Democrat billionaire Marc Cuban has been asked if he would like to buy news network MSNBC, after the world's richest man, Elon Musk, showed an interest.
And his answer was not at all encouraging for owner Comcast, which has said the network is not for sale.
On Sunday, CNN's Brian Stelter asked Cuban, who supported Kamala Harris in the presidential election, if he would consider buying the network, to which Cuban replied: "I don't think there is anything anyone can do to change the impact of linear TV news. So, the answer is no."
Cuban elaborated, saying, "People feel like MSNBC is not doing enough to rival Fox. I don't see that. What could they do differently? Manufacture conspiracy theories? Go all in on crypto?"
The speculation into the network's future began in late October when Comcast signaled it wanted to spin off its cable news channels CNBC and MSNBC, along with other TV brands, into a new company. It confirmed the move last Wednesday.
Comcast denies any intention to sell MSNBC as part of the reorganization. A spokesperson for the company told Newsweek: "We are looking forward to the planned spin off of our cable networks, which will create a new company owned by our shareholders—none of these assets are for sale."
In a statement shared with Newsweek, the company's chief executive, Brian L. Roberts, said the restructure would help the business.
"When you look at our assets, talented management team and balance sheet strength, we are able to set these businesses up for future growth," Roberts said. "With significant financial resources from Day One, SpinCo [the provisional name for the new spin off company] will be ideally positioned for success and highly attractive to investors, content creators, distributors and potential partners."
According to Nielsen figures, MSNBC has seen a 38 percent decline in average daily viewership figures since election day.
The belief that the reorganization would involve a sale of MSNBC went viral after Donald Trump Jr. reposted a November 12 post on X by user @WallStreetMav, who wrote "Comcast is putting MSNBC up for sale." The post predates Comcast confirming the restructure.
Trump Jr. tagged Musk on November 22, after Comcast confirmed the restructure, writing, "Hey @elonmusk, I have the funniest idea ever!!!"
Tech billionaire Musk, who owns X, responded the same day with, "how much does it cost?" and later added, "the most entertaining outcome, especially if ironic, is most likely."
Podcaster Joe Rogan joined the conversation, jokingly requesting top MSNBC host Rachel Maddow's job, writing that he would wear her "outfit and glasses" and "tell the same lies." Musk replied: "Deal."
Newsweek has contacted Musk via an email to Tesla and Cuban via an email to the Dallas Mavericks for comment.
Musk, who has featured on many lists as the world's wealthiest man, has criticized MSNBC frequently in the past, calling it "utter scum of the Earth," and "puerile propaganda." He has not confirmed any serious intent to purchase the network.
Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in 2022 and renamed it X the following year. He marshaled his individual audience of 200 million followers to back Trump during the recent presidential election campaign.
Cuban told CNN he was not interested in buying a television channel and was more interested in promoting Bluesky, a social media platform which is popular among people who dislike Musk-owned X.
"I would rather promote Bluesky and hope it helps them aggregate audience and create a network effect that gives agency to all viewpoints. I think with the addition of real time news and sports, it could give Twitter a run for its money."
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