Sir Run Run Shaw, the centenarian founder and chairman of Hong Kong based Television Broadcasts, is in talks to sell his stake in the world's leading Chinese language broadcaster and has attracted interest from private equity groups including Bain Capital and Blackstone. TVB is by far Hong Kong's dominant TV station, with a big presence […]
US broadcaster CBS has beefed up its Internet presence with the $1.8 billion purchase of Cnet Networks, the network of technology and entertainment focused websites. CBS said the deal would make it one of the 10 most popular Internet companies in the US, with a combined 54 million unique users per month, and approximately 200 […]
From David Del Valle in Madrid Prisa's takeover of Sogecable, owner of Digital Plus and Canal Plus, has lead to reports of four candidates in play to buy the DTH platform Digital Plus, which has two million subs. The likely buyers are seen as Telefonica, News Corp, Vivendi and the Mexican TV mogul Carlos Slim. […]
Vodafone has emerged as a surprise frontrunner to acquire Tiscali after submitting a £1.1 billion (E1.37bn) bid for the group. A possible deal would give Vodafone a fixed-line broadband presence in the UK, and allow it to merge Tiscali’s Italian operation with its Tele 2 business there. BSkyB, BT, Swisscom-owned Fastweb, and Italian mobiles group […]
ROK Entertainment has acquired 100 per cent of the issued and to be issued share capital of Jalipo for total consideration of 600,000 ordinary shares. Jalipo Media Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Jalipo Ltd and the only operating function therein, is a UK Registered IPTV company which offers live streaming of TV content over […]
Days after getting new owners TV Guide is back on the block. It would be the fourth change in control during the last decade for TV Guide. Last week, the Macrovision Solutions Corporation completed a $2.8 billion takeover of Gemstar-TV Guide, the magazine's publisher. The new owner has made clear that it is interested in […]
Cablevision is close to an agreement to buy the Sundance Channel, jointly owned by NBC Universal, CBS, and actor Robert Redford, in a cash and stock deal valued at close to $500 million. A purchase of Sundance will strengthen Cablevision’s position in the independent-film programming arena as the cable operator already owns another film channel, […]
Australia’s Macquarie Group and private equity house MBK Partners have completed a $2 billion joint acquisition of South Korea’s number 2 cable TV operator C&M. The deal made the unlisted company the first Korean cable TV operator owned by private equity funds. The country’s adoption of digital and broadband TV services raise hopes for further […]
The US Justice Department has approved the merger of satellite-radio companies Sirius and XM Satellite Radio leaving one more major regulatory hurdle — the Federal Communications Commission — before a deal that was given little chance of success can be completed. The companies proposed their merger in February 2007 as a way to bolster satellite […]
From David Del Valle in Madrid Spain’s telco operator Abertis Telecom is strengthening its dominant position as the largest TV broadcasting carrier in the market following the acquisition of Madrid-based telco network Teledifusion Madrid. The operation has ruined DTT licencee’s plans to set up an independent broadcasting network to carry their signals out of the […]