NBC Universal has agreed to acquire Sparrowhawk and its global portfolio of pay TV channels, including the international Hallmark Channels, from Providence Equity Partners, 3i and management shareholders. The announcement was made by Jeff Zucker, President and CEO, NBC Universal and David Elstein, Chairman, Sparrowhawk Media. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but a […]

Dubai Investment Group (DIG has acquired through its subsidiary Dubai Ventures, a 40 per cent stake in Time Broadband Services, India's newest IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) service provider. Having extensive technical and managerial experience in the telecom sector through its investments in Maltacom and Tunisie Telecom, DIG is well positioned to leverage its expertise and […]

Telekom Austria Group has bought the interactive TV voting company Mass Response Service GmbH (MRS) from the Dutch company Twister Media Group for around E19.5 million as part of its plans to expand its television business. MRS, which among other shows is responsible the voting for the Eurovision Song Contest, reported a turnover in 2006 […]

From David Del Valle in Madrid The Spanish football TV war between Sogecable and Mediapro, main shareholder in commercial channel La Sexta, prevented viewers outside of Spain from watching the Madrid derby game live on Saturday evening. The opening weekend of the season was in chaos as several games were embroiled in the dispute. As […]

Virgin Media chief executive Steve Burch was frozen out of the company’s sale process for two and a half months before his exit this week, according to a company filing with the SEC. “Since June 7, 2007, Burch has not communicated with any adverse party,” the company said in a filing with the US regulator […]

From David Del Valle in Madrid With TV football broadcasts in the air, Sogecable and Mediapro are intensifying their respective attacks. Sogecable has accused Mediapro of pirating the TV signal to offer football matches with no legal TV rights to them. Mediapro has soon reacted by offering for free the commercial channel La Sexta, in […]

Belgacom reported profit that beat analyst estimates for the second quarter on higher sales of high-speed Internet access and raised its forecasts for mobile-phone and fixed-line revenue. Net income rose 12 per cent to E245 million a share, from E219 million a year earlier. The rising profit seems to validate Belgacom’s strategy of expanding its […]

A consortium including Macquarie Bank's South Korean private equity arm and MBK Partners is set to acquire a 30 per cent stake in the country's second biggest cable TV group and targeting the remaining shares. Macquarie Korea Fund has signed a preliminary deal to purchase the stake from Goldman Sachs for about $650m (E479m), and […]

The turbulent 10-months at Alcatel Lucent has claimed two senior victims. Mike Quigley, the Australian once tipped to be chief executive of the French group, and Frank D'Amelio, the former Lucent executive who was put in charge of integrating the two companies, had both resigned, the company said. D'Amelio is leaving to become chief financial […]

The Office of Fair Trading will make its decision on whether to review contracts rights renewal by the end of summer. With the start of the TV trading season – which will see advertising deals struck between broadcasters and media agencies for 2008 – starting next month, any decision to review CRR is unlikely to […]