US multiplay telco AT&T and TPG Capital, the private equity platform of global alternative asset firm TPG, have closed their transaction establishing a new company named DirecTV. This new company will own and operate the DirecTV, AT&T TV and U-verse video services previously owned and operated by AT&T. DirecTV had approximately 15.4 million premium video […]
Liberty Global has revealed its Q1 2021 financial results which show that its convergence strategy added +80,000 broadband and +146,000 post-paid mobile subscribers. CEO Mike Fries stated: “As we continue to execute through the challenges of Covid-19, we’re hopeful that better and safer times lie ahead for our employees and our customers. While the well-being […]
Although the planned merger combining Virgin Media and O2 is still subject to approval by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK, Liberty Global and Telefónica have announced their intention to appoint Lutz Schüler as Chief Executive Officer and Patricia Cobian as Chief Financial Officer of the proposed 50-50 joint venture. Schüler joined […]
Media group RTL’s largest business unit, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, is to acquire the outstanding 50 per cent shareholding in digital entertainment company Super RTL, having signed a binding agreement with its current joint venture partner, BVI Television Investments, Inc., a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. This will take RTL Group’s shareholding in Super RTL […]
BBC Studios and ITV have revealed that their SVoD joint venture BritBox is to launch in South Africa in the second half of 2021. The service will expand into its fifth worldwide territory, following successful launches in the US & Canada, the UK and, most recently, Australia. In 2020, BritBox announced a global roll out […]
In a further move consolidating ownership of the European tower sector, with 5G rollouts picking up speed, Deutsche Telekom and wireless telecommunications infrastructure specialist Cellnex Telecom have signed an agreement to merge their respective Dutch mobile communications infrastructure companies into Cellnex Netherlands BV (Cellnex NL). Both companies will also become anchor investors in the newly […]
Digital UK, the joint venture which leads the operations and strategy of UK DTT platform and Freeview service, has confirmed that broadcast network infrastructure and transmission services provider Arqiva will stand down as a shareholder in the Company from March 2021. The remaining shareholders – the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 – will now have […]
The news that Eutelsat is completely ending its already strained relationship with Viasat prompted one analyst to update clients on the position. Viasat will now own 100 per cent the Euro Broadband Infrastructure (EBI). Giles Thorne (media analyst at Jefferies) was blunt: “The curtain comes down on Viasat’s disastrous first steps into European broadband. Eutelsat […]
Eutelsat is selling its majority share in its Euro-Broadband joint venture with Viasat. Eutelsat is reorganising its Ka-band broadband-by-satellite strategy over Europe. It owned a 51 per cent stake in Euro-Broadband with Viasat of California holding 49 per cent. Eutelsat will receive an “initial consideration” of €140 million for its stake. This sum could be […]
Korean telco SK Telecom and Deutsche Telekom have entered into an agreement to establish a 5G technology joint venture. They will each hold 50 per cent of the joint venture and each will name one representative to lead the new entity. The joint venture will be headquartered in Germany. Through the joint venture, the two […]