Advanced Television

M&A

AMC on SVoD: “It’s broken”

It takes someone with the self-confidence born of being born into one of the founding families of second-generation television to call out that the third-generation simply isn’t working. James Dolan is the chair of AMC Networks, the content spin-off of Cablevision, one of the founding father companies of the US, then global, cable and pay-TV […]

February 21, 2023

Analysis: Euro telco consolidation faces challenges

The consolidation of the European telecom companies has been a topic of discussion for many years, and while there are potential benefits to such consolidation, there are also several significant challenges that must be overcome, according to data and analytics company GlobalData. “Investors, carrier management, and the EU have identified Europe’s relative weakness when competing […]

February 17, 2023By Colin Mann

Salto closure confirmed

French public service broadcasters France Télévisions, M6 and TF1 have decided to close the Salto streaming service. After a number of delays, finally launching in October 2020, Salto currently claims some one million subscribers, who have signed up for an offer that “combines the best of French drama with iconic daily shows and exclusive all-new […]

February 16, 2023By Colin Mann

DAZN closes Eleven Group acquisition

Direct-to-consumer sports streaming company DAZN has completed its acquisition of Eleven Group businesses and US-headquartered social media creative agency Team Whistle. The company says the acquisition further demonstrates its ambition to become the ultimate global sports destination for fans by combining access to premium rights with a range of other products and services, including gaming, […]

February 15, 2023

Liberty Global acquires Vodafone stake

Liberty Global has acquired 1.335 billion shares in Vodafone Group PLC, representing 4.92 per cent of the outstanding share capital (excluding treasury shares). The transaction was principally funded through an attractive non-recourse financing, requiring equity funding from Liberty Global of approximately £225 million (€254m). “We believe, like many others, that Vodafone’s current share price does […]

February 14, 2023By Colin Mann

Viasat, Inmarsat deal hits EU antitrust buffer

Viasat’s $7.3 billion attempt to acquire London-based Inmarsat has hit a potential problem following an “in-depth” investigation by the a European Commission (EC), which says it is “concerned that the transaction may allow Viasat to reduce competition in the market for the supply of broadband in-flight connectivity (IFC) services to commercial airlines”. The Viasat/Inmarsat deal, […]

February 14, 2023

Capital A takes ODMedia stake

International content services and media processing company ODMedia has announced that Dutch Capital A Investment Partners has acquired a minority stake in the company. Capital A will assist ODMedia’s geographical expansion through a buy-and-build strategy. With the completeness of its service portfolio and preferred status with all the major platforms, ODMedia says it is well-positioned […]

February 14, 2023

Netgem sells French fibre business

In line with its strategy of refocusing on its core Streaming TV activity for telecom operators (B2B2C), as announced on February 1st, streaming entertainment specialist Netgem has confirmed that it has reached an agreement to sell its consumer fibre operator business in France to Nordnet, a subsidiary of the Orange group. Netgem will continue to […]

February 10, 2023By Colin Mann

Macquarie, Ardian eye Vodafone Spain

Australian Fund Macquarie Capital, the main shareholder in telco Onivia, and French company Ardian, owner of regional telco Adamo Telecom, are both seeking to buy Vodafone Spain’s network that covers 10.5 million households (out of which 7 million are cable deployments and 3.5 million FTTH lines), and is currently valued at €4 billion, according to […]

February 9, 2023From David Del Valle in Madrid

CMA: Microsoft/Activision deal could harm UK gamers

An investigation by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally concluded that Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision could result in higher prices, fewer choices, or less innovation for UK gamers. The provisional findings follow a wide-ranging investigation conducted over the last five months to understand the market and potential impact of the deal. […]

February 8, 2023By Colin Mann