viacom Inc. (VIAB) Chairman Sumner Redstone intends to boost his personal stake in video game publisher Midway Games Inc. (MWY) to "at least" 60 percent of its stock, he said in a filing with securities regulators on Wednesday.

Midway shares fell sharply on the news, which comes roughly two weeks after Redstone said he was considering acquiring the company or seeking a seat on its board.

In a holdings report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Redstone said he filed for permission with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday to boost his Midway stake past 50 percent, and said he indicated in the FTC filing he intended to go to at least 60 percent.

Redstone, individually and through his company National Amusements, owns 49.3 percent of Midway, which has not posted a quarterly profit in more than four years.

Speaking at the Milken Institute conference here, Redstone said the difference between Midway and a larger games publisher, like Activision Inc. (ATVI) , was the amount of creative talent on staff.

"You will see very soon an enormous infusion of great creative talent to Midway - and I mean very soon," Redstone told a group of reporters, as he sat next to Activision Chief Executive Bobby Kotick.

Redstone also made clear that his stake in Midway was his own and was not part of a larger play to get Viacom into the $10 billion U.S. video game industry.

"I do not look at this as a Viacom agenda ... it`s a personal investment," he said. "I have absolutely no intention to dispose of Midway. Midway will be owned by myself and National Amusements, my company."

Midway is best known for the "Mortal Kombat" fighting game franchise but otherwise had fallen on hard times in recent years, fighting to compete against larger publishers and appeal to an expanding marketplace.

But of late the company has had some successes, raising its first-quarter outlook on strong sales of "The Suffering" and pointing to a strategy of exploiting the demand for "Mature"-rated titles.

Midway shares were off 9.2 percent at $8.80 in late-afternoon trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

MWY Midway Games Inc (NYSE) 4/29/2004 4:01 PM
hide quote detailed quote options Last:
8.41 Change:
-0.33 Open:
8.98 High:
9.22 Low:
8.14 Volume:
3,663,900
Percent Change:
-3.78%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

MIDWAY GAMES UPPED TO `NEUTRAL` BY SOUTHWEST SECURITIES 11:55 AM

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
04/23/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 503,700 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $4,679,827.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
04/23/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 503,700 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $4,679,827.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
04/27/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 119,700 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,165,344.00

04/26/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 679,100 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $6,466,248.00

04/26/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 42,800 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $407,647.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last:
8.20 Change:
-0.18 Open:
8.45 High:
8.59 Low:
8.03 Volume:
2,044,200
Percent Change:
-2.15%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

UPDATE 1-Midway Games says Redstone seeks board seats
THURSDAY, MAY 06, 2004 4:38 PM
- Reuters U.S. Company News

LOS ANGELES, May 6 (Reuters) - Video game publisher Midway Games Inc. (MWY) on Thursday said its largest shareholder, Viacom Inc. (VIAB) Chairman Sumner Redstone, has asked for seats on its board of directors.

Chicago-based Midway said Redstone requested that his daughter Shari Redstone, president of his company National Amusements, and Kenneth Cron, former chief executive of Vivendi Universal Games current interim chief executive of Computer Associates International Inc. (CA) , be nominated to the board at the company`s annual meeting in June.

Redstone, who holds just under 50 percent of Midway`s shares, recently said he intended to increase his holding, pending government approval, to at least 60 percent. He had not previously been represented on the board.

Redstone has said he intends to change Midway with an influx of creative talent designed to improve the quality of its games. The company has not posted a quarterly net or operating profit in more than four years.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last:
8.10 Change:
+0.15 Open:
7.85 High:
8.50 Low:
7.79 Volume:
1,350,400
Percent Change:
+1.89%

UPDATE 2-Redstone gets OK for controlling stake in Midway
FRIDAY, MAY 07, 2004 5:45 PM
- Reuters U.S. Company News


LOS ANGELES, May 7 (Reuters) - Viacom Inc. (VIAB) Chairman Sumner Redstone has received permission from the Federal Trade Commission to take a majority stake in video game publisher Midway Games Inc. (MWY) , he said in a filing on Friday.

Redstone, who currently holds 49.96 percent of Midway`s stock individually and through his company National Amusements, disclosed on April 28 that he intended to take a controlling stake in Midway of at least 60 percent of its stock, pending government approval.

He said at the time that he intended to improve the performance of Midway, which has not turned a quarterly profit in more than four years, through an influx of creative talent.

He has also denied that he plans to merge Midway with Viacom, which he also controls.

In a holdings statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Redstone also said he has expressed to the company his belief that its board of directors should not have more than eight members, including the two he has asked the company to nominate at its annual meeting in June.

Redstone said he believed the board should consist of current Chairman Neil Nicastro, Louis Nicastro, William Bartholomay, Harold Bach, Ira Sheinfeld, Robert Waxman, and his nominees, daughter Shari Redstone and former Vivendi Universal Games CEO Kenneth Cron, who is now the interim chief executive of Computer Associates International Inc. (CA)

After Hours Trading
5/7/2004 5:47:00 PM Last:
8.30 Change:
+0.20

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

sumner redstone, der grossaktionär von midway ist zugleich großaktionär von "viacom".

10.03.2004 13:16
Presse: Viacom will Kabelfernsehsparte erwerben

Der amerikanische Medienkonzern Viacom Inc. könnte Zeitungsangaben zufolge an der Akquisition eines Kabelfernseh-Sparte interessiert sein.

Dies berichtet das "Wall Street Journal" in seiner Mittwochausgabe unter Berufung auf Äußerungen des Viacom-CEO Sumner Redstone im Rahmen einer Investorenkonferenz. Zeitungsangaben zufolge plant Viacom die Akquisition im Kabelnetzbereich aufgrund der besseren Expansions- und Vertriebsmöglichkeiten, durch die der Grundstein für ein verbessertes Gewinnwachstum gelegt werden soll.

Redstone betonte jedoch gleichzeitig, dass man kurzfristig keine derartige Akquisition ins Auge fassen wird, berichtet das "WSJ" weiter. Des Weiteren erklärte Redstone, dass Viacom nicht an einer Übernahme des Satellitenfernsehanbieters EchoStar Communications Inc. interessiert ist.

Die Aktie von Viacom schloss am Dienstag bei 38,90 Dollar.

Quelle: FINANZEN.NET

[NoggerT]

@motte,
Midway Games hat in den letzten
Wochen rund 20% abgegeben, letzter 8,05

Zu Deinem KZ 18 ist noch ein bisschen Luft,
rechne mit einer Konsilidierung bis in den
Bereich 7Dollar, wenn die die Marke um 8
nicht hält.

PS: Mach` mich demnächst nicht blöd von der Seite
an, gerade dann nicht, wenn ein Verkaufsposting
ordnungsgemäss&realtime gepostet wurde!http://www.wallstreet-online.de/ws/community/board/thread.ph…

[NoggerT]

Motte hat ja wirklich keine Ahnung von
Börse, aber dafür eine dicke & gefrustete
Klappe..!


Dr. Motte Thread: Matchnet - > 2. Anlauf zum Pennystock?


So sieht ein Pennchart auf jeden Fall nicht aus,
im Jahreshoch knapp verzehnfacht, lol !

http://www.wallstreet-online.de/ws/community/board/thread.ph…

[NoggerT]

hier ist der richtige Link..
http://www.wallstreet-online.de/ws/community/board/threadpag…

[NoggerT]

#614 von explizit
wo habe ich das neulich gelesen?
Dr. Motte ist wohl ein ehemaliger, gefeuerter Mitarbeiter bei Matchnet, der sich jetzt hier rächen will .... !!!
Alles klar?

611 von Dr. Motte, Berlin
mit einem schlusskurs unter 1.60 und somit unter dem 200erGD könnt ihr einpacken!http://www.wallstreet-online.de/ws/community/board/threadpag…


Die Aktie hat sich seit Mottes Empfehung verzehnfacht,
hoffentlich war dieser nicht short...

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

herzlich willkommen, hofnarr nogga!

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Redstone boosts Midway stake over 50 percent
MONDAY, MAY 10, 2004 4:47 PM
- Reuters U.S. Company News

LOS ANGELES, May 10 (Reuters) - Viacom Inc. (VIAB) Chairman Sumner Redstone has taken his stake in video game publisher Midway Games Inc. (MWY) to just over 50 percent, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday.

Redstone`s company, National Amusements, boosted its Midway stake to just under 4.79 million shares on Friday, the filing said. Combined with his personal stake, Redstone now holds just under 34.3 million Midway shares, or 50.27 percent of the company`s stock.

Last Friday, Redstone said he had received approval from the Federal Trade Commission to take the majority stake, which he first disclosed that he intended to do on April 28.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last:
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1,734,800
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[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

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[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Midway Casts Top Hollywood Talent for Upcoming NARC Video Game
TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2004 8:00 AM
- BusinessWire

CHICAGO, May 11, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Underscoring its commitment to publishing fulfilling interactive entertainment experiences for consumers, Midway Games Inc. (MWY) , a leading interactive entertainment publisher and developer, today announced that several Hollywood stars are to lend their voice talents to its upcoming NARC(R) video game. Scheduled for release in early 2005 for both the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox(R) video game system from Microsoft, NARC is an in-depth, 3rd-person action/shooter game that poses the ultimate challenge; you can walk the line or you can cross it.

Assuming the video game persona of Jack Forzenski, an undercover narcotics agents fighting the war on drugs, is Michael Madsen (Kill Bill Vol.2, Reservoir Dogs), a star well-versed in the interactive entertainment field. Rounding out the ensemble are Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Blade II,) who plays the corrupt Captain Ed Kowalski, and Michael Wincott (The Crow), who gives life to the drug kingpin, Mr. Big.

"We strive to incorporate an extremely high level of production values into each of our video games and the inclusion of such distinguished voice-over talent certainly adds to that level of quality," said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway. "We are delighted to be working with all of these individuals and feel their prodigious abilities will enhance what is already an extremely high entertainment quotient for the game."

About NARC

NARC will make a bold statement as a gritty crime drama that offers an intense and thought-provoking view into the seedy world of the war on drugs. Playing as dual characters in the elite NARC squad, Jack Forzenski and Marcus Hill, consumers have a seemingly simple choice; they can walk the line or they can cross it.

Eight Rockland police officers are slain by a drug dealer tripping on an unknown substance, during a routine traffic violation turned bloodbath. The DEA sends Dt. Marcus Hill to help in the investigation. Marcus was once part of Rockland`s police force, until two years ago when his partner Jack Forzenski was kicked off the force. Unable to reconcile his deteriorating relationship with Jack, Marcus left for the greener pastures of the DEA. Now he must again work with his old partner (who`s back on the force), and Captain Ed Kowalski, his former boss. Together, they investigate the new mystery drug, untangling a web of lies, betrayals, secrets, and temptations.

Additional information about NARC can be found online at www.midway.com.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last:
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8.66 High:
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8.66 Volume:
2,325,800
Percent Change:
+4.83%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
05/07/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 208,700 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,677,215.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last:
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9.00 High:
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1,400,400
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[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Midway holder buys $6.3 mln in preferred shares
THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2004 9:56 AM
- Reuters U.S. Company News


LOS ANGELES, May 13 (Reuters) - Video game publisher Midway Games Inc. (MWY) on Thursday said a holder of its Series D convertible preferred stock has exercised the right to buy an additional 625 Series D shares for a total of $6.25 million.

Chicago-based Midway, which is controlled by Viacom Inc. (VIAB) Chairman Sumner Redstone, said the shares are convertible at a price of $4 each, for a total of almost 1.6 million shares of common stock, any time through May 15, 2006.

Midway shares rose 20 cents to $9.31 in early trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

Midway said it will use the proceeds from the sale for working capital and general purposes.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
05/10/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 522,200 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $4,353,725.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last:
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9.70 High:
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1,873,200
Percent Change:
+2.35%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Midway`s MLB SlugFest: Loaded First Ever Game to Implement New Xbox Live 3.0 Features
THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2004 9:00 AM
- BusinessWire


CHICAGO, May 27, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Midway Games Inc. (MWY) , a leading interactive entertainment industry publisher and developer, today announced that MLB SlugFest(R): Loaded(TM) is expected to be the first ever video game to implement Microsoft`s recently announced updates to Xbox(TM) Live 3.0 via customizable, online tournaments. MLB SlugFest: Loaded is scheduled for release on June 21, 2004, for the Xbox(R) video game system from Microsoft.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last:
10.84 Change:
+0.48 Open:
10.39 High:
10.84 Low:
10.19 Volume:
1,646,600
Percent Change:
+4.63%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last:
11.29 Change:
+0.45 Open:
10.81 High:
11.42 Low:
10.68 Volume:
1,272,400
Percent Change:
+4.15%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

sumner redstone will offenbar nicht nur die mehrheit, sondern auch die macht! war zu erwarten!


Neil D. Nicastro to Resign as Chairman of the Board of Midway Games
FRIDAY, JUNE 04, 2004 7:00 AM
- BusinessWire


CHICAGO, Jun 4, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Midway Games Inc. (MWY) announced today that it has been informed by its Chairman of the Board of Directors, Neil D. Nicastro, that Mr. Nicastro intends to resign as Chairman of the Midway board immediately following the June 10 annual meeting of Midway stockholders.

"I believe that Midway is a tremendous company with a bright future, but for personal and professional reasons the time has come for me to move on," said Mr. Nicastro.

Midway`s largest shareholders are Sumner M. Redstone and National Amusements Inc., who collectively own approximately 68% of Midway`s outstanding shares. Mr. Redstone stated, "I personally appreciate the dedication and skill Neil has brought to his work for Midway over the years. Midway will announce a highly qualified successor shortly following the June 10th annual meeting."

Midway Games Inc. is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. Midway videogames are available for play on all major videogame platforms including the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft, and Nintendo GameCube(TM) and Game Boy(R) Advance.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning future business conditions and the outlook for Midway Games Inc. (the "Company") based on currently available information that involve risks and uncertainties. The Company`s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the financial strength of the interactive entertainment industry, dependence on new product introductions and the ability to maintain the scheduling of such introductions, technological changes, dependence on major platform manufacturers and other risks more fully described under "Item 1. Business - Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003, and in the more recent filings made by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE: Midway Games Inc.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last:
11.61 Change:
+0.35 Open:
11.35 High:
11.69 Low:
11.20 Volume:
1,697,900
Percent Change:
+3.11% Yield:
n/a P/E Ratio:
n/a 52 Week Range:
2.08 to 11.50

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last:
11.98 Change:
+0.37 Open:
11.73 High:
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11.72 Volume:
1,823,200
Percent Change:
+3.19%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Sumner on CNBC

6/3/2004 8:28:47 AM
Posted By: maynardlll Msg# 74 of 75


Post Reply Post New Message

It seems as though this board is rather private as not many have found it--very unusual and good IMHO--when I watched Redstone yesterday--and quite the fellow for being 81 and with no evidence of dementia--he said, regarding VIAB that he would not use Viacom`s stock to purchase anything while it was at this level--positive--that everyone would be happy after the quarterly meeting--positive--that after selling Blockbuster he was going to start buying back stock with that money and we know what he means when he says that--very positive--perhaps buying some calls would be in order--
just my very humble opinion--Maynard

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

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12.10 Volume:
998,000
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[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

die ereignisse überschlagen sich:

MIDWAY GAMES UP 8.5% TO $13 ON VOL 1.82M SHARES 11:36 AM

REDSTONE HIRES FINANCIAL ADVISER FOR MIDWAY GAMES 11:27 AM

SUMNER REDSTONE CONSIDERING TAKING MIDWAY GAMES PRIVATE

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Midway up on move to go private
By William Spain, CBS.MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 12:06 PM ET June 8, 2004







CHICAGO (CBS.MW) -- Shares of Midway Games rose over 11 percent Tuesday following news of a possible attempt to take the company private.



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In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Midway`s controlling holder -- Sumner Redstone -- said that he "has engaged a financial advisor to provide services in connection with the evaluation of a possible `going private`."

Redstone currently owns about 74 percent of Midway either directly or through his stake in National Amusements. He is also chairman of Viacom (VIA: news, chart, profile) (a significant shareholder in the publisher of this report).

Midway (MWY: news, chart, profile) makes numerous videogames including MLB Slugfest, Mortal Kombat and RoadKill. Its chairman, Neil Nicastro, resigned last week.

Midway was up $1.35 at $13.33 in midday trading

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

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11.62 High:
12.65 Low:
11.55 Volume:
2,030,400
Percent Change:
+5.69%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Associated Press
Viacom Chief Considers Boosting Stake
06.08.2004, 04:39 PM

Viacom Inc. chief executive Sumner Redstone has hired a financial adviser to evaluate the possibility of boosting his stake in Midway Games Inc. and taking the video-game maker private.

Redstone has increased his stake in Midway to 72.4 percent from 71.39 percent, according to a Tuesday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Midway shares closed Tuesday up 65 cents, or 5.4 percent, to $12.63 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Redstone has been buying shares of Chicago-based Midway for years, but has recently accelerated his purchases, increasing his stake from about 30 percent since January.

Midway is one of the top video-game publishers, with titles ranging from "Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance" and "RoadKill" to the just-released "NBA Ballers." It had sales of about $92.5 million in 2003.

Redstone`s investments have been made both in his own name and through National Amusements Inc., the family-owned concern through which he controls entertainment conglomerate Viacom.

Monday, Redstone said he agreed to acquire 1.25 million Midway Games shares from Neil D. Nicastro, who will resign this week as chairman of the company.

Redstone now owns about 49.4 million common shares. He purchased 687,600 shares Friday and Monday for $11.30 to $12.10 a share.

At Redstone`s request, Midway Games` board has approved a reduction in the size of the board to eight from 11 and nominated Redstone`s daughter, Shari E. Redstone, and Kenneth D. Cron to the board. Cron is interim chief executive at Computer Associates International Inc.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Kenneth D. Cron Named Chairman of the Board of Midway Games; Shari E. Redstone Named Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors; Joseph A. Califano, Jr. Named Midway Director
MONDAY, JUNE 14, 2004 7:00 AM
- BusinessWire


MWY
12.60 +0.34

CHICAGO, Jun 14, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Midway Games Inc. (MWY) announced today that the Company`s Board of Directors has appointed Kenneth D. Cron, 47, as Chairman of the Board. The Company`s Board of Directors also appointed Shari E. Redstone, 50, as Vice-Chairman of the Board. Mr. Cron and Ms. Redstone were elected as Directors at Midway`s June 10 annual meeting. Midway also announced today the appointment of Joseph A. Califano, Jr., 73, as a new independent director, effective immediately. With the addition of Mr. Califano, Midway`s Board now has eight members.

Midway`s new Chairman, Kenneth D. Cron, stated, "I am a firm believer in the strength and future of the games industry and its growing prominence in the entertainment market. I believe Midway has many of the core assets to be an important player in this dynamic market. To that end, I am honored to lead Midway`s newly-elected Board, and I look forward to helping the company realize its potential."

Midway`s largest shareholder is Sumner M. Redstone, who directly and through his ownership of National Amusements Inc. owned approximately 70.4% of Midway`s outstanding shares as of June 9, 2004.

"Midway has a great future in front of it," stated newly-elected Vice-Chairman, Shari E. Redstone. "After reviewing the Company`s assets, management team and business plan, I believe we can grow Midway into a leader in this industry. My experience in the broader entertainment world has highlighted the great opportunity that exists in the interactive entertainment industry and I believe Midway can capitalize on this opportunity. I look forward to working with the other board members and Midway management in building this company."

Welcoming the newly elected board members to Midway, President and CEO, David F. Zucker, stated, "Midway is excited by the recent changes to our board and we welcome the wealth of talent and experience that these elections and appointments bring to our Company. Midway believes this new board will better enable us to further the Company`s turnaround."

Reflecting the recent annual meeting elections and subsequent appointments, Midway`s Board is now comprised of:

Kenneth D. Cron - Chairman; elected as a Director at Midway`s June 10 annual meeting and will also serve on the Company`s nominating and compensation committees. Mr. Cron is the Interim Chief Executive Officer of Computer Associates International and has been a director of Computer Associates since 2002. He was formerly the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vivendi Universal Games, Inc., a global leader in the publishing of online, PC and console-based interactive entertainment and a division of Vivendi Universal, S.A., from 2001 until 2004. Mr. Cron served as Chief Executive Officer of the Flipside Network, now a part of Vivendi Universal Net USA, during 2001. He was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Uproar Inc. from September 1999 to March 2001, when Uproar was acquired by Flipside. Mr. Cron worked at CMPMedia, Inc. from 1978 to June 1999, when CMPMedia was acquired by United Business Media. At CMPMedia, as the President of Publishing, Mr. Cron had responsibility for the company`s United States businesses, including its print publications, trade shows/conferences and online services.

Shari E. Redstone - Vice-Chairman; elected as a Director at Midway`s June 10 annual meeting. Ms. Redstone will also serve on the Company`s nominating, compensation and corporate governance committees. Ms. Redstone has served as President of National Amusements since January 2000 and from 1994 to 2000 as Executive Vice President of National Amusements. She is also a director of National Amusements. National Amusements is a leader in motion picture exhibition with cinemas in the United States, United Kingdom and Latin America. Ms. Redstone has been a director of Viacom Inc. since 1994. Ms. Redstone practiced law from 1978 to 1993, with her practice including corporate law, estate planning and criminal law. Ms. Redstone is a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for the National Association of Theatre Owners, Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of MovieTickets.com, Inc., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CineBridge Ventures, Inc. and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rising Star Media. She is a member of the board of several charitable organizations, including the Board of Trustees at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, the Board of Directors at Combined Jewish Philanthropies and the Board of Directors of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, and is a former member of the Board of Overseers at Brandeis University and the Board of Trustees at Tufts University.

Joseph A. Califano, Jr. - serves on the audit, nominating and corporate governance committees. Mr. Califano is Chairman and President, National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. Mr. Califano has been a director of Viacom Inc. since 2003. He has a long and distinguished record of public service. Mr. Califano previously served as Secretary, Department of Health, Education & Welfare (1977-1979) during the Carter Administration. He was a top aide to Defense Secretary Robert McNamara during the Kennedy Administration, and served as President Johnson`s Special Assistant for Domestic Policy. After concluding government service in 1979, he founded CASA, and became adjunct professor of public health at Columbia University`s Medical School and School of Public Health, and a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Mr. Califano is the author of nine books.

Louis J. Nicastro - Director since 1988. Mr. Nicastro served as the Chief Executive Officer of WMS Industries Inc., Midway Games` former parent company, from 1998 until June 2001 and was also its President from 1998 to April 2000. He has served as Chairman of the Board of WMS since its incorporation in 1974. Mr. Nicastro also served WMS as Chief Executive Officer or Co-Chief Executive Officer from 1974 to 1996 and as President (1985-1988, 1990-1991), among other executive positions. Mr. Nicastro also served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of WHG Resorts & Casinos Inc. and its predecessors from 1983 until 1998. He also served as Midway`s Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer or Co-Chief Executive Officer from 1988 to 1996 and as the Company`s President from 1988 to 1991.

William C. Bartholomay - Director since 1996. Mr. Bartholomay will also serve on the Company`s audit and compensation committees. Mr. Bartholomay was appointed Group Vice Chairman of Willis Group Holdings, Inc. and Vice Chairman of its principal U.S. subsidiary, Willis North America, a global insurance brokerage, in August 2003. For more than five years prior to this appointment, Mr. Bartholomay served as President and a director of Near North National Group, insurance brokers in Chicago, Illinois. He has served as Vice Chairman of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a division of AOL-Time Warner, Inc. since 1994, having also held that office during the period 1976-1992. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Board and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Atlanta Braves baseball team. Mr. Bartholomay is a director of WMS Industries Inc., Midway Games` former parent company. He is also a director and audit committee member of International Steel Group Inc.

Harold H. Bach, Jr. - Director since 1996. Mr. Bach will also serve on the Company`s audit committee. Mr. Bach served as the Company`s Chief Financial Officer and an Executive Vice President from 1996 to September 2001, when he retired. Mr. Bach was Midway`s Senior Vice President--Finance and Chief Financial Officer from 1990 to 1996, and was the Company`s Treasurer from 1994 to April 2001. Mr. Bach also served as Vice President--Finance, Chief Financial and Chief Accounting Officer of WMS Industries Inc., Midway Games` former parent company, for over five years until September 1999. Mr. Bach was a partner in the accounting firms of Ernst & Young (1989-1990) and Arthur Young & Company (1967-1989). Mr. Bach is a director and audit committee member of WMS.

Ira S. Sheinfeld - Director since 1996. Mr. Sheinfeld will also serve on the Company`s corporate governance committee. Mr. Sheinfeld has been a partner of the law firm of Hogan & Hartson L.L.P., and its predecessor law firm, Squadron, Ellenoff, Plesent & Sheinfeld LLP, New York, New York for over five years. He is a director of WMS Industries Inc., Midway Games` former parent company.

Robert N. Waxman, CPA - Director since December 31, 2003. Mr. Waxman will also serve on the Company`s audit committee. Mr. Waxman is a Principal of Corporate Finance Advisory, a New York-based accounting and consulting firm, which he founded in 1992. Mr. Waxman was a partner with Deloitte & Touche LLP, an international accounting and consulting firm, from 1962 to 1991 where he served as National Director of SEC Practice, and partner in charge of the Financial Services Group, among other positions. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the New York State Society of CPA`s, and serves on the editorial board of the CPA Journal and on the audit committee of a large not-for-profit organization.

Midway Games Inc. is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. Midway videogames are available for play on all major videogame platforms including the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft, and Nintendo GameCube(TM) and Game Boy(R) Advance.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning future business conditions and the outlook for Midway Games Inc. (the "Company") based on currently available information that involve risks and uncertainties. The Company`s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the financial strength of the interactive entertainment industry, dependence on new product introductions and the ability to maintain the scheduling of such introductions, technological changes, dependence on major platform manufacturers and other risks more fully described under "Item 1. Business - Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003, and in the more recent filings made by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE: Midway Games Inc.

Midway Games Inc.
Miguel Iribarren, 773-961-2222
[e-mail]
or
Jaffoni & Collins Incorporated
Joseph N. Jaffoni / Nathan Ellingson, 212-835-8500
[e-mail]

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction

06/09/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 121,500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,489,197.00

06/09/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 15,000 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $181,920.00

06/08/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 31,900 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $401,330.00

06/08/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 226,600 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $2,829,138.00

06/07/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 229,600 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $2,743,965.00

06/04/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 38,900 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $443,740.00

06/04/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 419,100 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $4,809,173.00

06/03/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 1,668,500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $18,844,367.00

06/03/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 39,400 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $434,029.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last:
12.70 Change:
+0.37 Open:
12.67 High:
12.76 Low:
12.24 Volume:
1,623,900
Percent Change:
+3.00%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last:
12.85 Change:
+0.15 Open:
12.85 High:
12.90 Low:
12.75 Volume:
1,159,000
Percent Change:
+1.18%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Midway Games IncNYSE: MWY
MWYQuote | MWYNews | MWY Msg Brd | MWYChart | MWYLiveChart | MWYCompany | MWYI-Watch | MWYSEC | You are here: Insiders | MWYAnalysts | MWYTop Holders

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NYSE:MWY Insider activity for REDSTONE SUMNER M
Updated 18 June 2004, 1:33pm ET


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NYSE:MWY Insider Trading for REDSTONE SUMNER M. Transaction date Transaction Number of Shares Proceeds
16 Jun 2004 Buy 350,100 $4,416,512
15 Jun 2004 Buy 32,900 $411,029
14 Jun 2004 Buy 284,700 $3,574,808
10 Jun 2004 Buy 134,000 $1,635,899
10 Jun 2004 Buy 4,200 $51,094
9 Jun 2004 Buy 15,000 $181,920
9 Jun 2004 Buy 42,000 $507,985
9 Jun 2004 Buy 121,500 $1,489,197
8 Jun 2004 Buy 226,600 $2,829,138
8 Jun 2004 Buy 31,900 $401,330
7 Jun 2004 Buy 229,600 $2,743,965
4 Jun 2004 Buy 419,100 $4,809,173
4 Jun 2004 Buy 38,900 $443,740
3 Jun 2004 Buy 39,400 $434,029
3 Jun 2004 Buy 1,668,500 $18,844,367
2 Jun 2004 Buy 495,900 $5,631,711
1 Jun 2004 Buy 200 $2,196
1 Jun 2004 Buy 80,100 $884,301
1 Jun 2004 Buy 448,300 $5,034,690
28 May 2004 Buy 43,100 $455,226
28 May 2004 Buy 499,200 $5,271,407
27 May 2004 Buy 97,000 $989,554
27 May 2004 Buy 617,000 $6,395,126
27 May 2004 Buy 39,300 $392,037
26 May 2004 Buy 560,600 $5,558,312

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Midway Continues Hot Streak as MLB SlugFest: Loaded Touches Home for PlayStation2 and Xbox; On-Fire, In-Depth and Online; MLB SlugFest: Loaded Aims for the Fences
MONDAY, JUNE 21, 2004 9:01 AM
- BusinessWire



CHICAGO, Jun 21, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Midway Games Inc. (MWY) , a leading interactive entertainment publisher and developer, announced today that MLB SlugFest(R): Loaded(TM), the newest title in the company`s exclusive, adrenaline-style baseball series, has shipped for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox(R) video game system from Microsoft.

MLB SlugFest: Loaded is the only baseball videogame for the 2004 season featuring Midway`s classic fast and furious gameplay with hard tags and over-the-top animations. This year`s SlugFest features today`s greatest baseball players and is "loaded" with over-the-top abilities, including turbo-speed running, highlight reel-worthy fielding, earth-shaking collisions and, as one would expect from a Midway Sports(TM) title, the ability for a player to catch fire and turbo charge the game action. The game also features online play for both PlayStation 2 and Xbox and Loaded is the first ever game to incorporate Microsoft`s new Xbox Live 3.0 features.

"MLB SlugFest: Loaded is the most in-depth product in our successful baseball franchise," said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway. "By adding the deepest franchise engine available with Baseball Mogul(R), a full online mode, and even more classic, over-the-top gameplay than ever before, this year`s SlugFest truly lives up to its `Loaded` name."

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

S&P announces index changes
By Carolyn Pritchard, CBS MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 7:12 PM ET June 23, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) - Standard & Poor`s announced a host of changes to its indexes late Wednesday.

S&P said biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences (GILD: news, chart, profile) will replace Bank One (ONE: news, chart, profile) in the S&P 500 and Dell (DELL: news, chart, profile) will replace Bank One in the S&P 100 after the close of trading next Wednesday.

Alliance Data Systems (ADS: news, chart, profile), a provider of transaction, credit and marketing services, will replace Gilead in the S&P MidCap 400.

Bank One is being acquired by fellow S&P 500 index member J.P. Morgan Chase (JPM: news, chart, profile). The transaction is expected to close by June 30.

MoneyGram International (MGI.WI: news, chart, profile), which provides money transfer and payment services, will replace Viad (VVI.WI: news, chart, profile) in the S&P MidCap 400 after markets close next Wednesday. The business operations of the two companies are being separated in a spin-off.

Viad will replace A.T. Cross (ATX: news, chart, profile), which as of Tuesday had a market capitalization of $87 million, in the S&P SmallCap 600.

Also next Wednesday, outsourced online banking services provider Digital Insight (DGIN: news, chart, profile) will replace Midway Games (MWY: news, chart, profile) in the S&P SmallCap 600.

A single investor holds a 76-percent stake in Midway, putting the company in violation of S&P`s public float criteria.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
06/22/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 257,000 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $3,237,696.00

06/21/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 202,000 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $2,547,405.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

aktueller kurs 12,65! kursziel 18-22 dollar!



Last:
12.65 Change:
+0.24 Open:
12.26 High:
12.65 Low:
12.15 Volume:
1,611,600
Percent Change:
+1.93%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Midway Games

Midway vor Übernahme durch Viacom-Boss

09.06.2004 08:11 Uhr - Glaubt man Analysten, steht Midway vor einer Übernahme durch den US-Medienriesen Viacom. Erst kürzlich hatte Sumner Redstone, Vorstandschef von Viacom, seine Aktienanteile an Midway erhöht - er verfügt nun über die alleinige Mehrheit mit rund 72 Prozent aller Anteile. Er hatte seinerzeit jedoch dementiert, die beiden Unternehmen zusammenführen zu wollen. Ein Einstieg von Viacom in die lukrative Spielebranche war erst vor einigen Tagen erneut Gegenstand von Spekulationen geworden: Dem Konzern wurde nachgesagt, Electronic Arts kaufen zu wollen. Redstone entkräftete die Gerüchte allerdings mit dem Hinweis auf den zu hohen Kaufpreis (geschätzte 20 Milliarden Dollar).

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Übernahmekampf
Zeitung: Viacom-Chef spielt Midway was vor
09.06.2004 | 16:20 | Quelle: Krawall Gaming Network
Was, ihr kennt Viacom noch nicht? Der Chef des US-Medienkonzerns hatte sich in den vergangenen Monaten angeblich bei Midway aus privaten Gründen eingekauft - das Wall Street Journal (Bezahlzugang) bezichtigt ihn jetzt jedoch der Lüge.

Demnach habe er sich mit 80 Prozent einzig und allein aus dem Grund die Aktienmehrheit gesichert, um den Entwickler anschließend an sein eigenes Unternehmen zu verkaufen. Dahinter stünde die Absicht, unter der Marke Viacom eigene Games zu Besitztümern wie MTV und Nickelodeon produzieren zu können, schreiben die Kollegen.

Als Indiz dafür sei vor allem der Rücktritt von Viacom-President und COO Mel Karmazin zu werten, der sich immer gegen ein solches Vorhaben ausgesprochen hatte.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Midway takeover likely


Viacom CEO increases stake in underperforming publisher; puts daughter on board and hires specialist to advise on takeover.

All signs point to the eventual takeover of the venerable but limping game publisher Midway by Viacom CEO and chairman Sumner Redstone. Such a scenario is bolstered by reports that Redstone, in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission today, said he has hired a financial advisor to evaluate options should he increase his interest in the publisher to 80 percent of its common stock from its current 72.4 percent level.

In addition, Dow Jones is reporting that at Redstone`s request Midway will reduce the number of seats on its board of directors from 11 to eight and that Redstone has nominated his daughter, Shari E. Redstone, to join the board.

Though the stock reports 17 consecutive quarterly losses, Redstone has demonstrated unflagging interest in the company, increasing his stake in it from less than 30 percent at the beginning of the year to its current level. He now owns 49,389,066 common shares of Midway Games, including 687,600 additional shares he purchased on both Friday, June 4, and Monday, June 7.

A survey of analysts` comments in a number of business journals today suggests a timeline that would see Redstone acquire sufficient Midway stock to take the company private, to be followed by the sale of the company to Viacom. Such a scenario would give Viacom the means to enter the game space through the Midway Games infrastructure. Viacom could then leverage its many brands--including MTV and Nickelodeon--to become a significant publisher.

As the Wall Street Journal reported, "Viacom`s stable of high-profile content is likely to remain among the most sought-after intellectual property for video games for the foreseeable future."

It is no small benefit to Redstone that a known opponent to Viacom`s entry into the game space is no longer a factor--Mel Karmazin, former Viacom president, resigned from the company last week. Reportedly, Karmazin was not in favor of such a move.

Midway shares closed today at $12.63, up 65 cents, on the news of Redstone`s SEC filing. Before close, shares of Midway hit a 52-week high of $13.49.

By Curt Feldman, GameSpot POSTED: 06/08/04 06:01PM

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

NEW YORK, April 29 (New Ratings) - Analysts at UBS reiterate their "neutral" rating on Midway Games (MWY.NYS). The target price has been raised from $7 to $8.50.

NEW YORK, June 23 (New Ratings) - In a research note published yesterday, analysts at UBS reiterate their "neutral" rating on Midway Games (MWY.NYS). The target price has been raised from $8.50 to $12.50.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
06/23/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 144,500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,803,911.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
06/25/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 325,500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $4,043,213.00

06/24/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 146,600 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,816,257.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

The prospect of consolidation of the video game software sector took another step forward Friday, as Acclaim Entertainment (AKLM:Nasdaq - news - research) warned that it may soon wind up in bankruptcy.

Acclaim shares were recently down 8 cents, or 24%, to 25 cents after hitting a 52-week low of 24 cents earlier in the session.

"Acclaim shares remain a speculative investment until management demonstrates its ability to execute on its strategy of making fewer, higher quality games," Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter wrote Friday. "We believe that the company has a respectable lineup of games planned for release in [fiscal 2005] , but due to continuing cash flow problems, its ability to deliver these games on time remains in question."

In its annual report filed Thursday and in an earnings release on Friday, the game maker reported that it is in default on some of its convertible notes and at least three of its licensing agreements are in dispute, in part because Acclaim`s partners claim it hasn`t been paying royalties on time. While Acclaim negotiated a $30 million line of credit in May, it is facing a cash crunch. At the end of fiscal year on March 31, the company had just $1.1 million in cash, compared to $41.2 million in short-term debt.

"The company cannot assure its stockholders that its future operating cash flows will be sufficient to meet its operating requirements and debt service requirements," Acclaim said in its earnings release. If the company doesn`t get an influx of cash and reduce expenses, it "would be materially and adversely affected and it could be forced to cease operations or seek bankruptcy protection."

Acclaim is only the latest video game software company whose future as an independent, ongoing entity remains in question. After delaying the release of one of its key titles, London-based Eidos said last month that it is exploring a possible sale of its business or assets. Meanwhile, Viacom (VIA.B:Nasdaq - news - research) CEO Sumner Redstone has been buying up the stock of Midway Games (MWY:NYSE - news - research), and has said that he is considering taking the company private.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

heftige reaktion ...


Last:
9.91 Change:
-1.00 Open:
10.96 High:
11.06 Low:
9.83 Volume:
2,802,000
Percent Change:
-9.17%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Insider watch: Ellison leads slow week
Trading activity cools off before Fourth of July weekend
By Dan Gallagher, CBS MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 4:21 PM ET July 6, 2004

Media mogul Sumner Redstone continued to add to his already controlling stake in Midway Games (MWY: news, chart, profile), a video-game maker, with the purchase of nearly $5.8 million worth of shares, potentially part of a strategy to take the company private. See related story.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Spider-Man 2 Catapults Ailing Game Industry

Longing for some good news, the video-game sector found a superhero this week.

Activision`s (ATVI:Nasdaq - news - research) new Spider-Man 2 game has all the makings of a big hit, according to numbers released by the company on Wednesday. The company has already shipped more than 2 million copies of the game in North America alone, an indication of strong initial demand for the title.

"This is another incremental positive for [Activision] ," said P.J. McNealy, who covers video-game makers as an analyst for American Technology Research. (McNealy doesn`t own Activision, and American Technology does not do investment banking.)

The news was a welcome change after several weeks of negative reports from the sector. On Tuesday, for instance, Harris Nesbitt analyst Edward Williams dropped coverage of Acclaim (AKLM:Nasdaq - news - research), saying that he believed the company would soon be forced to file for bankruptcy.

" [Acclaim] shares at this juncture are not worthy of serious investment consideration," Williams said in his note. "In our view, the company is struggling to remain a going concern."

Williams` note postdated Acclaim`s announcement on Friday of a much-worse-than-expected quarterly loss. Acclaim also said it was having trouble paying its creditors and partners. (Williams doesn`t own shares of Acclaim, and Harris Nesbitt doesn`t have any banking business with the company.)

But Acclaim hasn`t been the only video-game company facing trouble. Among the other struggling companies in the sector are:


U.K.-based Eidos (EIDSY:Nasdaq - news - research), which said last month that it was considering a possible sale. The company also delayed the release of one of its key titles, ShellShock: Nam `67.

Take-Two Interactive (TTWO:Nasdaq - news - research), which in early June missed earnings expectations and lowered guidance for its current quarter. The company`s attraction to investors depends almost entirely on the success of San Andreas, the latest iteration of Take-Two`s popular Grand Theft Auto franchise scheduled for release later this year.

Midway (MWY:Nasdaq - news - research), whose stock has dropped nearly 20% since June 25. Although the company`s shares are still up 162% for the year, many analysts consider the company to be overvalued, noting that Midway hasn`t posted a profitable quarter in more than 17 straight quarters. And several analysts have attributed the stock`s rise solely to market purchases made by Viacom CEO Sumner Redstone, who has raised his stake in the company to nearly 80% of its outstanding stock.
Many of the big-name video-game stocks are up for the year -- Eidos, Atari (ATAR:Nasdaq - news - research) and Acclaim are notable exceptions -- but nearly all are off the highs they set in March and April.

Though the video-game sector continues to grow, several analysts have projected further consolidation, particularly as companies prepare for the next generation of consoles. Analysts believe that Microsoft (MSFT:Nasdaq - news - research), Sony (SNE:Nasdaq - news - research) and Nintendo will each release a new version of their game machines by 2006.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
07/07/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 277,200 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $2,846,136.00

07/06/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 13,800 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $143,713.00

07/02/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 287,200 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $3,131,059.00

07/01/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 136,400 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,515,086.00

07/01/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 13,100 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $144,687.00

06/30/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 10,700 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $129,050.00

06/30/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 163,300 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,975,241.00

06/29/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 158,900 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,942,010.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

redstone sumner dürfte mittlerweile ca. 85% der ausstehenden shares gekauft haben... der kurs stürzte ab, weil sich shorties ans werk gemacht haben und gleichzeitig eine peer-group company "acclaim entertainment" konkurs angemeldet hat. nur die shorties müssen sich langsam eindecken, sonst wird es eng mit dem covern, wenn der alte redstone alles kauft

nach der due-diligence für den fall einer privaten übernahme von midway rechne ich mit 18-22$ per share

wäre ja eine nette marktkapitalisierung, um bei evtl. weiteren übernahmen in aktien zu zahlen

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Insider watch: Cashing in on offerings
By Dan Gallagher, CBS MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 5:31 PM ET July 12, 2004


This is an update to correct details about a secondary stock offering by Provide Communications. Arthur Laffer, a board member, was not one of the stockholders who sold shares.

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Recent initial and secondary public offerings allowed insiders to cash out to the tune of $145.7 million last week, although July continued to be a slow month for overall insider activity.


Company insiders sold a total of $456.7 million worth of stock between July 5 and July 9, a slight dip from the previous week`s total of $466.6 million, according to data compiled by Thomson Financial.

On the buy side, media mogul Sumner Redstone added another 1.9 million shares -- worth $20.7 million -- to his already deep stake in Midway Games (MWY: news, chart, profile). According to the Thomson data, the Viacom chief now owns nearly 80 percent of the video gamemaker`s outstanding shares, potentially part of a strategy to take the company private.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Kursziel 18-20 dollar! akquisitionswährung wird geschaffen!

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc

07/16/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 309,200 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $3,188,813.00

07/15/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 18,400 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $190,201.00

07/15/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 292,300 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $2,978,519.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Viacom besitzt über die amerikanische TV-Firma CBS, über Kabelfernsehsender wie MTV, Nickelodeon und VH1, das Filmstudio Paramount Pictures, die Rundfunkfirma Infinity Broadcasting, den Buchverlag Simon & Schuster und eine Werbetochter. Vor kurzen stieg der Konzern mit dem Zukauf des deutschen Musiksenders Viva in das deutsche Mediengeschäft ein.

Der 80-Jährige Viacom-Chef Sumner M. Redstone hob die kürzlich erfolgte Vereinbarung zur Viva-Übernahme als "strategisch wichtigen" Zukauf für die europäischen Märkte hervor. Der US-Medienkonzern sei an weiteren Käufen in Deutschland interessiert. Das Unternehmen wolle auf dem deutschen TV-Markt eine feste Größe werden.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last: 11.46
Change: +0.61
Open:
10.84
High:
11.52
Low:
10.84
Volume:
1,473,200
Percent Change:
+5.62%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

langsam dürfte der alte redstone 85 bis 90% der shares halten!

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com

Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
07/20/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 307,700 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $3,147,246.00

07/20/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 1,500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $15,325.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

gibt es morgen endlich den turnaround in die schwarzen zahlen? der hype kurz vor börsenschluss lässt gutes vermuten....

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Midway Games Inc. to Report 2004 Second Quarter Financial Results and Host Conference Call and Webcast on July 28th


THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2004 7:00 AM
- BusinessWire

CHICAGO, Jul 15, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Midway Games Inc. (MWY) announced today that it will release financial results for the three- and six-month periods ended June 30th after the close of the market on Wednesday, July 28th. Midway will host a conference call and simultaneous webcast that afternoon at 4:45 p.m. EDT. Both the call and webcast are open to the general public.

The conference call number is [phone]; please call five minutes in advance to ensure that you are connected prior to the presentation. Questions and answers will be reserved for call-in analysts and investors. Interested parties may also access the live call on the Internet at www.investor.midway.com or at www.fulldisclosure.com. Please log-on fifteen minutes in advance to ensure that you are connected prior to the call`s initiation. Following its completion, a replay of the call will be available for twelve months on the Internet via www.investor.midway.com.

Midway Games Inc. is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. Midway videogames are available for play on all major videogame platforms including the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft, and Nintendo GameCube(TM) and Game Boy(R) Advance.

SOURCE: Midway Games Inc.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

07/22/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 275,500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $2,894,614.00

07/22/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 45,600 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $481,670.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Price
11.610 $
Change +0.180%
Change +1.575

Fundamentals

Shares (Millions) 68.218
Market Cap (Millions) 792.014
Float (Millions) 5.626

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction

08/10/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 243,300 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $2,905,227.00

08/10/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 4,200 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $50,254.00

08/09/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 170,400 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,941,337.00

08/09/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 3,100 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $35,087.00

08/06/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 38,000 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $435,461.00

08/06/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 451,000 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $5,171,795.00

08/04/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 2,800 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $32,540.00

07/28/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 58,200 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $659,129.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Viacom`s Sudden Discovery: Midway Games

By Troy Wolverton
TheStreet.com Staff Reporter
8/20/2004 2:34 PM EDT
Click here for more stories by Troy Wolverton



Viacom (VIAB:NYSE - news - research) on Friday acknowledged what some have long speculated: that CEO Sumner Redstone`s investment in Midway Games (MWY:NYSE - news - research) could lead Viacom to acquire the video-game software company.

The media giant has "from time to time" considered getting into the video-game business, according to a filing by Redstone that updated his stake in Midway. Three unnamed independent members of Viacom`s board are now working with the company`s management to evaluate potential opportunities, according to the filing.

"In this regard, Midway could be considered as a potential licensee of Viacom intellectual property, or as an acquisition candidate," according to the filing.

Prior to Friday`s filing, Redstone had said that his investment in Midway was a "personal" matter, unrelated to Viacom.

The company assigned the three independent board members to the job "in order to prevent even the appearance of a conflict of interest," according to the filing.

Redstone personally owns nearly 56 million shares of Midway stock, or about 66.5% of the company`s outstanding shares. Additionally, National Amusements, a company that Redstone controls and is in turn the controlling shareholder of Viacom, owns another 6 million shares of Midway, or 7.2% of the company`s outstanding stock.

For much of the last two years, Redstone has been amassing shares of Midway. His investment has raised eyebrows on Wall Street, because of Midway`s poor financial track record and the price he has paid for the company`s stock.

The video-game company, which publishes Mortal Kombat, among other titles, has not had a profitable quarter since 1999, and until last fall, its stock was trading below $3 a share. In recent months, Midway`s stock surged, trading recently at $12.54 a share, up 221% in the year to date.

Many analysts and investors have attributed the stock`s rise to Redstone`s purchases. Instead of issuing a tender offer for Midway`s shares or buying them in large chunks, he`s made numerous smaller purchases on the open market. Since November, Redstone has purchased some 46 million shares of Midway, and National Amusements has bought another 2 million shares.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Viacom Panel to Look at Video-Game Arena
FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2004 3:04 PM
- AP Online



NEW YORK, Aug 20, 2004 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- Given that its chairman owns a large stake of a video-game company, media giant Viacom Inc. has appointed a three-person committee to evaluate dealings in the video-game arena and protect against potential conflicts of interest.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Friday, Viacom Chief Executive Sumner Redstone, who owns 73.7 percent of Midway Games Inc., said Viacom considers Chicago-based Midway a potential acquisition candidate.

However, Redstone said in a June filing that he was evaluating taking Midway private along with other alternatives. And in an article in The Wall Street Journal in June, Redstone said Midway wasn`t "the right fit" for New York-based Viacom.

Viacom`s board thought it best to develop a review process because there is the possibility that it might pursue a licensing of intellectual property or an outright acquisition of a video-game company, a spokesman said.

"To protect ourselves from any signs of impropriety and to show that everything is above board, we thought it best to take this out of Sumner`s hands," said Viacom spokesman Carl Folta.

Midway is best known for its "Mortal Kombat" franchise but also counts such sports titles as "NBA Ballers."

Copyright 2004 Associated Press, All rights reserved

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Aus der FTD vom 23.8.2004
Spielebranche entgeht der Konsumflaute
Von Arndt Ohler, Leipzig

Der Umsatz der Videospiel-Softwarebranche wird dieses Jahr in Deutschland erneut deutlich zulegen. Die Hoffnung ruhen vor allem auf dem Weihnachtsgeschäft.



"Für das Gesamtjahr werden wir bei der Wachstumsrate knapp unter dem zweistelligen Bereich landen", sagte Ronald Schäfer, Hauptgeschäftsführer vom Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD), der FTD. Für ein schwaches Weihnachtsgeschäft, wie es etwa der Elektronik-Händler Medion in seinen Prognosen erwartet, gibt es in der Branche anscheinend derzeit keine Anzeichen. Bereits in der traditionell schwächeren ersten Jahreshälfte lag das Plus mit einem Umsatz von knapp 480 Mio. Euro bei 7,5 Prozent. Inklusive Spielekonsolen setzte die gesamte Videospielbranche 2003 laut VUD knapp 5 Mrd. Euro um.



Eine junge Frau spielt auf einer Computermesse das Nintendo-Spiel ´Donkey Kong´


Obwohl in Deutschland der Markt speziell für PC-Spiele relativ groß ist, spielen deutsche Unternehmen europa- und weltweit kaum eine Rolle. Dabei zeigt sich im Vergleich mit den USA, dass es in Deutschland große Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten gibt. Dort hat sich die Branche zu einem etablierten Wirtschaftszweig mit hohen Milliardenumsätzen entwickelt. Das größte Geschäft machen derzeit im Softwarebereich Konzerne wie der Weltmarktführer Electronic Arts (EA) oder Konkurrent Activision. Bei den Konsolen teilen Sony (Playstation), Microsoft (X-Box) und Nintendo (Gameboy und Gamecube) den Markt unter sich auf.


"Deutschland war immer ein bisschen das Entwicklungs- nicht das Entwicklerland", sagt Holger Flöttmann, Geschäftsführer des führenden deutschen PC-Spielherstellers Ascaron Entertainment. "Die Industrie ist hier immer noch nicht voll etabliert", sagt Jens Uwe Intat, EA-Zentraleuropachef. Ascaron ist durch die Simulationen "Der Patrizier" und "Anstoss" bekannt. Nach der überstandenen Insolvenz im Jahr 2001 setzte das Unternehmen mit derzeit 70 Mitarbeitern 2003 laut Flöttmann 8 Mio. Euro um - ein Plus im Vergleich zu 2002 von rund 50 Prozent. Der Gewinn sei 2003 "gut sechsstellig" ausgefallen.


Vorreiter bei Handy-Spielen

Anders ist die Situation im Bereich der Handy-Spiele. In dem derzeit noch kleinen Markt gehört der deutsche Entwickler Elkware nach eigenen Angaben zu den drei größten Firmen in Europa. Ursache dafür ist der sehr weit entwickelte deutsche Mobilfunkmarkt. Setzte Elkware 2003 noch 2,5 Mio. Euro um, so sollen es dieses Jahr laut Geschäftsführer Jan Andresen zwischen 6 Mio. Euro und 8 Mio. Euro werden.


Um vor allem im Bereich der Spiele für Konsolen zur Konkurrenz aus Japan oder den USA etwas aufzuschließen, planen einige Videospielunternehmen eine Allianz. "Wir versuchen über unsere Unternehmensgrenzen hinaus ein Netzwerk zu schaffen", sagt Flöttmann. Derzeit arbeite man gemeinsam an einem Geschäftsplan, der in den kommenden Wochen fertig gestellt werden soll. Bei einem losen Verbund soll es aber nicht bleiben, geplant ist die Gründung einer Aktiengesellschaft. Diese soll laut Flöttmann sowohl PC- als auch Konsolenspiele entwickeln.


Notwendig wird die Kooperation, da die Entwicklung von Programmen für Sonys Playstation 2 oder die X-Box von Microsoft um einiges höhere Investitionen erfordert als die Programmierung von PC-Spielen. Hinzu kommt, dass die Spielkonzepte vor der Entwicklung von den Konsolenherstellern genehmigt und hinterher abgenommen werden. Die Qualitätsanforderungen sind dabei sehr hoch. Ein relativ kleines Unternehmen wie Ascaron allein könnte daher bei der Entwicklung personell sowie finanziell schnell an seine Grenzen stoßen.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction

08/18/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 98,500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,200,772.00

08/17/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 196,300 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $2,380,314.00

08/10/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 243,300 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $2,905,227.00

[ghostofnavigator]

sehe die aktie auch bei 20 usd bald
viacom schafft hier echt fantasie
hab mir welche reingelegt ins depot

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

25.08.2004 - 18:45 Uhr
Viacom: Sind nicht an Electronic Arts interessiert

NEW YORK (Dow Jones-VWD)--Die Viacom Inc, New York, hat kein Interesse an einer Übernahme der Electronic Arts Inc. Man führe auch keine Gespräche mit Electronic Arts oder einem anderen Hersteller von Videospielen, teilte das Unternehmen am Mittwoch mit. Die "New York Post" hatte in ihrer Ausgabe vom selben Tag berichtet, Viacom erwäge die Übernahme des größten Herstellers von Videospielen. Ein Viacom-Sprecher erinnerte daran, dass Chairman Sumner Redstone kürzlich gesagt hatte, Viacom betrachte Electronic Arts, deren Marktwert auf 15 Mrd USD geschätzt wird, als zu teuer.

In der vergangenen Woche hatte Viacom mitgeteilt, sie erwäge eine Übernahme im Geschäftsfeld Videospiele. Ein mögliches Ziel sei Midway Games. An dieser hält indessen Redstone eine Mehrheitsbeteiligung.
Dow Jones Newswires/25.8.2004/cn/nas

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

... und so könnte die spekulation aufgehen, ähnlich wie bei VIVA... aufsichtsrat redstone besitzt laut presse bereits 73,7% an midway. durch einen möglichen beherrschungsvertrag mit redstone, falls er demnächst über 75% an mwy hält, könnte VIACOM ähnlich VIVA eine übernahmeofferte aussprechen.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

VIACOM: Kauf von 75,83 Prozent der Aktien an VIVA Media AG vollzogen


Der Aktienkaufvertrag zwischen Viacom und 14 Aktionären der VIVA Media AG, die insgesamt 75,83 Prozent des Unternehmens halten, ist heute vollzogen worden. Zuvor hatten das Bundeskartellamt und die Kommission zur Ermittlung der Konzentration im Medienbereich (KEK) die erforderlichen Zustimmungen erteilt.

Damit sind alle aufschiebenden Bedingungen des öffentlichen Angebotes der Viacom Germany LLC zur Übernahme aller ausstehenden Aktien an die Aktionäre der VIVA Media AG vom 23. August erfüllt bzw. gelten als erfüllt. Es handelt sich nun um ein unbedingtes Angebot.

Viacom hat wie am 24. Juni 2004 angekündigt unter anderem die von den bisher größten Aktionären der VIVA Media AG gehaltenen Aktien, Time Warner (30,6 Prozent) und Universal Music (15,3 Prozent), übernommen und ist neuer Mehrheitsaktionär der VIVA Media AG.

Ebenfalls am heutigen Tag vollzogen wurde eine separate Vereinbarung, mit der Viacom die Time-Warner-Beteiligung an VIVA PLUS, einem Joint-Venture der VIVA Fernsehen GmbH (51 Prozent) und Time Warner (49 Prozent), erwirbt.


Quelle: ots

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

24.08.2004 - 11:13 Uhr, MTV Networks Central Europe [Pressemappe]
Berlin (ots) -

- Genehmigung durch BaFin erteilt
- Management der VIVA Media AG unterstützt das Angebot


Die Aktionäre der VIVA Media AG können vom heutigen Tag an das
Angebot der Viacom Holdings Germany LLC zum Erwerb aller ausstehenden
VIVA-Aktien annehmen. Die Viacom Holdings Germany LLC ist eine
100-prozentige Tochter der Viacom International Inc. Nach der
Genehmigung durch die Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht
(BaFin) ist das Angebot heute veröffentlicht worden.

Wie am 24. Juni bekannt gegeben, bietet Viacom Holdings Germany
LLC den Erwerb aller ausstehenden nennwertlosen Namensaktien der VIVA
Media AG zum Preis von 12,65 Euro je Aktie an. Dieses Angebot
bedeutet einen Aufschlag für die VIVA Media AG-Aktionäre von 16,1
Prozent bezogen auf den gewichteten durchschnittlichen inländischen
Börsenkurs der letzten 3 Monate vor der Veröffentlichung der
Entscheidung zur Abgabe dieses Angebots am 24. Juni und 49,6 Prozent
bezogen auf den Kurs der letzten 12 Monate vor Veröffentlichung der
Entscheidung, dieses Angebot abzugeben. Die Aktionäre der VIVA Media
AG können das Angebot bis zum 21. September 2004 (24.00 Uhr Ortszeit
Frankfurt am Main, 18.00 Uhr New Yorker Zeit) annehmen.

Das Management von VIVA unterstützt das Angebot zum Erwerb der
ausstehenden Aktien vorbehaltlich seiner Treuepflichten. Dies hat es
in einer gemeinsamen Erklärung dargelegt.

Das Angebot der Viacom Holdings Germany LLC unterliegt den
folgenden Bedingungen:

- Dem Eintritt der aufschiebenden Bedingungen aus dem
Aktienkaufvertrag mit vierzehn Aktionären vom 22./23. Juni 2004
über den Erwerb von insgesamt 18.512.605 VIVA Media AG-Aktien,
die gerundet 75,83 Prozent des eingetragenen Grundkapitals der
VIVA Media AG ausmachen, durch die Bieterin bis zum Ablauf der
Annahmefrist,

- kein Eintritt bzw. Bekanntwerden sich wesentlich negativ auf die
VIVA Media AG auswirkender Tatsachen und/oder Informationen und
Nichtvornahme wesentlicher Geschäftsmaßnahmen durch den Vorstand

der VIVA Media AG im Sinne der detaillierteren Ausführungen im
Abschnitt 7.3 "Angebotsbedingungen" des öffentlichen
Übernahmeangebotes.

Die Bieterin geht davon aus, dass die Bedingungen in den nächsten
Tagen erfüllt werden und das Angebot sodann unbedingt ist.

Die Bieterin veröffentlicht die Angebotsunterlage im Internet
unter http://www.mtv-viva.com. Kopien der Angebotsunterlage werden
kostenfrei durch die Deutsche Bank AG (Anforderungen an Fax
[phone]) abgegeben. Exemplare der Angebotsunterlage können
zudem aus Deutschland kostenfrei bei der Informationshotline (Tel.:
[phone]) sowie aus den USA unter der der
Informationshotline 00800 101 47990 angefordert werden, die von der
Bieterin für das Angebot eingerichtet wurden. Ein entsprechender
Hinweis wird in den Tageszeitungen Börsen-Zeitung und The New York
Times veröffentlicht.

Das Angebot wird ausschließlich nach deutschem Recht durchgeführt.
Außerdem richtet sich das Angebot an alle Inhaber von Aktien an der
VIVA Media AG in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika in
Übereinstimmung mit den anwendbaren Vorschriften der Securities and
Exchange Commission unter dem U.S. Securities Exchange Act von 1934
in der zur Zeit gültigen Fassung.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction

08/23/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 77,000 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $963,935.00

08/20/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 31,500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $398,306.00

08/19/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 42,200 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $522,332.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Midway Games Inc (NYSE)

MWY
11.90
+0.36
+3.12% Vol:491,200 4:00pm 08/27/04

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

potenzial: 18-25$

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last: 12.07
Change: +0.09
Percent Change: +0.75%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction

08/25/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 4,600 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $53,699.00

08/24/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 94,800 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,130,156.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction

08/27/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 129,500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,532,691.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Insidertransactions!!

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Midway Run-Up Triggers Windfall for Former Chairman

By Troy Wolverton
TheStreet.com Staff Reporter
9/1/2004 1:31 PM EDT

Updated from 12:44 p.m. EDT



Midway Games` (MWY:NYSE - news - research) stock jump in recent months meant a windfall for its former chairman last week.

The video-game company awarded Neil Nicastro nearly 600,000 shares of its stock -- a more than $7 million payout -- on Friday after the company`s stock price triggered a provision in Nicastro`s severance agreement, according to a regulatory filing Midway made on Tuesday. Without the condition, the company could have settled up with Nicastro for less than $2 million in cash.

The payout is part of an agreement the company reached last year after Nicastro relinquished his titles as the company`s chief executive and chief operating officer. The company paid him $4 million in severance at the time, and Nicastro agreed to defer $1.96 million in cash.

As part of the agreement, Nicastro could convert that deferred amount into shares of Midway stock at any time before May 2006. The conversion price for the shares was about $3.28 a share.

But Midway`s stock has surged since then, topping $12 a share in recent sessions. Nicastro`s agreement required Midway to convert his deferred severance pay into shares if the company`s stock traded above $10 a share for 30 consecutive trading days. Midway`s shares reached that milestone on Aug. 25, according to the company.

Nicastro didn`t end up retaining all of the 599,259 shares that Midway paid him. Instead, he used 176,482 of them, or nearly 30% of the total, to pay the taxes on the payout, according to the company. Midway issued the shares out of its treasury.

In 2002, Nicastro`s last full year as Midway`s chairman and CEO, the company paid him $602,000 in salary, more than $185,000 in other compensation and 485,806 stock options.

Many observers have largely attributed the stock`s rise to repeated market purchases of Midway stock over the last year by Viacom (VIA:NYSE - news - research) Chairman Sumner Redstone. Redstone directly and indirectly owns some 62.5 million shares of Midway, or about 74% of its outstanding stock.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

mal sehen was bei 75% + x passiert!

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

käufe gehen munter weiter!!!


Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com

Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
09/07/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 27,600 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $329,151.00

09/03/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 31,100 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $371,970.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com

Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
09/08/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 40,400 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $477,507.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction

09/14/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 102,900 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,170,962.00

09/14/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 3,100 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $34,956.00

09/13/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 11,300 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $130,858.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

THQ Could Get `Nick`ed by Viacom

By Troy Wolverton
TheStreet.com Staff Reporter
9/27/2004 7:08 AM EDT
Click here for more stories by Troy Wolverton





THQ (THQI:Nasdaq - news - research) has made a lot of money developing video games based on popular Nickelodeon shows such as SpongeBob SquarePants. Now the company -- and its investors -- may be hoping that business doesn`t slip away.

THQ`s license expires at the end of next year, but Nickelodeon parent Viacom (VIA.B:NYSE - news - research) is already talking to THQ and other companies about a new deal. Analysts believe Viacom will ink a deal soon to give its partner enough time to produce games for 2006 and beyond.

Although THQ officials have said they`re confident the company will retain the Nickelodeon deal, analysts and investors aren`t so sure. One of THQ`s potential rivals is Midway Games (MWY:NYSE - news - research), which is majority-owned by Viacom CEO Sumner Redstone.

"Although we think it is logical for Viacom to renew its license with THQ, we are far from certain that logic will prevail," said Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, in a research note issued last week. "We think the outcome is too close to call."

(Wedbush Morgan does not have investment banking business with THQ or Midway, and Pachter does not own shares in the companies he covers.)

The problem is that the Nickelodeon license represents a sizable chunk of THQ`s revenue. In its latest fiscal year, the company derived 16% of its sales -- about $102.5 million -- from the Nickelodeon titles. With a game based on the upcoming SpongeBob movie slated for this fall, the company`s Nickelodeon revenue could go higher this year.

That dependence has some worried about how THQ`s stock would react if Viacom chooses a different partner. One portfolio manager warned that THQ`s stock could lose as much as $4 a share -- or more than 20% of its current value -- if Viacom doesn`t renew the deal.

Losing the contract "is not [factored] in the stock. People are assuming that it`s not going away," said the portfolio manager, who asked not to be named.

Go to NEXT PAGE

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

es wird platz für neue vielleicht für viacomleute?

6:18pm 09/29/04
Midway Games: Louis Nicastro resigns from board (MWY) By David B. Wilkerson
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Video game developer Midway Games Inc. (MWY) late Wednesday said Louis Nicastro has resigned from its board of directors. Nicastro`s exit leaves the board with seven independent directors. The company said it continues to review opportunities to expand the size of its board.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

redstone hat jetzt 75%... die party ist eröffnet!



Midway Games Still All Shook Up

By Troy Wolverton
TheStreet.com Staff Reporter
9/30/2004 4:13 PM EDT
Click here for more stories by Troy Wolverton



The shake-up at the top levels of Midway Games (MWY:NYSE - news - research) continues.

On Wednesday, the struggling video-game software publisher announced the resignation of founding director and former CEO Louis Nicastro. The company did not immediately name a replacement for Nicastro, whose departure was effective on Monday. Nor did Midway give a reason for Nicastro`s leave-taking.

"I want to thank Lou for his many years of service and invaluable role in establishing Midway as a leading brand in the interactive entertainment industry," Midway Chairman Kenneth Cron said in a statement.

Despite surging sales in the video-game industry as a whole, Midway has not posted a profitable quarter since 1999. The company has projected a return to the black by year-end.

Over the last two years, Viacom (VIA.B:NYSE - news - research) Chairman Sumner Redstone has gradually enlarged his personal stake in Midway to now boast an ownership -- directly and indirectly -- of about 75% of the company`s outstanding stock. In recent months, Redstone has begun to exert his influence over the company.

In June, shareholders elected two Redstone-backed nominees to Midway`s board. Among the nominees was Redstone`s daughter, Shari Redstone. The other nominee, Cron, replaced Nicastro`s son Neil as Midway`s chairman.

At this year`s annual meeting, Midway declined to renominate -- and shareholders did not re-elect -- six board members, including Neil Nicastro. With Louis Nicastro`s departure, seven directors now remain, just three of whom served on the company`s board before last year. Midway said it is exploring the idea of adding new board members, but it didn`t provide a timeline on that effort.

Despite Redstone`s giant stake in the company -- which would ostensibly compromise the independence of Shari Redstone and possibly others on the board -- Midway said that it considers all the remaining directors to be "independent" under New York Stock Exchange listing standards.

The independence of Midway`s directors and those of Viacom have come under scrutiny because of Redstone`s large holdings in both companies. Investors and analysts have speculated that Viacom may eventually acquire Midway from Redstone, and have wondered how the two boards would ensure that such a move was in the best interests of other shareholders of those companies.

Viacom has said that it has set up a committee of independent directors to review any possible deal with Midway in order to address conflict-of-interest concerns.

On the day of his departure, Louis Nicastro sold 200,610 shares of Midway stock at $9.19 a share -- a windfall of about $1.8 million, according to an insider-trading report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday. According to the report, Nicastro still holds some 60,000 stock options

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Will THQ Be Nicked?

By Steven Mallas
October 4, 2004

SpongeBob SquarePants, please don`t leave!

That`s probably somewhat representative of what THQ (Nasdaq: THQI) is thinking these days. According to a report from Dow Jones, it is possible that Viacom`s (NYSE: VIA) Nickelodeon division may not grant the video game license for its stable of crazy characters to THQ this time around. Nothing`s set in stone, of course, but for THQ shareholders, uncertainty is hanging in the air. The current contract with THQ expires at the end of the year.

Nickelodeon`s characters are a valuable bunch. In fact, the aforementioned anthropomorphic sponge has been very good to THQ. Ol` Bob has brought his salty sea magic to the likes of Sony`s (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation 2, Microsoft`s (Nasdaq: MSFT) Xbox, and Nintendo`s Gamecube and Gameboy systems. The company says that the title it developed based on the show has sold more than 1.25 million units and is now headed for greatest-hit status, which means that a player can have Bob for a lot lower price -- and that means a higher volume of sales this Christmas season.

You can see what I mean. Whether it be Jimmy Neutron or Fairly OddParents, this license is valuable, as it means a reasonably steady stream of sales for whichever company eventually lands the rights. What complicates the process now is Sumner Redstone`s recent action with Midway Games (NYSE: MWY). Speculation that Midway will eventually be the new home for Bob and his buddies cannot be discounted; unfortunately for THQ, it seems to make the most sense.

I think retention of the license is a paramount goal for the company at this point, but the publisher won`t be seeing the business version of the Reaper anytime soon if it does lose the negotiations. It holds other valuable licenses, such as the one devoted to World Wrestling Entertainment titles. Still, the Nick license offers a nice advantage over powerhouses Activision (Nasdaq: ATVI) and Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS).

[Indie.Jana]

!

Dieser Beitrag wurde vom System automatisch gesperrt. Bei Fragen wenden Sie sich bitte an [e-mail]

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
10/22/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 19,200 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $181,584.00

10/21/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 7,700 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $72,763.00

10/20/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 6,100 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $57,848.00

10/18/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 4,500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $42,970.00

10/15/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 45,300 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $427,449.00

10/14/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 9,000 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $83,960.00

10/06/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $5,100.00

10/05/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 5,000 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $51,223.00

10/01/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 7,800 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $78,508.00

09/28/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 51,500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $522,828.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
11/02/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 16,900 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $162,844.00

11/01/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 2,500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $24,260.00

10/29/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 57,800 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $549,998.00

10/26/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 15,800 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $148,269.00

10/25/2004 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 1,500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $14,045.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

MWY Midway Games Inc (NYSE) 11/5/2004
hide quote detailed quote options chain

Last:
10.35 Change:
+0.43
Volume:
671,500
Percent +4.33%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

NOVEMBER 15, 2004 • Editions: N. America | Europe | Asia |

INSIDE WALL STREET

Set To Move On Midway?


INSIDE WALL STREET
By Gene G. Marcial

Set To Move On Midway?

For most people, food tops their shopping list. For billionaire Sumner Redstone, it`s a stock: Midway Games (MWY ). "I buy shares of Midway almost every day," says the Chairman and CEO of entertainment giant Viacom (VIA ). As of Nov. 1, Redstone himself owned 63.3 million shares. That`s 75% of the maker of software for video games, played on platforms like PlayStation (R)2, Xbox, and Game Boy. Mortal Kombat is its No. 1 game. Redstone has paid as much as 13 for the stock. Now at 9.78, Midway was featured in this column on July 29, 2003, when it was at 4.52. Advertisement

The $25 billion game business is "the fastest-growing in entertainment," notes Redstone, and it "will compete with TV -- for audiences and ads." So the networks "need to be in it," he argues. The talk is that he`ll take Midway private -- or that Viacom or another company will acquire it. In August, Viacom formed a committee of independent directors to evaluate all possible deals with Midway. Although the Street is down on the stock, one insider sees it hitting 20 in two to three years -- just on fundamentals. Redstone says analysts still view Midway as the old company -- before ex-Disney (DIS ) and ex-ESPN exec David Zucker took over as CEO in mid-2003. He credits Zucker for turning around Midway -- after five years in the red. Zucker says Midway, rated No. 1 in quality by industry reviews, will post a profit in the fourth quarter. He won`t comment on 2005. He has inked deals with studios to make movies out of its games, possibly including a new Mortal Kombat sequel. Edward Williams of securities firm Harris Nesbitt -- neutral on the stock -- says Midway "doesn`t trade on conventional valuation metrics." It "simply trades on what Redstone is willing to pay."

Note: Unless otherwise noted, neither the sources cited in Inside Wall Street nor their firms hold positions in the stocks under discussion. Similarly, they have no investment banking or other financial relationships with them.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

MWY Midway Games Inc (NYSE) 11/9/2004 3:35 PM
hide quote detailed quote options chain
add to favorites list favorites
chart help


Last:
11.50 Change:
+1.00 Open:
10.84 High:
11.56 Low:
10.61 Volume:
1,644,700
Percent Change:
+9.52%

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Midway Games (MWY: news, chart, profile) shares added more than 7 percent after the company reported a third-quarter loss of $16.1 million , or 20 cents per share, narrower than the year-ago loss of $24.1 million or 52 cents a share. Revenue for the third quarter was $16.9 million. Analysts expected a loss of 24 cents a share on revenue of $14 million.

[ghostofnavigator]

ist doch ne pleite midway- dr. motte
schön eingebrochen
scheiss zahlen
also da gibt es besseres- wie eine gewissen online dating firma

[ghostofnavigator]

ist dir aufgefallen dass du hier im board nicht pushen kannst- nur du schreibst threads
wozu machst du das?
ist dir fad

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Short Interest
3,473,749.000

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

sag mal ghost, ist dir eigentlich aufgefallen, dass ein pushen weder möglich noch gewollt ist? trxxxel

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

OUR TAKE

Hello Halo 2

By Steven Mallas
November 10, 2004

To say that Halo 2 represents a sort of second coming would be nothing less than a massive understatement. The game has taken on a kind of ecclesiastical aura in the minds of hard-core players, with this latest battle for Earth becoming a nascent mythology right up there with the tales of old gods in many ways.

The sequel to the mega sales force of Halo was released yesterday for Microsoft`s (Nasdaq: MSFT) Xbox system. Bill Gates was probably sitting in one of the secret lairs of his ultrahuge mansion like a comic-book hero (or villain, depending on your point of view), surrounded by all kinds of advanced technologies that have yet to reach the masses (Bruce Wayne must have had copies of Windows upgrades long before the rest of Gotham, I always assumed), eagerly plotting the revenue curve for the product. After all, users of Sony`s (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation 2 can`t get this game. Neither can players on the Nintendo platforms. If console gaming is your thing and you want Halo 2, then say hello to Xbox. It`s what killer apps are all about.

I anticipate that a lot of Xbox inventories will move because of the title, which essentially is to video gaming what the Beatles were to music in the 1960s. Who else will benefit because of the increased user base? How about publishers such as Activision (Nasdaq: ATVI), Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS), and THQ (Nasdaq: THQI)? As we all know, when new systems are in new hands, those hands tend to reach for their wallets to start up a library of software, just as DVD players spurn fresh movie sales.

I was watching a special about Halo 2 on Viacom`s (NYSE: VIA) MTV the other day, and I remarked to myself what a perfect marketing scheme such a show is -- which led to another thought. I can definitely see why Sumner Redstone is so interested in Midway Games (NYSE: MWY); the MTV networks are a wholly practical synergistic fit in terms of reaching that perfect gaming demographic. Makes sense to me. And I can imagine that copies of Halo 2 will be flying off the shelves for some time to come as that demographic continues to feed off the cool factor that Mr. Redstone`s channel has pushed into the young minds. Microsoft will be hoping that something mentioned in the special is decisively implanted in every potential buyer`s cranium -- that Xbox Live is an inarguable companion piece to this incredible game. Online gaming is a sector that all publishers want to exploit to full potential.

I can`t wait to hear the final accounting of the first-day gross revenue figures; some reports have speculated that it might be as high as $50 million. Microsoft shouldn`t be traded based on this one event, since the company`s maturing growth won`t be turned by it, but it should drive the Xbox brand for the next several months if the company can leverage the phenomenon in a maximal fashion.

Activision and Electronic Arts are both recommendations in Motley Fool Stock Advisor, a newsletter that can help you win the game of stock selection. Not only is it easy to understand, it`s fun too. Subscribe today for six months risk-free to see what I mean.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Press Release Source: Midway Games Inc.


Midway Strengthens Internal Product Development with the Addition of Three Industry Leaders
Monday November 15, 8:30 am ET

- Scot Bayless Appointed to Head Chicago Studio - - Denise Fulton Selected to Head New Austin Studio - - Emmy-award Nominee Stephan Martiniere Named Visual Design Director -


CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 15, 2004-- Midway Games Inc. (NYSE:MWY - News), a leading interactive entertainment software publisher and developer, announced today the appointment of three industry leaders who add significant depth to Midway`s internal product development capabilities and are expected to be instrumental in next generation game development. Scot Bayless, former Electronic Arts and Microsoft veteran, will head Midway`s Chicago studio. Denise Fulton, former Eidos and Electronic Arts veteran, will head the new Midway Studios-Austin. Stephan Martiniere, an award-winning artist and visual designer brings his talents to the position of visual design director at the Chicago studio.
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David F. Zucker, Midway`s president and chief executive officer, commented on the appointments, "We have made great strides in attracting proven winners to the Midway team over the last year-and-a-half as industry leaders recognize the Company`s successes. We`re highly confident that Scot, Denise and Stephan`s proven creative and management talents will be valuable complements to our internal product development capabilities and important assets as we create even more engaging, best-in-class games for the current and next generation of consoles. All three bring extensive experience and accomplishments from the videogame industry to Midway as well as achievements and recognized performance in other entertainment and software disciplines. As entertainment mediums converge, we expect these broader skills and experience will be invaluable to Midway`s product development capabilities."

Scot Bayless, vice president, Chicago studio, joins Midway from Electronic Arts, where he produced the most recent games in the highly popular James Bond 007 franchise and brings an extraordinary range of talents to his new role at Midway. Prior to his work with Electronic Arts, Mr. Bayless served as a studio manager at Microsoft, revitalizing the company`s Simulator franchise with reconceptions of Flight Simulator and Combat Flight Simulator and the addition of the successful new title, Train Simulator. In addition to his videogame software expertise, he has managed PC and console technologies, military engineer technology and feature film extensions.

Denise Fulton, Studio Head, Midway Studios-Austin, was most recently at Ion Storm where she served as the company`s executive producer, managing the production teams on Deus Ex: Invisible War and Thief: Deadly Shadows. Ms. Fulton began her career in the videogame industry at Microsoft as a graphic designer, and then moved into a management role, supervising internal and external teams in the production of several children`s software titles. She then moved to DreamWorks Interactive, where she built a PC production group and was responsible for the hiring and training of a team of managers, artists, programmers and designers. Following her term at DreamWorks, Ms. Fulton joined Electronic Arts Canada, where she spent four years as a producer and senior development director.

Stephan Martiniere, visual design director at Midway`s Chicago studio, comes to Midway from Cyan, Inc. where he was the visual art director for the hit videogame, Myst. Mr. Martiniere has over 20 years of acclaimed industry experience and worldwide recognition for his talent and artistic successes across many artistic mediums. In addition to his visual contribution to Myst, Mr. Martiniere has garnered awards and critical acclaim for his work in feature films such as Star Wars Episodes II and III, The Fifth Element, and most recently I, Robot, as well as for his work in animated television and book cover illustration. He has received an Emmy Award nomination for his art animation and his success in book illustrations garnered him Spectrum Awards in 1997 and 2004. Additionally, Mr. Martiniere won the 2001 Thea Award for his work on the Paramount theme park attraction, Super Saturator and in May, 2004, Infinitee Designs awarded Mr. Martiniere the Artist of the Month award for Para.

All three new appointments will begin their assignments in Midway`s internal product development organization this month.

About Midway Games Inc.

Midway Games Inc. is a leading developer, publisher and marketer of interactive entertainment software. Midway videogames are available for play on all major videogame platforms including the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube(TM) and Game Boy® Advance.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Midway Games (MWY:NYSE - news - research) has taken another step toward bringing its outside game developers in-house, purchasing Paradox Development in an all-stock deal.



Midway issued 333,334 shares -- worth about $3.38 million at the time of the acquisition --to acquire Paradox, which is developing the upcoming Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks title for Midway. The video-game software publisher completed the purchase on Nov. 19.

Additionally, Midway divvied up another 261,906 shares -- worth about $2.66 million at the time of the acquisition -- in restricted stock to 15 Paradox employees as retention bonuses.

Paradox is the third game developer that Midway has acquired this year. In October, Midway bought Inevitable Entertainment. And in April, the company acquired Surreal Software.

The video-game sector has seen increasing consolidation in recent months as publishers gear up for the next generation of game consoles, which are expected to start showing up on store shelves late next year.

Shaolin Monks is the first Mortal Kombat title to be developed outside of Midway, according to company spokesman Reilly Brennan. While other titles in the series have been basically pure fighting games, the latest title is in the action-adventure genre, and represents an attempt by Midway to broaden the audience for Mortal Kombat, Brennan said.

Paradox has previously developed games for Activision (ATVI:Nasdaq - news - research) and Electronic Arts (ERTS:Nasdaq - news - research), but following the merger, the studio will develop solely for Midway, Brennan said.

In recent trading, Midway`s stock was off 6 cents, or 0.6%, to $10.72.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Redstone Likes to Play (Video) Games
Monday December 20, 2:14 pm ET
By Lawrence Meyers


I dunno, but something strikes me as odd when I see that one person owns 74% of the shares of a company -- especially since that stake has been slowly accumulating over time. I`m referring to the fact that Viacom (NYSE: VIA - News) Chairman Sumner Redstone owns most of struggling Midway Games (NYSE: MWY - News). I wouldn`t call it a hostile takeover so much as a stalking takeover, with Redstone creeping through the markets like a thief in the night, buying what shares he can find and stuffing them in his jacket. This has been going on for almost four years.
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On top of that, Redstone`s holding company, National Amusements, holds more than 7% of Midway stock and is also a controlling shareholder of Viacom!

There is no doubting that Mr. Redstone, a former codebreaker, is one heck of a businessman, and this latest move should not dissuade anybody from that perception. Some people have speculated that he would either take the company private, or have his very own Viacom buy Midway out from under him. That sounds like it could be a sweet deal for his bank account. A committee of independent directors has been set up to make certain there is no appearance of impropriety, but these kinds of arrangements are not uncommon in business. Ashford Hospitality Trust (NYSE: AHT - News), a hotel and financing REIT, has a CEO who also owns a privately held company that manages Ashford`s properties in exchange for fees. There`s nothing wrong with this approach. It`s just crafty business, and one that can benefit shareholders because it gives both companies incentives to keep each other healthy.

Midway Games would also be an outstanding purchase for Viacom. The entertainment behemoth would stand to profit handsomely by adding a games division to promote and integrate its plethora of movie, TV, and music properties.

It behooves investors to keep track of insider purchases and note increasing holdings by one person or entity. Sometimes it may foreshadow a coming buyout, which, for those investors not angry at having their investment snatched out from under them, is generally a sweet deal.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Aus der FTD vom 30.12.2004
Neue Wege für Reklame in Videospielen
Von Arndt Ohler, Hamburg

Für die Videospieleindustrie erschließt sich eine neue Einnahmequelle. Unternehmen wie Massive Incorporated oder Ingame Partners ermöglichen seit kurzem, Werbung in Spielen zu wechseln, die online genutzt werden.


Vorstellbar ist, dass bei Fußballspielen die Bandenwerbung künftig so häufig rotiert wie in echten Stadien, oder bei Autorennen in virtuellen Städteschluchten auf Videowänden aktuelle Filmtrailer laufen. Derzeit nutzt das Unternehmen Real Networks die neue Technik, um in der Wirtschaftssimulation "Mall Tycoon" für seinen Internet-Musikdienst Rhapsody zu werben.

Marktforscher von Nielsen Interactive Entertainment prognostizieren ein rasantes Wachstum. Die mit den Spielen erzielten Werbeumsätze sollen sich allein in Nordamerika von derzeit 25 Mio. $ innerhalb der kommenden sieben Jahre auf 1 Mrd. $ vervielfachen. Ähnlich wie bei der Online-Werbung werden die Banner oder Werbewände in Titeln, die online gespielt werden, über das Internet bestückt.



Wachstumsstarke Branche


Die Videospieleindustrie gehört zu den wachstumsstärksten Branchen der Unterhaltungsindustrie. Setzte die gesamte Branche nach Angaben von DFC Intelligence im vergangenen Jahr schon rund 23,2 Mrd. $ um, sollen es 2009 rund 31,6 Mrd. $ sein. Hinzu kommt, dass Sportartikel-, Auto- oder Konsumgüterkonzerne dringend auf der Suche nach neuen Wegen sind, um die Reichweitenverluste bei TV-Werbung aufzufangen. "Die 14- bis 30-Jährigen spielen in den USA länger Videospiele als sie fernsehen", sagt Jens Uwe Intat, Zentraleuropachef bei dem weltweit führenden US-Videospieleunternehmen Electronic Arts.


Bislang gab es für die Werbetreibenden lediglich die Möglichkeit, ihre Produkte fest in das Spiel einbinden zu lassen - das so genannte Product Placement. So fuhr der Porsche-Geländewagen Cayenne bereits digital in "Need for Speed" Rennen, bevor er überhaupt zu kaufen war. Intat: "Product Placements werden stark wachsen. Gerade mit steigender grafischer Qualität der Spiele."



Zusätzliche Einkommensquellen


Die Videospielehersteller sind ebenfalls an zusätzlichen Einkommensquellen interessiert. Denn die Spieleentwicklung nähert sich dem Dilemma, in dem auch die Hollywood-Filmindustrie steckt. Um ein erfolgreiches Spiel wie "Halo 2"oder "Grand Theft Auto San Andreas" zu programmieren, müssen die Unternehmen Millionen von Dollar in die Entwicklung stecken. Weitere Ausgaben sind nötig, um das Spiel weltweit zu vermarkten. Konsequenz ist, dass die Entwickler sich stärker auf erfolgreiche Serien anstatt auf Neuentwicklungen konzentrieren.


Durch die Einführung der Nachfolger von Konsolen wie Sonys Playstation 2 und Microsofts X-Box im nächsten oder übernächsten Jahr wird dieses Problem verschärft. Die neuen Geräte sollen viel detailreichere Grafiken liefern können. Um dies auszureizen, steigt der Programmieraufwand jedoch erheblich.


Schwung für die Videospielewerbung erhoffen sich Massive und Ingame Partners von Nielsen. Das Unternehmen testet derzeit ein System, um die Reichweite der Werbung in Spielen zu messen. 2005 will Nielsen die gewonnenen Daten vermarkten. "Das wird die Dollars aus der Werbung und von den Agenturen umlenken", sagt Ingame-Manager Darren Herman. Damit könne man auch große Konzerne überzeugen, mehr in Spielen zu werben. Ingame sucht derzeit auch in Deutschland Kunden.



© 2004 Financial Times Deutschland

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

die insiderkäufe von sumner redstone gehen weiter!


Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
01/28/2005 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 88,800 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $830,625.00

01/26/2005 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 1,600 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $14,104.00

01/26/2005 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 84,700 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $741,837.00

01/25/2005 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 1,000 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $8,796.00

01/25/2005 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 87,800 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $773,002.00

01/19/2005 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 16,800 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $151,246.00

01/18/2005 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 15,500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $139,820.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Midway Turns to `Toons
By Steven Mallas
February 18, 2005

Midway Games (NYSE: MWY) issued a couple of press releases the other day touting a deal it signed for a license to make games based on animated properties featured on Time Warner`s (NYSE: TWX) Cartoon Network. One release talks about the deal made for shows such as Dexter`s Laboratory and The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy, while the other release gives details about games to be made from the company`s Adult Swim brand of shows, such as Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Sealab 2021. The agreement covers the major platforms -- console, handheld, and the PC market.

This is a pretty good license opportunity, for two important reasons. First, I believe that the shows create a useful collection of source material that will lead to some interesting games. Second, I like how the two releases define two sets of target audiences; indeed, fare such as Dexter`s Laboratory will most certainly hit the very young gaming demos, while the Adult Swim titles will reach an older, sophisticated group of video jockeys. This strategy should lead to an efficient maximization of the license since there are many age tiers to be exploited. Licensing mechanisms are the lifeblood of all video game companies such as Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS), Activision (Nasdaq: ATVI), and THQ (Nasdaq: THQI).

THQ, of course, possesses the Nickelodeon license -- Nick is a competing cable colleague of Cartoon Network. Here`s the thing I find ironic about this deal between Midway and Time Warner`s cable channel -- Sumner Redstone owns a controlling stake in Midway (according to a previous Fool article on Redstone`s video game interests back in December, the stake at that time was approximately three-fourths of the common stock). Redstone is CEO (and major stockholder) of Viacom (NYSE: VIA), the media conglomerate that owns Nickelodeon. It strikes me funny to see that Redstone`s beloved Midway will be publishing video games that promote the Cartoon Network, which obviously vies for the same viewers Nick does.

Business is business, of course. Since the Nick license is already tied up (and at one time it was up in the air as to whether THQ would retain that in light of Redstone`s financial interest in a different video game company), going for the Time Warner characters does make sense -- after all, Midway must still try to find value for itself. In fact, even with the Redstone stake, a good analogy for this might be TV broadcasting. Networks like CBS and Fox don`t exclusively purchase programming developed by production entities they control -- those companies can and will go to competing studios to obtain the best shows in the marketplace. Synergy is certainly still important, but perhaps not at the expense of an appropriate arrangement.

Still, I find this entertaining. Imagine if the games produced by Midway as a result of this event led to a huge, dominating upswing in the ratings for Cartoon Network and SpongeBob SquarePants was suddenly cast aside by the culture at large in favor of that floating french-fry thing. No, I agree, won`t happen. But it`d make a crazy episode on a crazy cartoon.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com

Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
02/15/2005 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 3,100 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $32,017.00

02/15/2005 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 100,300 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,043,613.00

02/14/2005 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 105,400 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,065,257.00

02/10/2005 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 98,200 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $966,546.00

02/10/2005 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 4,100 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $40,236.00

02/08/2005 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 102,300 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,047,785.00

02/07/2005 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 102,300 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,039,734.00

01/31/2005 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 103,100 MWY Open Market Purchase

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction
03/08/2005 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS INC
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 77,900 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $792,077.00

03/04/2005 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS INC
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 125,700 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,281,452.00

03/03/2005 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS INC
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 121,200 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,213,802.00

03/02/2005 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS INC
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 124,600 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,246,058.00

03/01/2005 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS INC
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 129,700 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,313,896.00

02/28/2005 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS INC
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 127,700 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,337,559.00

02/25/2005 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS INC
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 18,000 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $188,716.00

02/25/2005 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS INC
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 120,500 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,263,320.00

02/24/2005 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 126,800 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,319,649.00

02/22/2005 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 126,800 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,321,019.00

02/18/2005 SUMNER M REDSTONE
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 101,900 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,070,284.00

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Aus der FTD vom 18.3.2005
Viacom erwägt Aufspaltung
Von Thomas Clark, New York

Viacom, Mutterkonzern des Musiksenders MTV und der Paramount Studios, prüft eine Aufspaltung. Möglicherweise bahnt sich ein Branchentrend an.


Er glaube, dass eine Trennung von Geschäftsfeldern in eigenständige operative Einheiten attraktiver für Investoren sei, erläutert der 82-jährige Konzernchef Sumner Redstone die Überlegung. Der greise Manager plant offenbar, sein Konglomerat in zwei Unternehmen zu spalten. In einem sollen der Fernsehsender CBS, die Kette von über die USA verstreuten Radiostationen sowie die Plakat- und Außenwerbung zusammengefasst werden. Das andere Unternehmen würde aus den stärker international ausgerichteten Aktivitäten bestehen, darunter das Hollywoodstudio Paramount sowie die MTV-Gruppe mit ihren zahlreichen Spartensendern.

Viacom ist nicht der erste amerikanische Medienkonzern, der die Filetierung seiner Geschäftsfelder in eigenständige börsennotierte Einheiten erwägt. Anfang der Woche gab Liberty Media bekannt, seine Beteiligung an den Dokukanälen der Discovery-Gruppe vom Fernsehkabelgeschäft sowie dem Einkaufssender QVC abspalten zu wollen.


Es scheint sich ein Branchentrend anzubahnen. Auch Disney und Time Warner sind Medienkonglomerate, vereinen unterschiedliche Geschäfte: Filmproduktionen, TV-Sender, Buchverlage, Vergnügungsparks.



Fülle von Zukäufen und Fusionen


Der weltgrößte Medienkonzern Time Warner versichert zwar, dass es derzeit "keine Pläne" gäbe, den Konzern aufzuspalten. Doch sollte Time Warner die Übernahme des Fernsehkabels von Adelphia gelingen, könnte das gesamte Kabel-TV wohl abgespalten werden. Zudem gibt es immer wieder Analysten, die einen Verkauf von AOL fordern - jenem Internetanbieter, mit dem Time Warner Anfang 2001 fusionierte.


Auch der Viacom-Konzern entstand durch eine Fülle von Zukäufen und Fusionen. In den 90er Jahren arbeitete Redstone fieberhaft daran, einen so genannten "integrierten Medienkonzern" zu schaffen. Höhepunkt dieser Aktivitäten war der 37 Mrd. $ teure Kauf der Sendergruppe CBS im Herbst 1999. Die Überlegung dahinter: Die Zusammenführung der trendigen MTV-Sender mit dem etablierten CBS-Kanal könnte Werbetreibenden jüngere und ältere Zuschauerschichten zuführen. Und selbst finanzierte TV-Produktionen von Paramount, darunter etwa das Science-Fiction-Abenteuer "Star Trek", könnten erst auf CBS laufen und später auf Kabelsendern wiederholt werden.


Längst hat sich gezeigt, dass das Konzept nicht erfolgreich ist, weil sich die Tochterfirmen nicht durch die "Konzernräson" lenken lassen. Jetzt kommt die Rückabwicklung.



Arg gebeutelter Aktienkurs


Redstone dürfte sich über den arg gebeutelten Viacom-Aktienkurs ärgern, der so niedrig ist wie vor der CBS-Übernahme. Grund dafür sei das unterschiedliche Wachstum der Konzernsäulen, so Redstone. "Viacoms Geschäftsfelder haben unterschiedliche Wachstumschancen und Investmenteigenschaften, die unterschiedliche Anleger ansprechen."


Die MTV-Gruppe, zu der neben den Musiksendern MTV, VH-1, Country Music-TV und Viva auch der Comedy Channel, der Männerkanal Spike TV und der Kindersender Nickelodeon gehören, wuchs im Vorjahr um 17 Prozent. Bei Radiosendern aber stagnierte der Umsatz. Redstone zieht nun die Konsequenzen: Die jungen, riskanteren Geschäfte sollen in das eine Unternehmen wandern; die etablierten mit einem hohen stabilen Cashflow in das zweite.


Konsequent ist die derzeit geplante Aufteilung allerdings nicht. Denn die Paramount Studios, die in die MTV-Gruppe fallen sollen, waren zuletzt alles andere als ein Wachstumsbringer. Ebenso ist nicht ganz klar, wie der Buchverlag Simon & Schuster in diese Einheit passt.


Viele Analysten begrüßten die Pläne, die Viacom-Aktie stieg am Donnerstag um knapp fünf Prozent auf 37,50 $. Der Konzern hat angekündigt, bald mehr Details zur geplanten Aufspaltung bekannt zu geben.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Redstone increases stake in Midway
Sunday, March 20, 2005
gamespot news

The Viacom CEO`s constant acquisition of shares has now pushed his ownership to just over 80 percent of the publisher.
The past week saw Sumner Redstone move closer to taking over Midway Games. The Viacom chairman and CEO made at least a dozen trades over the past six weeks, which increased his stake in the company to slightly over 80 percent. His most recent transaction was a purchase of 44,000 shares yesterday, which gave Redstone 55.2 million shares--80.9 percent of Midway`s stock.


The significance of Redstone acquiring more than 80 percent of the company’s stock is put in perspective by Wedbush Morgan senior analyst Michael Pachter. “A shareholder with 80 percent or more ownership can essentially ‘freeze out’ minority shareholders," he said. “‘Freezing out’ means essentially that the 80 percent owner doesn`t need to submit most actions to a shareholder vote. He can`t sell the company without ensuring that the minority receives the same thing he gets, but other than that, he can do what he pleases.”

Redstone`s recent moves come just over one month after he hired financial counsel to assess the possibilities of taking Midway Games private. The Viacom CEO and chairman is also stacking Midway`s board in his favor, appointing his own daughter, Shari, as vice chairman of the board and former VU Games chairman Kenneth Cron as CEO. Both were elected to the board on June 10, 2004.

With Redstone`s takeover of Midway now all but imminent, the question is, "What will he do with it?" The most prevalent theory sees Redstone acquiring sufficient Midway stock to take the company private and then selling the company to Viacom. Such a scenario would give the media a respected game-industry organization and would let it leverage its many brands--including MTV and Nickelodeon--without going through a third-party publisher.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

FEBRUARY 22, 2005 • Editions: N. America | Europe | Asia | Edition Preference

NEWS ANALYSIS

Sumner Redstone, Video-Game Whiz
The Viacom honcho, who has a big piece of Midway Games, explains why gaming is the new competitor for Hollywood and the networks

It would be hard to find a video-game enthusiast more unlikely than Sumner Redstone. The 81-year-old chairman and CEO of Viacom (VIA ) made his fortune in theaters, then built an empire by buying such traditional media assets as the Paramount studio, CBS TV, and book publisher Simon & Schuster. But last May, Redstone increased his stake in Chicago-based Midway Games (MWY ), taking control of the company that makes the successful video game Mortal Kombat but has been a longtime industry laggard, with $276 million in losses over the last four years.

Now, Midway seems to be in the midst of a turnaround under 41-year-old CEO David Zucker. The former Playboy Enterprises (PLA ) executive was hired in mid-2003 and has beefed up Midway with the purchase of smaller game companies, expanded its overseas presence, and signed agreements for new properties upon which to base games. Midway`s stock has more than tripled in the last year, and there`s talk of the company being a potential acquisition target, likely by Viacom (see BW, 2/18/05, "Game Wars").

BusinessWeek Los Angeles Bureau Chief Ron Grover recently met with Redstone at his hilltop mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif. After giving a tour of his house, the media mogul, his long-haired dachshund Murray by his side, sat down and explained why he`s such a fan of the video-game industry -- even though he has never played such a game himself. Edited excerpts of their conversation follow:

Q: What got you interested in the video-game industry?
A: In many ways, the game industry has a lot in common with the studio industry, although as you know [video game] revenues have well outpaced box office. There is a lot in common, including the whole business of creating a buzz and advertising being so important.

Q: Why Midway?
A: The last time I bought some of the stock was about 10 minutes ago. I really like the company. And David Zucker has taken this company -- which was hardly known a year ago -- and transformed it into a company that`s on the cutting edge of everything important in this industry. And it is doing better financially.

A year-and-a-half or two years ago, the company was rated [by critics at various video-game magazines] as No. 20 in quality. Today, it`s rated No. 1 -- ahead of [industry leader] Electronic Arts (ERTS ). And that`s important -- not just in the gaming world, but to big conglomerates like Warner (TWX ) or Disney (DIS ) or Viacom or whatever. Midway turned profitable in the fourth quarter after being unprofitable under prior management, and revenues are escalating at a pretty rapid rate. And it will continue.

Q: And what will you do with the company now?
A: I don`t have any information that is not public. I have told David to never give me any material inside information. But I can see that revenues are escalating at a very rapid pace, and I can see something else: Any [media] company that doesn`t recognize that games by companies like Midway are competing with them for both audience and advertising has its head in the sand. And this company has a number of great franchises -- and not just Mortal Kombat, but Midway Rush and now LA Rush and the game Fear and Respect. I think that David is doing everything right. But he more than anyone else has seen the convergence of the studio and game industries.

Q: Convergence?
A: Yes, the first person who got me thinking about that was Richard Parsons at Time Warner. I recall watching CNBC (NBC ), and someone asked him, "Does your company lack anything?" And he said, "Yes, gaming." So he was one of the first to see the advantage of the convergence of the studio and the gaming industries.

Paramount is making a movie about Area 51, which is a sensational game. Speaking of that, I have nothing to do with those decisions. I have absented myself completely. [Because Redstone also owns a 70% stake in Viacom, he has recused himself from Viacom discussions concerning Midway to avoid conflicts of interest. Those discussions are handled by an independent committee of the Viacom board.] A Paramount executive really liked the game and called Zucker.

Q: Does the game industry threaten TV?
A: Right now, there are as many young men playing these games as there are watching television. Our company, because of CBS and MTV, I doubt has lost anything so far. But pretty soon more men will be playing games than watching TV, which is why I think that all of the major companies will buy a game company. They`re the fastest-growing part of the entertainment industry and are competing with [traditional entertainment] companies both for audience and advertising. So I think that sooner or later, smart companies will get into this business themselves.

Q: Even as expensive as the game companies have become? Electronic Arts has a huge market cap.
A: Look, I think that the one company -- and this is just a personal opinion -- that is not likely to be bought is EA. In fact, I think that Viacom made a statement publicly that it was not interested in buying EA because it would cost at least $20 billion.

Midway would cost $1 billion. I`m not saying that it would cost a billion to buy it, that`s the market cap. If I`m the seller, it will cost a lot more.

[Dr. Motte, Berlin]

Dienstag, 22. März 2005
Gamestudio Eidos gerettet
Bono kauft Lara Croft

Eine private Investorengruppe um den ehemaligen Präsidenten von Electronic Arts, John Riccitiello, und den U2-Sänger Bono kauft den britischen Computerspielehersteller Eidos.

Eidos habe der Übernahme durch das Investment-Unternehmen Elevation Partners für 135 Mio. US-Dollar (rund 102 Mio. Euro) zugestimmt, berichteten die Nachrichtenagentur Bloomberg und das "Wall Street Journal" (WSJ) am Dienstag. Die Investorengruppe wird demnach 0,96 US-Dollar pro Aktie bezahlen. Das liegt etwas über dem aktuellen Preis der Aktie, die am 10. März ihren Zehn-Jahres-Tiefststand erreichte.

Durch die Übernahme werde der Ungewissheiten der letzten Monate ein Ende gesetzt, sagte Eidos-Chef John van Kuffeler. Seit vergangenem Sommer hatte das angeschlagene Unternehmen, das vor allem mit Spielen wie "Tomb Raider" und der virtuellen Lara Croft Erfolge feierte, nach einem Käufer gesucht. Eidos hatte das Halbjahr bis Ende Dezember 2004 deutlich in den roten Zahlen abgeschlossen.

Zuletzt waren die Verkäufe von den Titel "Commando" und "Hitman" geringer als erwartet ausgefallen. Die kalifornische Investment-Firma Elevation war im vergangenen Sommer unter anderem von dem Ex-Präsidenten des Spieleherstellers Electronic Arts, John Riccitiello, gegründet worden. Später beteiligte sich auch der Popstar Bono an dem Unternehmen. Zu den Partnern des Unternehmens soll auch der ehemalige Finanzchef des Computerherstellers Apple, Fred Anderson, gehören.

[Rosenberger]

[Rosenberger]

By Rick Aristotle Munarriz (TMF Edible)
June 28, 2005

MTV wants to rock your video game controller. But skepticism came easily after yesterday`s announcement from the Viacom (NYSE: VIA) camp that its music television network was launching an MTV Games subsidiary.

Consider that Viacom`s stock hasn`t been doing so well over the past few years. And remember back when MTV used to show music videos around the clock? These days, it`s struggling to establish a firm identity in the cable space. Yet it`s arguably remembered most these days for the infamous "wardrobe malfunction" Super Bowl halftime show, which it produced.

So why MTV Games? Viacom`s subsidiary will be going up against established players like Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS), Activision (Nasdaq: ATVI), and Take-Two Interactive (Nasdaq: TTWO). This is a highly competitive sector, where it takes more than just a recognized brand to persuade a diehard video game buff to part with a wad of disposable income. What makes MTV so sure it can succeed?

Well, for starters, MTV isn`t exactly going it alone. Yesterday, the company announced a partnership with Midway (NYSE: MWY) in which MTV will provide soundtrack assistance and in-game advertising on some of Midway`s upcoming titles.
Another reason not to cut MTV`s chances short is that, warts and all, Viacom is still a connected parent. Viacom has its Paramount movie studio and theme parks, its CBS broadcast network, and other cable properties such as Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. That means MTV won`t have a shortage of promotional outlets for its video game pursuits.

This isn`t the first time MTV has reached beyond the music box. MTV Films was created back in 1996, when the company started rolling out edgy yet campy full-length feature comedies like Joe`s Apartment and Election. The latter was even nominated for a screenplay Oscar.

MTV Games may be an even better move than MTV Films, though. As video games continue to evolve into living and breathing online experiences, developers have a greater ability to adapt in-game advertising to make it current -- and relevant. Viacom knows all about profiting from advertisement. Despite its depressed shares, the company is about to plug into yet another promising outlet.

Here is where the game gets good.

Some more "I Want My MTV" links:

Last week MTV also got in on the NeoPets craze.
Viacom`s decision to split the company in two has not produced the desired results.
MTV is also looking to pirate the Caribbean.
Activision and Electronic Arts are recommendations of the Motley Fool Stock Advisor newsletter.

Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz doesn`t know whether he still wants his MTV, but he knows that Viacom`s shareholders wouldn`t mind money for nothing. He does not own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this story. The Fool has a disclosure policy. Rick is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow`s ultimate growth stocks a day early.

[Rosenberger]

kursziel 18$ bleibt!!


Last 10 Insider Actions for Midway Games Inc Full-text of insider filings at SECInfo.com
Date Name Shares Stock Transaction

08/02/2005 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS INC
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 90,200 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,175,710.00

08/01/2005 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS INC
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 90,200 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,174,436.00

07/29/2005 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS INC
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 90,400 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,182,305.00

07/27/2005 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS INC
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 87,800 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,121,059.00

07/27/2005 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS INC
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 2,600 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $33,290.00

07/25/2005 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS INC
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 88,000 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,119,742.00

07/22/2005 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS INC
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 93,200 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,185,989.00

07/21/2005 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS INC
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 93,600 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,188,512.00

07/19/2005 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS INC
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 97,700 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,235,723.00

07/15/2005 NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS INC
Beneficial Owner of more than 10% of a Class of Security 104,700 MWY Open Market Purchase
Cost $1,321,386.00

[Rosenberger]

wir nähern uns der zielmarke von 18$ wie in der headline angegeben.

[Rosenberger]

[Rosenberger]

noch 2 dollar zum ziel!

Last:
16.00
Change:
+0.41
Volume:
269,400
Percent Change:
+2.63%

[Rosenberger]

das 18 dollar kursziel wird 1 1/2 jahre nach threaderöffnung fast erreicht...

[Rosenberger]

Kursdaten NYSE
Kurs:
20:40:47 18,85
+5,31%
+0,95

[Rosenberger]

nach 1 1/2 jahren (threaderöffnung) ist das kursziel erreicht!

[Rosenberger]

Viacom`s Redstone stake in Midway Games rises to 88.04%

Last Update: 6:49 PM ET Oct. 7, 2005



WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Viacom Inc. (VIA) Chief Executive Sumner Redstone reported Friday his stake in Midway Games Inc. (MWY) rose to 88.04% from 87%, according to an amended Schedule 13D filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

[Rosenberger]

wow!

Last:
20.00 Change:
+1.32 Open:
18.75 High:
20.00 Low:
18.75 Volume:
253,100
Percent Change:
+7.07%

[Rosenberger]

die news überschlagen sich und spielen in die hände von sumner redstone...


MIDWAY GAMES DOWN 9.4% AT $18.01

MIDWAY GAMES CUT TO SELL AT WEDBUSH MORGAN

Midway Games Expects Wider Loss

By Troy Wolverton
TheStreet.com Staff Reporter
11/1/2005 7:53 PM EST

The turnaround effort at Midway Games (MWY:NYSE - news - research - Cramer`s Take) is beginning to look like it may never end.

The struggling video-game publisher warned Tuesday that its third-quarter loss would be much wider than expected. Additionally, the company said it will fall far short of its previous full-year top- and bottom-line forecasts.

The move marked the third time the company has widened its predicted loss for the full year

[Rosenberger]

der aufkäufer (besitzt mittlerweile mehr als 90% von MWY) von midway games, sumner redstone (gleichzeitig aufsichtsratschef des 3. größten medienkonzerns VIACOM) sagte einmal in einem interview:

Midway would cost $1 billion. I`m not saying that it would cost a billion to
buy it, that`s the market cap. If I`m the seller, it will cost a lot more.

kursentwicklung seit threaderöffnung:

[Buddah]

wasn mit Midway los?

Sollte man erste Positionen wieder aufbauen?

[Rosenberger]

die story dürfte erstmal vorbei sein... haben vergangene woche ein "loss" veröffentlicht.

positiv ist aber, dass der alte REDSTONE und seine tochter schon mind. 90% der aktien haben dürften....

komischerweise haben sie die letzten bei ca. 22.50 dollar gekauft.

[Rosenberger]

Redstone Gains From Midway Stake
By Troy Wolverton
TheStreet.com Senior Writer
6/22/2006 11:23 AM EDT

When it comes to his stake in Midway Games (MWY:NYSE) , Sumner Redstone appears to have made out like a bandit.

Though not many people can trade $245 million worth of stock for $425 million in cash while still essentially maintaining ownership of the stock, that's what Redstone seems to have done.

Better yet for Redstone, the Viacom (VIA:NYSE) chairman, the way he structured the deal likely minimized the amount of tax he'll pay on his $180 million windfall.

How'd he swing such a deal? By getting National Amusements, the movie theater operator he controls, to pay off a debt in exchange for arguably inflated shares of Midway.

In December, Redstone handed over 32.9 million Midway shares to National Amusements. In exchange, National Amusements assumed responsibility for a $425 million personal debt Redstone had with Citigroup (C:NYSE) .

At the time, the deal didn't look particularly good for Redstone, because Midway's stock was at more than $20 a share -- meaning the stake he transacted was worth a nominal $670 million.

But there's some reason to question how much Redstone's stake was really worth. Midway's stock price had risen more than 500% over the previous three years.

The rising share price, however, didn't reflect improving results: Midway has seen sinking sales of late and hasn't posted a full-year profit in five years.

Instead, the gain was largely the result of Redstone's repeated and massive market purchases of the company's stock.

From September 2003 to December 2005, Redstone's stake -- direct and indirect -- jumped from 13.7 million shares, or 29% of the outstanding stock, to 80 million shares, or 89% of the outstanding stock.

Unloading any significant portion of his stake in Midway on the open market, to pay off his debt for example, likely would have submarined the stock. In fact, even though Redstone's nominal stake in Midway hasn't changed since December, and the company's performance hasn't been much worse, the stock has fallen more than 60%.

It's likely no coincidence that Redstone hasn't made any market purchases of the stock in the last six months.

The stock's decline has made Redstone's deal with National Amusements look increasingly savvy, at least from Redstone's personal perspective. On Wednesday, Midway reported in a regulatory filing that National Amusements had completely paid off the $425 million debt it assumed from Redstone.

Meanwhile, the value of the stake Redstone gave to the company -- which, without Redstone's purchases to prop it up, now better reflects its true value -- is worth less than $245 million.

But because he owns two-thirds of National Amusements, Redstone essentially still controls the 32.9 million shares of Midway he transferred.

Not a bad deal if you can get it.

Better yet, Redstone probably saved himself a few million in taxes as a result of the deal. Had National Amusements just given him the $425 million directly to pay the loan, he likely would have had to claim the amount as income and pay a 35% federal income tax on it.

That works out to be about $148 million.

But Redstone was likely able to claim that his transfer of stock to National Amusements was a stock sale. That means he would have been liable for taxes just on the gains on the stock he transferred to National Amusements.

Assuming that he unloaded stock that he held for more than a year, he'd pay no more than 15% on those gains. Even if he claimed a $425 million gain -- which is likely far more than he really did -- his tax liability would be less than $64 million.

In other words, he would have saved at least $84 million in taxes.

Now that's a really sweet deal.

Because of Redstone's stake in National Amusements, a big chunk of the $425 million to pay off the debt arguably came out of his pocket. But not all of it, given that one-third of the company is outside of his direct control.

Meanwhile, Redstone still controls the stock and no longer has to worry about $425 million in personal debt.

At least someone is profiting on Midway's stock.

[Rosenberger]

es geht wieder los!!



AP
Midway Games Up on Insider Trade
Friday June 30, 2:31 pm ET
Midway Games Shares Gain As Sumner Redstone's National Amusements Increases Its Stake


NEW YORK (AP) -- Midway Games Inc., the company that brought Pac-Man to U.S. arcades in 1980, saw shares climb Friday following a small insider stock purchase.
Shares of the Chicago-based video game company was up 75 cents, or 10.1 percent, to $8.16 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq, after trading as high as $8.32 earlier in the session. Volume was nearly double average daily trading.

Midway shares have ranged between $5.85 and $23.73 in the past year.

In a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission late Thursday, National Amusements Inc. reported purchasing about 56,000 additional shares of Midway. Privately held National Amusements is controlled by media mogul Sumner Redstone, chairman of the board at both Viacom Inc. and CBS Corp.

National Amusements is also the controlling shareholder of both Viacom and CBS.

Redstone and National Amusements already hold 80 million, or 87.6 percent, of Midway's outstanding shares, which he has been accumulating for the past two years.

The company, which also publishes the one-on-one fighting game Mortal Kombat, announced Tuesday it elected Robert J. Steele to its board of directors. Steele, 52, has been vice president of strategy and corporate development of National Amusements since January 2004.

Midway's board also includes Shari Redstone, Sumner Redstone's daughter, as its vice chair. She is also president of National Amusements and a member of its board.

[Rosenberger]

Last:
10.05
Change:
+0.61
Open:
9.41
High:
10.25
Low:
9.41
Volume:
438,200
Percent
Change:
+6.46%

[Rosenberger]

es geht wieder von vorne los... sumner redstone sammelt wieder kräftig ein...

Last:
10.65
Change:
+1.21
Percent Change:
+12.82%

[Rosenberger]

Midway to Report 2006 Second Quarter Financial Results on August 3


CHICAGO, Jul 27, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Midway Games Inc. (MWY) announced today that it will release financial results for the three-month period ended June 30, 2006, after the market closes on Thursday, August 3. Midway will host a conference call and simultaneous webcast that afternoon at 4:45 P.M. EDT to review the results. Both the call and webcast are open to the general public.

The conference call number is [phone] or [phone] (international callers). The access code for the call is 83753437. Please call ten minutes in advance to ensure that you are connected prior to the presentation. Interested parties may also access the live call on the Internet at www.investor.midway.com or at www.earnings.com. Please log-on fifteen minutes in advance to ensure that you are connected prior to the call's initiation. Following its completion, a replay of the call can be accessed until August 10th by dialing [phone] or [phone] (international callers). The access code for the replay is 56097116. Additionally, a replay of the call will be available for twelve months on the Internet via www.investor.midway.com.

Midway Games Inc. (MWY) , headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with offices throughout the world, is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software for major videogame systems and personal computers. More information about Midway and its products can be found at www.midway.com.

SOURCE: Midway Games Inc.

[Rosenberger]

Midway Announces Election of Robert J. Steele to Board of Directors

CHICAGO, Jun 27, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Midway Games Inc. (MWY) announced the election of Robert J. Steele to the Board of Directors at its 2006 Annual Meeting of Stockholders that was held Thursday, June 22, 2006.

Mr. Steele, 52, has been Vice President - Strategy and Corporate Development of National Amusements Inc. since January 2004. From July 1997 to January 2004 Mr. Steele provided business consulting services to a variety of clients and was a private investor. In addition, from 1998 to 1999, Mr. Steele served as Chief Executive Officer of Adventure Entertainment, Inc. and from 2000 to 2001 he served as Chief Executive Officer of Spectrum Clubs Inc. From January 1991 to June 1997 Mr. Steele served PepsiCo in various officer positions, including president of PepsiCo Restaurants Europe and president of PepsiCo Restaurants South Pacific.

Midway's Chairman, Kenneth D. Cron, commented, "Midway is excited by this enhancement of our Board of Directors. Mr. Steele brings a wealth of talent from his experience in large corporate environments and the entertainment field, and we look forward to his contributions as a director."

With the addition of Mr. Steele, Midway's Board now has eight members.

About Midway Games

[Rosenberger]

Antwort auf Beitrag Nr.: 12.733.416 von Dr. Motte, Berlin am 13.04.04 20:27:50

Midway Reports 2006 Q2 Results
THURSDAY, AUGUST 03, 2006 4:20 PM
- BusinessWire




MWY
9.30 +0.05





Enter Symbol:



Enter Keyword:



CHICAGO, Aug 03, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Midway Games Inc. (MWY) today announced results of operations for the three month period ended June 30, 2006. The Company also confirmed its prior full year revenue guidance and updated its earnings guidance, as well as provided revenue and earnings guidance for the third quarter ending September 30, 2006.

SECOND QUARTER RESULTS

Net revenues for the 2006 second quarter were $25.9 million, compared with 2005 second quarter net revenues of $36.9 million. The 2006 second quarter loss applicable to common stock was $31.0 million which includes $0.9 million of stock option expense, or a loss of $0.34 per share, compared with a 2005 second quarter loss applicable to common stock of $29.9 million, or $0.35 per share.

Other financial and operating highlights during the second quarter of 2006 include:

-- Midway launched NBA Ballers: Phenom for PlayStation 2, Rampage: Total Destruction for PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube, NBA Ballers: Rebound for the PlayStation Portable (PSP), and MLB Slugfest 2006 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox;

-- Midway also launched Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War worldwide for the PC, which charted as the #1 PC title in the United Kingdom for the three weeks following launch according to Chart-Track;

-- Several of Midway's games shown at this year's E3 trade event in Los Angeles received awards and critical praise including Stranglehold with IGN's PC "BEST ACTION GAME" and GamesRadar's "TOP 5 XBOX 360 GAMES," as well as accolades and nominations for Unreal Tournament 2007, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, and The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar;

-- Midway announced this week that, in addition to the expected Fall releases of Happy Feet and The Ant Bully for the Nintendo Wii, it will add two more games to its Wii lineup: Rampage: Total Destruction, scheduled for release in the fourth quarter, and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, scheduled for release in first quarter 2007;

-- Blitz: The League, after reaching Greatest Hits status for the PlayStation 2 and Platinum Hits status for the Xbox during the quarter, has shipped over 1 million units in North America. On the heels of this success, Midway expects to release Blitz: The League for Xbox 360 and the PSP this Fall;

-- In May 2006, Midway completed the private placement of $75.0 million of 7.125% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026. Midway anticipates using the net proceeds of approximately $72.7 million for general corporate purposes; and

-- Midway announced the election of Robert J. Steele to the Board of Directors at its 2006 Annual Meeting of Stockholders that was held Thursday, June 22, 2006.

David F. Zucker, president and chief executive officer, commented, "Second quarter results were in line with guidance, and we are especially pleased by the European performance of Rise & Fall, a new intellectual property, which topped the PC charts in the United Kingdom for the first time in Midway's history, demonstrating our new European team's ability to execute."

OUTLOOK

For the quarter ending September 30, 2006, Midway expects net revenues of approximately $24 million, with a net loss of approximately $23 million. For the third quarter, Midway has already released The Ant Bully for PlayStation 2, GameCube, GameBoy Advance and the PC. During the remainder of the quarter, the Company expects to release Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. For the year ending December 31, 2006, Midway continues to expect revenues of $155 million driven by major fourth quarter releases of Happy Feet and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. The Company now expects a full year net loss of approximately $70 million, compared to our prior guidance of $66 million. The increase in net loss is primarily due to costs associated with our recent convertible debt offering completed May 30, 2006. The full year guidance includes approximately $3 million of stock option expense.

Mr. Zucker commented, "We are continuing to position Midway to succeed in the next console cycle, and we believe we have demonstrated to gamers and investors at this year's E3 conference that we have a strong line-up both short term, with upcoming releases of Mortal Kombat, Spy Hunter, Happy Feet, and Blitz: The League for Xbox 360 and PSP, as well as longer term for next generation and PC markets with Stranglehold, Unreal Tournament 2007, The Lord of the Rings Online, and The Wheelman. We continue to believe that 2007 will show our true potential and the reemergence of Midway as a top tier video game publisher."

CONFERENCE CALL

Midway Games Inc. is hosting a conference call and simultaneous webcast open to the general public at 4:45 P.M. EDT today, Thursday, August 3, 2006. The conference call number is [phone] or [phone] (international callers). The access code for the call is 83753437. Please call ten minutes in advance to ensure that you are connected prior to the presentation. Interested parties may also access the live call on the Internet at www.investor.midway.com or at www.earnings.com. Please log-on fifteen minutes in advance to ensure that you are connected prior to the call's initiation. Following its completion, a replay of the call can be accessed until August 10th by dialing [phone] or [phone] (international callers). The access code for the replay is 56097116. Additionally, a replay of the call will be available for twelve months on the Internet via www.investor.midway.com.

ABOUT MIDWAY

Midway Games Inc. (MWY) , headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with offices throughout the world, is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software for major videogame systems and personal computers. More information about Midway and its products can be found at www.midway.com.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 concerning future business conditions and the outlook for Midway Games Inc. (the "Company") based on currently available information. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the performance of the interactive entertainment industry, dependence on new product introductions and the ability to maintain the scheduling of such introductions, the current console platform transition and other technological changes, dependence on major platform manufacturers and other risks more fully described under "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, and in other filings made by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Each forward-looking statement, including, without limitation, financial guidance, speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which it is made or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances, except as required by law.