This week major ownership changes in the amusement industry came into effect and were realized. Earlier in the week The Blackstone Group completed its acquisition of the Busch Entertainment Corporation from Anheuser-Busch InBev for over $2.3 billion. The newly merged Anheuser-Busch InBev had seeked throughout the year for a suitable buyer for its Busch Entertainment subsidiary to focus on its core business of brewing. The transaction brought to the end the Busch Entertainment Corporation as the name Seaworld Parks and Entertainment was chosen for the company moving forward. Anheuser-Busch InBev will still maintain a supply relationship with the new corporation and license its name to the Busch Gardens parks in Williamsburg, VA and Tampa Bay, FL.

By the end of the week General Electric Company, the primary owner of NBC-Universal, agreed to allow the Comcast Corporation to buy a 51% controlling interest in the media giant pending regulatory approval. Among the assets of NBC-Universal Corporation are the Universal theme parks in Orlando and Hollywood. General Electric and Vivendi SA, a French media giant, were interested in reducing its stakes in NBC Universal. GE earlier in the week paved the way for the Comcast transaction by first acquiring the 20% of NBC Universal held by Vivendi for $5.8 billion. Comcast made an unsuccessful bid for the Walt Disney Corporation, the owner of the ABC and ESPN networks, in 2004.

For more information please visit:

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/business_tourism_aviation/2009/12/busch-entertainment-has-new-name-seaworld-parks-entertainment.html

http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/03/news/companies/comcast_nbc/index.htm

Tags: Busch Entertainment, Comcast, NBC Universal, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, The Blackstone Group, Vivendi