Advanced Television

M&A

Netgem into Mobility with PlugnSurf buy

Netgem has confirmed its acquisition of PlugnSurf – a company that has developed and marketed the WOBE, the first mobile connectivity device to incorporate a patented technology for automatic off-loading between mobile data (3G/4G) and WiFi networks. The integration of PlugnSurf will expand Netgem’s existing product offer. It will allow Netgem to help telecom operators […]

June 18, 2012

Televisa to buy half of Iusacell

Mexican regulators have given the green light to television giant Televisa to buy half of a small mobile phone company owned by its only significant competitor in the TV market, as long as conditions designed to “avoid the risk of collusion” are met. Televisa currently controls about two-thirds of free TV channels in Mexico, while […]

June 15, 2012

Tesco pays £11m for We7 digital

Tesco has bought the digital music service We7 for £10.8m (€13.3m). The supermarket has taken a 91 per cent stake in London-based digital music service, with the remaining shares to be purchased within weeks. The purchase of We7 comes as the supermarket moves increasingly into digital entertainment, after its acquisition of the online movie rentals […]

June 15, 2012

Technicolor confirms sweetened Vector Capital offer

Media and entertainment technology specialist Technicolor has confirmed that the Company received on June 13 at 10.00pm a binding and irrevocable offer from Vector Capital. This offer amends the offer submitted by Vector to Technicolor on May 25 by raising the subscription price of the shares to be issued under the reserved capital increase from […]

June 14, 2012

Sony to increase stake in Multi Screen Media

Sony Pictures Television (SPT) has signed an agreement to acquire approximately 32 per cent of the shares of Multi Screen Media (MSM), which are owned by Grandway Global and Atlas Equifin The agreement, subject to government approval, will bring SPT’s interest in MSM to a little over 94 per cent. The closing for this transaction […]

June 14, 2012

Rakuten acquires Wuaki.tv

Rakuten, the world’s third largest e-commerce company, has acquired Spanish streaming and VoD business, Wuaki.tv. The acquisition will see Rakuten further extend its global reach as it enters the Spanish market for the first time. Founded in 2009, Wuaki.tv is headquartered in Barcelona and offers premium content over the Internet directly to Smart TVs. The […]

June 14, 2012

Telecom Italia accelerate sale of La7

Following the recent separation of broadcast (La7, La7d and MTV Italia) and transmission activities of Telecom Italia Media, parent company Telecom Italia is now determined to speed up the sale of national broadcaster La7. According to local media reports, Mediobanca and Citi have started exploratory contact with different industrial and financial entities to see if […]

June 13, 2012From Branislav Pekic in Rome

JP Morgan denies Technicolor lock out

J.P. Morgan says it is not trying to lock out other bids and isn’t trying to charge punitive break up fees. The bank says it wishes to clarify two points referred to in the announcement of Technicolor dated June 11th, 2012 regarding the terms of its revised proposal. The break-up fee of €3.4 million that […]

June 13, 2012

Viaccess, Orca combine under one brand

Positioning themselves better to meet technological and business challenges faced by the content consumption market, France Telecom Group companies Viaccess and Orca Interactive are to merge their management structures. This new organisation will allow customers to benefit from the strength and expertise of legacy telecommunications combined with the innovative edge of an agile technology company […]

June 13, 2012By Colin Mann

Liberty Global eyes KPN Belgium

Liberty Global Chief Executive Officer Mike Fries said he will take a look at Royal KPN’s Belgian unit that the Dutch phone company has put up for sale. “We’ll take a look at it, whether it’s something we’ll do is hard to say,” Fries said in an interview. “We looked at Switzerland too when Orange […]

June 12, 2012