Murdoch in ITV takeover spoiler
Print storyWhen billionaires attack
Posted in Financial News, 20th November 2006 11:18 GMT
Tune into our application security webcast, click here
It emerged over the weekend that media bounder Rupert Murdoch had bought up a slice of ITV, putting the kybosh on Richard Branson's dreams of moguldom.
Murdoch's son James, who runs BSkyB, told the City on Friday he had bought out US investment groups Fidelity and Brandes, bagging a 17.9 per cent stake in the commercial broadcaster.
Regulations prevent BSkyB from owning more than 20 per cent of ITV, so a full takeover is not on the cards. The covert swoop does cast doubt on ITV talks with cable operator NTL over a £9bn merger, however.
NTL's biggest shareholder Branson had given public blessing to a tie-up with ITV. He netted 11 per cent of NTL in the Virgin Mobile deal.
The move is being interpreted as BSkyB attempting to head off NTL's expansion into its content creation territory. The two firms already compete on broadband and TV service provision.
German broadcaster RTL, the third wheel in the ITV carve-up, already owns Channel 5, itself thought to be a Murdoch target. ITV shares grab the high ground for BSkyB in that tussle too.
In other news, Melbourne's Great Satan is in hot water stateside over one of his subs' publishing of outrageous O J Simpson opus If I Did It. The Guardian reports American media - including Murdoch's own Fox News - and bookstores have reacted with revulsion to Simpson's hypothetical graphic descriptions of his wife's not so hypothetical bloody murder. Wot he never done.
Poor taste doubtless, but the prospect of a Murdoch-influenced ITV throwing O J into the I'm a Celebrity... mixer gets our backing. ®
See what The Register's experts have to say on application security
Can Outsiders Enhance Exchange?
The future of SaaS and IT infrastructure management
Solving on-premise email challenges with on-demand services
The business case for application security
Reducing messaging and web security costs with managed services
Win a Samsung C6625!
Is your cameraphone an oxymoron?
Reg Mobile and Wireless newsletter is go! go! go!
Sign up, sign up for The Register IT security newsletter