Cisco is to acquire privately-held Inlet Technologies, a provider of Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) digital media processing platforms, in a $95 million deal. The acquisition will strengthen the capabilities of Cisco’s Videoscape TV platform, allowing service and content providers to deliver compelling video experiences to any device over any IP network. Enrique Rodriguez, senior vice […]
Softbank has become the leading shareholder in Synacast, the operator of a leading online television service in China, adding to the list of its investments in Chinese Internet companies. The Japanese mobile carrier has acquired a 35 per cent equity stake in Synacast for about 20 billion yen (€2.2bn) via a private placement. Softbank and […]
US private equity group Hellman & Friedman has teamed up with Patrick Tillieux, the former head of SBS Broadcasting, to bid for the Benelux and Nordic television channels he used to run, which are being sold by Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1. The €2 billion+ auction is still in its early stages, according to ProSieben. As many as […]
Belgian cable operator Telenet is considering a bid for the Brussels-based unit of France’s Numericable, which would open a market beyond the group’s base in the north of the country, according to Reuters. “We are looking at this asset, just like we are looking at other assets in the cable sector, but we won’t give […]
Liberty Global, rival cable group Kabel Deutschland and a number of private equity groups have emerged as bidders in the €2.5 billion-€3 billion ($3.4bn-$4.1bn) auction of Kabel Baden-Württemberg, Germany’s third-largest cable operator. Initial bids for the company, which provides television, telephone and Internet services to 2.3 million customers in the southwestern German region, are due […]
Fifty-seven per cent of satellite broadband supplier Hughes Communications is being put up for sale by private equity investor Apollo. Intelsat, Echostar and Inmarsat are each said to be looking at the stake and have expressed interest. Maryland-based Hughes sells satellite capacity, including broadband, to the US government, large businesses and private consumers not well […]
Comcast Corporation and General Electric have closed their transaction to create a joint venture, NBCUniversal, LLC. Under the terms of the transaction, GE contributed to the joint venture NBC Universal, Inc.’s businesses, including its cable networks, filmed entertainment, televised entertainment, theme parks, and unconsolidated investments. Comcast contributed its cable networks, including E!, Versus and the […]
KIT digital, the provider of cloud-based video asset management solutions for multi-screen delivery, has made three separate acquisitions aimed consolidating the IP video market and creating a truly ‘Lens-to- Lens’ video offering. The deals involve New York City-based KickApps, Paris-based Kewego, and San Francisco-based Kyte, for aggregate consideration of approximately $77.2 million. “These strategic acquisitions […]
AOL Europe, part of web services giant AOL, has acquired the video distribution network goviral in a $74.1 million deal. In addition, $22.6 million of consideration will be deferred and paid over two years following completion. goviral distributes branded video content across the Internet for brands, media agencies, creative agencies, and content producers. goviral is […]
Rupert Murdoch has cancelled a visit to the Davos economic summit to personally lead negotiations with UK culture secretary Jeremy Hunt, as News Corp seeks to offer guarantees to safeguard Sky News independence and win approval for its complete takeover of BskyB. Following publication of the Ofcom report recommending a referral to the Competition Commission, […]