Shareholders of Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio voted to approve Sirius’ proposed $13.6 billion acquisition of XM. The companies signed an agreement in February for a deal that has drawn close regulatory scrutiny. Terms call for Sirius to pay 4.6 shares for each XM share. Analysts say it may still be difficult for […]
James Murdoch has ruled out swapping British Sky Broadcasting's stake in ITV for ownership of Five, RTL's UK channel. The satellite broadcaster, which has a paper loss of about £320 million (E463m) on its 17.9 per cent stake, may be forced by the Competition Commission to sell its stake. The Commission is expected to make […]
From David Del Valle in Madrid The Ministry of Industry and the Pro DTT Association, ImpulsaTDT, have signed an agreement to invest E6 million in the promotion of DTT to boost the DTT take-up during the Christmas campaign. Both parties will launch joint media campaigns and other marketing (sponsorship of conferences, events, fairs) to raise […]
Google’s proposed £3.1 billion (E4.49bn) purchase of DoubleClick will face an in-depth second-phase review, after the European Commission expressed concerns about competition issues. The European Commission’s Competition Unit will conduct the investigation under the EU Merger Regulation, after its initial market review indicated competition concerns in the online advertising and intermediation markets. The Commission now […]
The European Union is set to launch new reform proposals for the telecoms sector in a bid to increase competition and create a single market. Draft proposals are expected to include plans to create a regional watchdog and give Brussels greater power to change the decisions of national regulators. The plans, set to be announced […]
John Pluthero will assume management control of both the international and the Europe, Asia and US divisions of Cable & Wireless following the departure of Harris Jones, the international chief executive, this week. Richard Lapthone, group chairman, said Pluthero was the ideal choice to oversee the division now that the recovery phase in the Europe, […]
A report by the Federal Communications Commission is claimed to show that cable TV companies have reached a subscriber saturation point that may lead to the agency exerting greater regulatory authority over the industry. The finding is in an annual report that assesses competition in the pay-television market. The report will conclude that the agency […]
From David Del Valle in Madrid The Spanish Competition authorities has started legal proceedings against the recent alliance between the Spain’s largest pay-TV group Sogecable and Telefónica to launch a joint triple play offer and joinly negotiate with TV content providers. The National Council of Competition (CNC) argues that there is evidence of an abuse […]
Four buyout firms have been shortlisted in the race to buy British private equity firm Cinven’s 35 percent stake in French cable operator Numericable. The firms selected – PAI Partners, TPG Capital, Carlyle and Providence – must now submit a firm offer within a month, a fifth firm could still be added to the shortlist. […]
EchoStar Communications Corporation reported total revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter ended September 30, a 12.9 percent increase compared with $2.48 billion for the corresponding period in 2006. Net income totaled $200 million for the quarter compared with $140 million in 2006. DISH Network added approximately 110,000 net new subscribers during the third quarter […]