• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

3

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

3

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Sun Valley

A look back at classic deals of Sun Valley’s past

By
Laura Lorenzetti
Laura Lorenzetti
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Laura Lorenzetti
Laura Lorenzetti
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 8, 2014, 5:13 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Investment bank Allen & Co’s famous Sun Valley conference kicked off Tuesday in Sun Valley, ID with the usual herd of technology and media executives attending.

The retreat enters its 31st anniversary this year and is often referred to as summer camp for billionaires. It’s where the business elite come to rub elbows — and sometimes make some deals.

Two recent proposed mega mergers–Comcast’s purchase of Time Warner Cable and AT&T’s deal with DirecTV–would consolidate the pay-TV industry in the U.S., leaving pundits to speculate about more media industry acquisitions. Scripps Networks and Discovery could be heavily courted, as well as smaller Internet-based services like Vevo, known for online music videos.

But, before any new acquisitions go down, here’s a look back at some of the major Sun Valley deals in years past.

1996: Disney buys Cap-Cities ABC

Disney (DIS) paid $19 billion to acquire Capital-Cities ABC, creating the world's largest entertainment company at the time. While Disney CEO Michael Eisner said the deal had been discussed casually for years, the details were worked out with Cap Cities/ABC chairman Thomas Murphy over the week in Sun Valley.

1999: AOL and Time Warner agree to join forces

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 19: The AOL Time Warner headquarters is seen September 19, 2003 in New York City. The board of AOL Time Warner on September 18, 2003 voted to remove AOL from its name and revert to its old New York Stock Exchange ticker symbol of TMX . (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

During the week at the Idaho resort, Time Warner (TWX) CEO Gernald Levin and AOL (AOL) CEO Steve Case floated the idea of a combined company, which would lead to the $162 billion deal several months later. This may also be the most spectacularly failed merger of all Sun Valley deals: Three years later Time Warner ditched AOL from its name and took a $99 billion write-down. In 2009, it washed its hands of AOL entirely by spinning it off into its own company.

2000: Viacom snaps up BET

After returning from Sun Valley, BET founder Robert Johnson and Viacom (VIA) president Mel Karmazin hammered out a deal for about $3 billion dollars, sealing the media conglomerate's purchase of the African-American focused media company.

2006: Google acquires YouTube

YouTube's Chad Hurley was a darling of the 2006 Sun Valley conference and Google (GOOG) was quickly smitten. Google's then CEO Eric Schmidt wooed Hurley with a $1.7 billion stock deal for the video-sharing service. Nearly eight years later, YouTube brought in about $3.5 billion in revenue for the Internet company.

2007: News Corp wins over Dow Jones

While Rupert Murdoch had to battle some up and down moments during the 2007 retreat, he eventually struck a $5 billion deal for News Corp (NWS) to take over Dow Jones & Co., the publisher of The Wall Street Journal by the end of the week. The Bancroft family, which owned 64% of Dow Jones' shares, had been divided over the sale due to worries that the Journal would remain editorially independent.

2009: Comcast buys NBCUniversal stake from General Electric

Comcast (CMCSA) co-founder Ralph Roberts connected with GE (GE) CEO Jeffrey Immelt over the Sun Valley week, setting the stage for GE to sell its controlling stake in NBCUniversal to the cable company. The deal gave Comcast a 51% stake in NBCUniversal, and GE maintained control over the minority shares remaining while taking in about $8 billion in the transaction.

2013: Jeff Bezos buys The Washington Post

Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon.com, snapped up legendary newspaper The Washington Post for $250 million cash during last year's Sun Valley retreat. Host Allen & Co. assisted the sale, and Bezos became the paper's sole owner.

About the Author
By Laura Lorenzetti
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

Current refi mortgage rates report for July 1, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current refi mortgage rates report for July 1, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJuly 1, 2026
1 hour ago
Current ARM mortgage rates report for July 1, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current ARM mortgage rates report for July 1, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJuly 1, 2026
1 hour ago
Mortgage rates today, July 1, 2026
Personal Financemortgages
Mortgage rates today, July 1, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganJuly 1, 2026
1 hour ago
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big TechNvidia
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
1 hour ago
Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, William Boeing: These Fortune 500 founders are the American-born children of immigrants
PoliticsImmigration
Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, William Boeing: These Fortune 500 founders are the American-born children of immigrants
By Catherina GioinoJuly 1, 2026
1 hour ago
Nike’s earning numbers exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. But CEO Elliott Hill’s next test is the World Cup
RetailNike
Nike’s earning numbers exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. But CEO Elliott Hill’s next test is the World Cup
By Mia OsmonbekovJune 30, 2026
11 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
6 days ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
4 days ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
2 days ago
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
AI
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
By Catherina GioinoJune 29, 2026
1 day ago
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
Commentary
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
By Marc AndersenJune 30, 2026
21 hours ago
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
Environment
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
By Catherina GioinoJune 28, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.