It sounds like desperation. It appears Jobs sees there is no future for Apple relying on a shrinking cult following.
Why people pay so much for media properties is beyond me. They get people to buy into the "free cash flow" model instead of the "real earnings" model.
With bloated entities like USAI and Liberty out there, there's no way you can get a good deal on a Vivendi property, as those clowns will try to out-bid.
All these people who've been chasing the "convergence" model have been burned. Buying into something based on existing media technology has not been profitable.