It's no accident that CEOs of media conglomerates try to conceal their bottom-line performance with empty catchphrases such as 'content is king' and 'media convergence'. For as soon as the glamour and buzzwords are stripped away, it becomes clear that these companies have been unable to deliver the returns of an index fund. The Curse of the Mogul exposes the strategic failures underlying this consistently poor performance. Anyone who has ever wondered what makes Disney, News Corporation, Viacom, NBC, Universal and Time Warner tick will appreciate these enlightening insights.