Ofcom has submitted a public interest report to the Government on the proposed acquisition of Sky by 21st Century Fox. On March 16th 2017, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport issued a European intervention notice, which asked Ofcom to report on public interest considerations in respect of plans by 21st Century Fox […]
Private equity investor TPG’s $450 million (€404m) investment in Vice Media has valued the group at $5.7 billion. Vice’s investors include WPP, 21st Century Fox, Disney and A&E. The privately owned company does not reveal its financial performance but has claimed two years ago that revenues were $1 billion, although it later emerged this figure included […]
Intelsat is to issue debt notes amounting to $1.5 billion, with interest of 9.75 per cent and due for repayment in 2025. The cash raised – described as ‘junk bonds’, will be used to redeem existing outstanding debt that was due for redemption in 2019. However, the core debt levels at Intelsat remain at about […]
MTG is acquiring 100 per cent of US games publisher and developer Kongregate from current owner GameStop Corp. for an Enterprise Value of $55 million (€49.3m). The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and completion of certain other closing conditions. San Francisco based Kongregate was founded in 2006 and has 80 employees. Kongregate started as […]
SES has a significant problem with its AMC-9 satellite which serves the US and Mexico and the Caribbean. The craft was launched in June 2003. SES says it is working closely with the manufacturer (Alcatel/Thales) to establish the cause of the anomaly and is “evaluating all satellite recovery options”. The full impact of the anomaly […]
The Spanish Supreme Court has ruled that private pay-TV, FTA TV and telco operators must finance the public broadcaster RTVE via a government-imposed financial tax, rejecting various appeals against the law that was approved in 2009. The ruling is in line with the decision of the EU Court a year ago when it came to […]
Telstra chairman John Mullen has confirmed that the telco will maintain its access to Australian pay-TV platform Foxtel’s content under a new ownership structure for the pay-TV group, which is expected to see Foxtel retain a significant holding in the company. Interviewed by The Australian, Mullen said Telstra was “very committed” to Foxtel but remained […]
Major satellite operator Intelsat has cautioned the market that revenue and income for this year will be lower than expected. Intelsat cites a slower-than-anticipated take-up of capacity on its new ‘Epic’ fleet of High Throughput Satellites. Intelsat says it expects EBITDA to fall by $23 million to around $1.655 billion. Revenue expectations are trimmed to […]
Samba TV has raised $30 million (€26.85m) to develop its audience measurement and analytics from smart TV business. The B round was lead by Union Grove Venture Partners, other participants include Disney, Interpublic Group, MDC Ventures, Time Warner, and A+E Networks. “Samba is bringing unparalleled transparency into TV audiences through trusted insights and precise targeting […]
Ira Gladnikoff is stepping up to become Head of Viaplay with immediate effect. Gladnikoff is replacing Jonas Karlén, who joined MTG in 2008 and has been leading Viaplay since 2015 and has decided to leave the company. Gladnikoff joined MTG in 2015 and has been instrumental in developing Viaplay as the video streaming service of choice […]