Advanced Television

Exane/BNPP

MFE wants control of ProSiebenSat.1

Berlusconi family-controlled MediaForEurope (MFE) is looking to take majority control of German commercial broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1. MFE filed its formal notification at Austria’s Federal Competition Authority (Bundeswettbewerbsbehörde) on December 13th. The filing talks about the “acquisition of de facto sole control” of the German media business. Investment bank Exane/BNPP suggests this could be a difficult move […]

December 20, 2022By Chris Forrester

Bank: “Prosus top pick for 2023”

On December 5th, Netherlands-based media conglomerate Prosus will hold a Capital Markets Day (along with its major backer Naspers) and it has prompted investment bank Exane/BNPP to issue a note to clients which – in summary – says that Prosus is set to emerge from the crises [of the past few years] stronger and is […]

November 30, 2022

Bank: Torrid time for China internet sell-offs

China, despite plenty of challenges, has traditionally been a robust performer for internet and related activity. But October 24th saw a “severe sell-off” according to analysts at investment bank Exane/BNPP. In trading on October 25th there was something of a recovery following the earlier dramatic declines. But the hard numbers on the falls did not […]

October 26, 2022By Chris Forrester

Eutelsat+OneWeb: “Disappointing valuation” says bank

Investment bank Exane/BNPP, in a comprehensive report on the proposed merger between satellite operator Eutelsat and Low Earth Orbit constellation OneWeb, says the “increase in interest rates, inflation, the war in Ukraine, [OneWeb] Gen 2 funding requirements all suggest a bit of patience could have improved the financial outcome for minority shareholders… but the new […]

July 29, 2022

Analyst: “Eutelsat+OneWeb makes strategic sense”

A flash note to investors from investment bank Exane/BNPP and analyst Sami Kassab says that the much rumoured Eutelsat/OneWeb ‘merger’ would make strong strategic sense as it would constitute the first LEO+GEO broadband satellite network in the world. “We believe that multi-orbit systems offer a sustainable competitive advantage as they offer the most attractive bandwidth […]

July 25, 2022

Bank: “China gaming regulations shifting to new phase”

China’s National Press and Publication Administration, which controls how video games are permitted, licensed and supervised in China, recently approved 67 new games for domestic distribution. Tencent saw one of its associated local developers, iDreamsky, gain approval for its Eternal Return game. But there were no imported games in the list and this is the […]

July 19, 2022By Chris Forrester

Naspers decision: Tencent down, Prosus up

Tencent’s share price in Hong Kong fell back 1.5 per cent on June 28th, but Prosus NV stock jumped 10 per cent on the Amsterdam market while shares in Naspers (on the Jo-berg market) rose 13 per cent on the decision by Naspers to buy back its own stock for cancellation. Prosus/Naspers CEO Bob van […]

June 29, 2022

Bank: “Difficult to make Starlink work financially”

Technically, Elon Musk’s Starlink is working well. Musk’s generous supply of free Starlink terminals to fighters and military logistical technicians in Ukraine is both praiseworthy and a clear example as to how emergency supply of equipment can be managed. But making Starlink work for a global audience is a different – and major – problem, […]

June 15, 2022

Report: Video game sales down 8% in April

As the world’s lockdowns end, the Video game sector is suffering commensurately. According to NPD, US total spending on video games (content, hardware, accessories) decreased by -8 per cent in April. NPD suggests that the Christmas/New Year holiday period showed disappointing results. For example, December’s sales were down 1 per cent compared with 2020 and […]

May 17, 2022By Chris Forrester

French Senate eyes tougher plurality rules

French broadcasting rules and obligations are probably the toughest in Europe, and are likely to become even more rigid. The French senate has published a report on media concentration, which some observers say was prompted by the merger proposals between TF1 and M6 and the Vivendi take-over bid of Lagardère. A report to clients from […]

April 4, 2022