Will DNA that doesn’t adapt kill a company? The chemistry of corporations and their leaders is endlessly fascinating to us ‘industry watchers.’ To what extent are companies reflections of their leaders or, conversely, do some companies suck the personality out of managers, demanding everything is done the ‘XYZ’ way? Can you take the DNA of […]

Vice Media has signed a $70 million deal with 21st Century Fox – giving Fox a five per cent stake in in the company. Vice has grown significantly since its humble beginnings as a free underground music handout to a global media and publishing group dedicated to art, technology, fashion, music and world news. “I […]

A higher regional court in Germany has reversed an approval by the country’s cartel office for Liberty Global’s €3.16 billion acquisition of KabelBW, throwing the merger into doubt. The Duesseldorf court ruled that the antitrust regulator will have to look at the case again, to either block it or approve the purchase applying stricter conditions […]

Extreme Reach, Inc., a video platform for integrated TV, online and mobile advertising, has agreed to acquire the TV business of Digital Generation, Inc, including its advertising distribution business unit, for $485 million in cash. The transaction, which is subject to approval by DGIT’s shareholders, is expected to be accomplished in two steps: DGIT will […]

Singapore Telecom has decided not to sell its Optus Satellite division despite considerable interest from the market. The company said in statement that it had conducted a full strategic review of its options and had decided “[it is] committed to growing and investing n the satellite business”. It seems that despite the interest from players […]

India telco giant Reliance Communications is merging its Reliance Digital TV operation with rival Sun Direct. Reliance will hold a 26 per cent stake in the new DTH entity, but will then itself exit the DTH business. As part of an agreement to be unveiled in the next day or so, it is understood that […]

Carlos Slim’s America Movil has made a €7.2 billion bid for the 70 per cent of Dutch telecoms group KPN it does not own, challenging Telefonica’s attempt to buy KPN’s German business. Telefonica last month made an $11 billion offer to buy KPN’s crown jewel, Germany’s E-Plus, disrupting America Movil’s expensive – and on paper […]

According to unconfirmed reports from Australia, both Eutelsat and SES have dropped out of the bidding to take control of Singapore Telecom’s Optus satellite unit. Intelsat is said to still be interested in acquiring the assets, while the other firm bidder is from a consortium led by Blackstone Group, TPG Capital and Malaysia’s MEASAT. Other […]

Kantar Media, a specialist in audience measurement, has acquired a minority stake in SecondSync, a UK-based social TV analytics company. The move extends the existing relationship between the two companies, who entered into a data sharing agreement earlier this year. The two companies will now work closely together to deliver a range of TV measurement […]