Vivendi/Canal+ has bought broadcaster TF1's 9.9 per cent stake in Canal Plus France for E744 million. After the deal – originally planned for the first quarter of 2010 – is completed, Vivendi’s Canal Plus Group will own 74.9 percent of Canal Plus France. TF1 has held a put option since January 2007 following Vivendi/Canal Plus […]
From David Del Valle in Madrid Telefonica is set to take a 20 per cent stake in Prisa-controlled DTH platform Digital Plus, for E400 million, valuing the platform at E2 billion – far from Prisa’s original expectation of E2.5 billion. The acquisition takes place 18 months after Telefonica sold its 16.73 per cent stake in […]
Virgin Media's attempt to sell its wholly-owned television channels has been called to a halt following an initial review in October and it now seems certain Virgin will try and package up a deal to sell its owned stations and its half of the UKTV joint venture. The company's advisors have valued its channels – […]
Thomson is struggling to agree terms for the sale of its Grass Valley facility to US investment fund Platinum Equity, according to reports. French newspapers say the fund and the group are at odds on the level of financing required to fund the restructuring of Grass Valley Group. Other companies might be looking at the […]
Google has agreed a deal to buy the mobile advertising firm AdMob. The search giant is paying $750 million in stock for the firm in a bid to take advantage of advertising opportunities in mobile devices. AdMob specialises in selling adverts displayed on small screens for handsets such as the iPhone or the Blackberry. Google […]
International cable operator Liberty Global is to acquire Germany's second largest cable company Unitymedia in a E2 billion deal. Unitymedia has systems in the German federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse, which are among the most prosperous and densely populated regions in Europe. Unity Media's cable footprint passes some 8.8 million homes, including ten […]
Digital TV company Kudelski has purchased approximately 60 per cent of the shares in OpenTV Corp it had not already owned for $1.55 a share, taking its voting rights to 91 per cent. In February, Kudelski had proposed buying the remainder of OpenTV’s shares for $1.35 per share, but withdrew that bid in June after […]
Motorola is to sell its Connected Home Division, including the world's biggest STB business, according to the NY Times. The newspapers says sources at Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, hired to advise on strategic options, are now recommending a three-way split with networks being sold off and the remaining company separated between the mobile phone […]
Whoever buys Motorola's connected home business is now also going to acquire BitBand Networks, just bought by Motorola Israel for $10 million. The company’s solutions enable the provision of IP VOD. BitBand had raised $18 million from investors, and has been on the market since 2006. BitBand was founded in 2000, and currently has 80 […]
Comcast may seal a deal to buy a controlling stake in NBC Universal from General Electric within the next week say US reports. The deal, which values NBC Universal at about $30 billion, would give Comcast, the top US cable operator, a 51 per cent stake in a joint venture that would combine its small […]