Jeremy Hunt, the beleaguered Culture Secretary, is hanging on after his day-long appearance before Leveson. There have been many descriptions of Hunt, none flattering, as he seeks to dig himself out of the many holes he so thoughtlessly jumped into. The most accurate one is that he is PM David Cameron’s human shield; given Cameron […]
David Cameron has defended Jeremy Hunt’s handling of Rupert Murdoch’s bid for BSkyB in the light of new evidence showing that Hunt was privately pushing for the takeover to be allowed before he was appointed to oversee the process. In an interview on ITV Cameron said Hunt had acted “impartially” from the moment he took […]
I can truthfully testify that trying to listen to the Leveson Inquiry while doing anything else is a recipe for doing both things poorly. The testimony and, more disappointingly, the questioning is soporific in the extreme. Mr Jay QC, counsel for the Inquiry, has mostly been given the benefit of the doubt – surely he’s […]
NBCUniversal is in talks to buy out Microsoft’s 50 per cent stake in joint venture MSNBC.com. NBCU parent Comcast is conducting due diligence and the partnership could be unwound by this summer. “Discussions are taking place,” Amy Lynn, director of communications at NBC News, told WSJ. NBC and Microsoft joined forces in 1996 to create […]
Harry Sloan, the former chairman of the MGM film studio, has emerged as a potential bidder for a stake in Nine Entertainment, the Australian media company. The former entertainment lawyer has held early-stage talks with the Asia-Pacific arm of CVC Capital Partners, which owns Nine, and retained bankers to examine a possible bid, these people […]
Australian pay-TV operators Foxtel and Austar have completed their merger transaction, creating a national subscription television service intended to deliver innovative new digital products and content for all Australian consumers. The new Foxtel will directly employ approximately 2,500 people, service 2.2 million subscriber households, and entertain over seven million viewers each week. Richard Freudenstein, Foxtel […]
Google has announced that the acquisition of Motorola Mobility Holdings has closed, with Google acquiring MMI for $40 per share in cash. Google says the acquisition will enable it to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing. Motorola Mobility will remain a licensee of Android and Android will remain open. Google […]
Advanced digital video services global provider Avail-TVN has secured $100 million of new investment funding from global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group enabling it to acquire UK-based On Demand Group, a provider of video on demand services to some of the biggest television brands outside of the United States. Avail-TVN paid $27 million on […]
Kabel Deutschland has has confirmed that it is to acquire fellow German cable MSO Tele Columbus. The purchase price amounts to €603 million plus accrued interest. As of December 31, 2011, this would have been equivalent to €618 million. The purchase price will provide for repayment in full of the financial debt of Tele Columbus. […]
Chinese regulators have approved Google’s $12.5 billion purchase of US phone maker Motorola Mobility, the final hurdle for the deal to go through. It has already won clearance from US and European regulators. The acquisition would be Google’s biggest ever. Chinese authorities said Google must keep its mobile software, Android, free for other device makers […]