QuickPlay Media, provider of solutions for the distribution of premium video to portable wireless devices, has revealed it will acquire a variety of network operations centre assets of FLO TV, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm, further expanding its US presence. As a result of the acquisition, QuickPlay will take over FLO TV’s 30,000-square-foot data and […]
A US Bankruptcy Court judge on July 7th approved the $1.37 billion sale of TerreStar’s assets to Charlie Ergen’s Dish Network. The deal means that Dish gets access to 20 MHz of satellite and matching terrestrial bandwidth. It is the third such acquisition for Ergen and represents a major shift away from its core DTH […]
Comments by the Prime Minister David Cameron this morning make it more likely that Ofcom will step in sooner rather than later to apply the ‘fit and proper person(s)’ test of the Broadcasting Act to News Corp in its bid for BSkyB in the light of the News International voice mail hacking scandal. Speaking ahead […]
Irdeto, a global software security and media technology company, has confirmed the acquisition of BD+ technology for Blu-ray from Rovi Corporation. The newly acquired BD+ technology will fold into the company’s Irdeto ActiveCloak for Media offering, giving Hollywood studios a robust solution for protecting Blu-ray movie titles from the threat of digital piracy and lost […]
Google is in preliminary talks to buy online video pioneer Hulu, reports the LA Times, quoting people familiar with the situation. It is understood that Hulu has been meeting with potential buyers including Google, Microsoft and Yahoo to gauge interest in a sale. Hulu’s financial advisors, Morgan Stanley and Guggenheim Partners, set up the meetings […]
There’s increased speculation on Wall Street that DVR specialist TiVo is a ripe take-over target. A cluster of analysts have identified some well-know names as being potential buyers, not least Microsoft and Google. The logic, they say, is that with TiVo’s extremely long-running legal squabble now done and dusted – and the probability of similar […]
Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, has finally published the results of the consultation launched on 3 March on the undertakings in lieu offered by News Corporation in relation to their proposed merger with BSkyB. Alongside this he has also published subsequent advice from Ofcom and the OFT and […]
Singer and actor Justin Timberlake is to take a “major role” in the new Myspace after he emerged as an investor in the $35 million deal for the ailing social network. The major partner in the deal is online advertising company Specific Media. Timberlake will “lead the business strategy” for the broken social network, the […]
EchoStar co-founder Charlie Ergen is famously careful with his cash, actions which have helped the former poker player to build his net worth to some $7 billion and a position as the 51st richest American (according to Forbes). But suddenly he is on a spending spree. In April this year (via sister company Dish Network) […]
US reports say News Corp is likely to keep a stake in MySpace as it chooses between the low-ball offers of $20-35 million from funds Specific Media and Golden Gate Capital. News will also pick up the tab for a further staff cull before the sale. News paid $580 million for MySpace in 2005. A […]