Televisa, Mexico's largest broadcaster, has spelt out its ambitions to expand into the country's cellular telecommunications market with the purchase of 30 per cent of Nextel Mexico for $1.4 billion. Under the deal, Televisa will pay cash for the mobile operator, which is an unlisted subsidiary of NII Holdings. It will also have the option […]

Sumitomo, the Japanese trading house, has launched a Y122 billion ($1.4bn) tender offer for shares in Jupiter Telecommunications (J:COM) to secure its position as the leading shareholder in Japan's biggest cable television operator after KDDI bought a large stake. The offer sets the stage for a rare hostile battle between blue-chip Japanese corporations. Yoshio Osawa, […]

BC Partners and CVC Capital Partners have made a joint E5.5bn bid for Kabel Deutschland. The Carlyle Group, Advent International and Bain Capital are each also thought to have submitted separate bids for KDG which is owned by Providence Equity Partners, reports FT. Bankers say they are prepared to provide between E3.5 billion and E4bn […]

Modern Times Group is buying 50 per cent of Russian DTH pay-TV operator Raduga TV. Raduga claims 70,000 subscribers for its 50-channel service, which includes a package of international channels including Discovery, Eurosport and MTG-owned Viasat's History and Explorer channels. The Raduga TV package is priced at RUB300 ($10) per month on a three or […]

The Japanese Financial Services Agency has started an investigation into KDDI over its planned purchase of Jupiter Telecommunications shares from Liberty Global, according to reports in Japanese newspapers. The FSA is asking KDDI to change the planned purchasing method for the shares to a tender offer, the report said, as the transaction in its current […]

China Digital TV, provider of conditional access systems to China’s television market, has made a joint investment in OpenV, a leading Chinese online video company, alongside one of OpenV's existing shareholders. China Digital TV's investment will be up to $14.5 million through which China Digital TV's equity interest in OpenV would be approximately 25 per […]

International cable operator Liberty Global has completed the previously announced E3.5 billion deal to acquire Unitymedia, Germany's second largest cable operator. Gene Musselman, President and Chief Operating Officer of UPC Broadband, will serve as acting Managing Director of Unitymedia in addition to his European role. The move sees Parm Sandhu, current Chief Executive Officer of […]

Central European Media Enterprises (CME) is in the final stage of acquiring News Corp’s Bulgarian broadcaster bTV for about E500 million, according to reports. The deal is expected to be completed towards the end of February.

The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of the German cable network operator Unitymedia by Liberty Global. The Commission concluded that the concentration would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it.

BSkyB has been ordered to reduce its stake in commercial broadcasting rival ITV by the UK Court of Appeal. In the fourth ruling since BSkyB acquired the shareholding in November 2006, the UK courts decreed that Sky must sell the stake down to less than 7.5 per cent, in line with the Competition Commission ruling. […]