From David Del Valle in Madrid Mediaset-controlled Tele 5, Spanish biggest private TV broadcaster, has signed an agreement with media company Prisa to take over commercial TV channel Cuatro and acquire a 22 per cent stake of digital DTH platform Digital Plus. Tele 5 is paying E491 million to Prisa in cash for the Digital […]

OpenTV has completed the previously announced acquisition and OpenTV is now fully owned by the Kudelski Group. In a statement, The Kudelski Group said that it “sees a significant potential in the integration of the teams and product roadmaps of both OpenTV and the Kudelski Group's digital television division. A unified market vision will allow […]

The owner of Channel Five, RTL, is reported to have made a renewed approach to Channel 4 about a possible commercial tie-up between the two UK broadcasters. RTL chief executive Gerhard Zeiler, who recently admitted that Five’s value lay as an asset in the expected consolidation of the UK TV market, is said to have […]

The shakeout of the online video services space continues. KIT Digital, the online video tools player now based in Prague, has bought rival video player Multicast, for about $18 million, a week after it announced closing a $15 million equity offering. Of the $18 million KIT-Multicast deal, $4.9 million is in cash and the rest […]

UK STB manufacturer Pace has reported revenues increased 52 per cent to £1.133 billion (E1.248bn) in the year to end-December 2009, up from £745.5 million the previous year. Profit before tax was up 405 per cent to £69.9 million. Neil Gaydon, CEO, said: ‘In 2009 Pace delivered exceptional growth and record results and is now […]

The European Commission has granted clearance for the proposed merger of the UK businesses of Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom. The new joint venture company is expected to generate estimated synergies with a value in excess of E4 billion. The new business will have pro forma 2009 revenues of approximately E8.5 billion and EBITDA of […]

EchoStar Satellite Services and Satelites Mexicanos have confirmed EchoStar will acquire an ownership interest in Satmex. Satmex is Mexico’s leading satellite operator and delivers video, audio and data services to the Americas. MVS Comunicaciones, one of the largest media and telecommunications companies in Mexico and EchoStar’s partner in the Mexican direct-to-home TV service Dish Mexico, […]

US telco Qwest Communications has invested $10 million in start-up ZillionTV in return for exclusive rights to offer the IP-delivered video-on-demand service in the telco's footprint, according to legal documents. Unlike fellow telcos Verizon and AT&T, Qwest is unable to cross-subsidise an over the top or IPTV build-out with wireless revenues. It is also likely […]

Walmart is to acquire VUDU, provider of digital technologies and services that enable the delivery of entertainment content directly to broadband HD TVs and Blu-ray players. VUDU is built into a growing number of broadband-ready TVs and Blu-ray players, that delivers instant access to thousands of movies and TV shows directly through the television. Customers […]

Rotana Media, the broadcast and music group owned by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, is selling a $70 million stake to News Corp. Rotana said that News Corp had agreed to buy a 9.09 per cent stake with an option to take this up to 18.18 per cent. The deal creates a cross shareholding […]