Paris – International entertainment entities Banijay Group and Zodiak Media have agreed terms to unite their complementary catalogues and production units. With revenues of around US$1 billion, the merger creates one of the world’s biggest independent production and distribution companies and the largest not controlled by a media group. At the closing, Stéphane Courbit will be named Chairman and Marco Bassetti will be appointed CEO of the merged company. The new Group, which … [Read more...] about Banijay Group and Zodiak Media agree merger
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Facebook to acquire WhatsApp
Menlo Park, California – Facebook announced on February 19 that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire WhatsApp, a rapidly growing cross-platform mobile messaging company, for a total of approximately US$16 billion, including US$4 billion in cash and approximately US$12 billion worth of Facebook shares. The agreement also provides for an additional US$3 billion in restricted stock units to be granted to WhatsApp’s founders and employees that will vest over four years … [Read more...] about Facebook to acquire WhatsApp
Comcast buys Time Warner Cable
Philadelphia & New York – Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq:CMCSA)(Nasdaq:CMCSK) and Time Warner Cable (NYSE:TWC) announced on February 13 that their Boards of Directors have approved a definitive agreement for Time Warner Cable to merge with Comcast. The agreement is a friendly, stock-for-stock transaction in which Comcast will acquire 100 percent of Time Warner Cable’s 284.9 million shares outstanding for shares of CMCSA amounting to approximately $45.2 billion in equity value. … [Read more...] about Comcast buys Time Warner Cable
Liberty Global to acquire Ziggo
Denver and Utrecht, Netherlands – Liberty Global plc (“Liberty Global”) and Ziggo N.V. (“Ziggo”) have announced that they have reached a conditional agreement (the “Merger Protocol”) on a recommended offer (the “Offer”) pursuant to which Liberty Global will acquire Ziggo in a stock and cash transaction valuing Ziggo at approximately €10.0 billion ($13.7 billion). In … [Read more...] about Liberty Global to acquire Ziggo
Breaking: Australia’s FOXTEL and AUSTAR set to merge after regulator ACCC gives green light
FOXTEL and AUSTAR will join forces to create a national subscription television service for all consumers after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) today accepted an undertaking from FOXTEL and green lit the transaction to merge the companies. The transaction is subject to final Federal Court approval on 13 April. The ACCC said today it had accepted a set of undertakings offered by FOXTEL in order to facilitate the merger process. On 30 March 2012, AUSTAR … [Read more...] about Breaking: Australia’s FOXTEL and AUSTAR set to merge after regulator ACCC gives green light