Advanced Television

M&A

Nielsen: $15bn investor bid

Nielsen is to be acquired in a $15 billion (€13.6bn) deal from a consortium of private equity buyers led by Elliott Management and Brookfield Asset Management. Elliott and Brookfield are reported as finalising a financing with multiple banks, reports the FT. Its sources said the transaction could still fail and talks are ongoing. A deal […]

March 16, 2022

Berlusconi confirms Mediaset Spain bid

Silvio Berlusconi has launched a €780 million bid to become the 100 per cent owner of Mediaset Spain. MFE-MediaForEurope, the Berlusconi-controlled group, will pay up to €5.613 per share, taking 44 per cent as the other 56 per cent is already under its control. The group will pay €258 million in cash and 624 new […]

March 16, 2022From David Del Valle in Madrid

Discovery+, HBO Max will combine

With the WarnerMedia/Discovery merger set to close next month, Discovery has confirmed that HBO Max and Discovery+ will be combined into one streaming offering. Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels confirmed the news speaking at the Deutsche Bank 30th Annual Media, Internet & Telecom Conference. Wiedenfels said that combining HBO Max and Discovery Plus into a new […]

March 15, 2022

Berlusconi may consolidate Mediaset Spain

Italian media tycoon and former Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, is reportedly considering launching a takeover bid for the 44 per cent stake in Mediaset Spain he doesn’t already control through MFE-MediaForEurope. The CNMV (stock market) has suspended Mediaset Spain shares in view of the potential bid, valued at around €700 million according to Bloomberg. Berlusconi […]

March 14, 2022From David Del Valle in Madrid

TIM talks with KKR

Telecom Italia (TIM) is starting formal talks with the KKR fund on its €10.8 billion offer. KKR made an initial approach for TIM in November 2021. TIM has now said that it would start talks with KKR while simultaneously exploring its alternative of possible merger with state-backed broadband operator Open Fiber. TIM carries €29 billion […]

March 14, 2022

MFE ups ProSiebenSat.1 stake

MFE-MediaForEurope has announced that, directly and indirectly, it has crossed the threshold of 25 per cent of secured voting rights of Germany broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE through purchases of shares on the market. The company, headed by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, was already the biggest shareholder in the broadcaster with a 23.9 per […]

March 14, 2022

Discovery stockholders approve WarnerMedia acquisition

Discovery has announced that the Company’s stockholders have approved various matters relating to the acquisition of WarnerMedia from AT&T to create Warner Bros Discovery. The transaction will bring together WarnerMedia’s entertainment, sports and news assets with Discovery’s non-fiction and international entertainment and sports businesses. At a Special Meeting of Discovery Stockholders, based on estimated preliminary […]

March 14, 2022

MásMóvil/Orange: Job cuts and brand changes

The Orange and MásMóvil merger is set to bring job cuts and the elimination of smaller and low-cost brands. The companies combined manage up to 13 commercial brands, servicing some 30 million lines, both fixed broadband (over 7 million) and mobile (20.2 million) and pay-TV (1.5 million subs). The merger will bring a brand and […]

March 10, 2022From David Del Valle in Madrid

Amazon set for EU approval of MGM buy

Amazon is expected to win EU antitrust approval for its $8.5 billion (€7.6bn) buy of MGM, reports Reuters. The MGM acquisition would bring a movie library and franchises including James Bond and Rocky. It also licenses content for video games, which could benefit Amazon’s development efforts in that area. The Federal Trade Commission is also […]

March 9, 2022

Fitch: Orange, MásMóvil merger neutral to ratings

Orange Spain’s intention to merge its Spanish operations with MásMóvil in Spain will be neutral for the rating but will attract high EU competition and regulatory scrutiny due to resulting market consolidation, reports Fitch. Orange and MásMóvil have announced that they have entered into exclusive discussions to combine their businesses in Spain to create a […]

March 9, 2022