Jeremy Hunt, Culture Secretary, who approved the deal says: “Informed by advice from the regulators, I believe that these will address concerns about media plurality should the proposed News Corporation/BSkyB merger go ahead. The undertakings offered would ensure that shareholdings in Sky News would remain unchanged, and indeed offer it more independence from News Corporation […]
Ofcom has published its advice to Jeremy Hunt, Culture Secretary, that finally recommended accepting the Undertakings in Lieu (UILs) offered by News Corp as a condition of approval of its takeover of Sky. Hunt has given approval and nominated a further period of public consultation on his decision through to March 21st. The letters show […]
Satellite television services provider Austar has acknowledged speculation that its larger rival, Foxtel, is mulling a takeover. In a market announcement, Austar said it had understood that there had been verbal discussions between Foxtel and controlling Austar shareholder Liberty Media in relation to a possible acquisition. But it added that it had not received a […]
News Corp is nearing agreement with UK regulators over a remedy for concerns about its bid for satellite broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting, reports the Financial Times citing people familiar with the process. Discussions have taken place with the UK’s Office of Fair Trading (OFT), with News Corp reportedly now closer to satisfying objections that combining […]
Disney has acquired kids social network Togetherville. The purchase follows the restructuring of Disney’s digital division Disney Interactive Media Group, which saw focus shift away from games consoles and expand its offering across online, mobile and social media. Togetherville launched last May as a social network for children under ten. Its purchase is viewed as […]
Technicolor has received a binding offer from the FCDE for the acquisition of the Head-end business, operating under the Thomson Video Networks brand. The FCDE (Fonds de Consolidation et de Développement des Entreprises) is an investment fund financed by the FSI (Fonds Stratégique d’Investissement) and major banks and insurance companies operating in France. Its mission […]
News Corp has agreed to acquire Elisabeth Murdoch’s Shine Group for $673 million. Shine is a UK-based production company that owns Reveille in the US “In a rapidly consolidating global TV industry, this alliance uniquely provides the conditions in which Shine Group can continue to lead and prosper,” Elisabeth Murdoch, chairman and CEO of Shine, […]
Swedish private equity firm EQT has received around five bids in the range of €2 billion to €2.5 billion on its auction of German cable operator Kabel Baden-Wuerttemberg according to reports, in a potential disappointment to EQT on price. The bidders are said to include US media conglomerate Liberty Global, and private equity firms CVC […]
Confirming CEO Mike Fries’ declaration yesterday that Liberty Global is on watch for acquisitions, Shane O’Neill, Chief Strategy Officer, took the opportunity of the Investor panel to confirm they were appraising KBW, but also that, given the choice and the right price, “Ziggo [the Dutch operator] is a much better fit for us.” Mixed news […]
The IPO registration document for French media group Lagardère’s stake in pay-TV group Canal+ is expected to be released on the AMF regulator’s website on Thursday, Reuters reports, citing a source close to the matter. Lagardère’s 20 per cent stake in Canal+ has been valued by analysts at €1.2 billion to €1.4 billion. Vivendi owns […]