Benefit of the doubt says this is tied to an announcement down...

Benefit of the doubt says this is tied to an announcement down the line, further deals will be announced prior to consolidation so that SP gets a boost and will consolidate at a better price.  All will be made clear in time.

Flipside worst case, deals have stagnated and this is an attempt to breath some life into a new round of attempted partnerships.  We've already seen as much as they've got signed off.  Post consolidation the SP will slide as partnerships fail to materialise, eventually there will be another CR and further slide.

I can see why you're edgy about this.  Without announcements of decent partnerships, it's hard to see this going anywhere good.  Aside from anything else, it would provide confidence that someone in the industry who knows what they're doing is willing to get on board.  It also endorses comments from management about what they've been up to.  

Cheers