UK publisher snaps up shopping comparison business from Down Under August 16, 2016 Magazine publisher Future has announced the acquisition of an Australian and south east Asian digital shopping comparison business. The UK company behind Tech Radar and PC Gamer has completed a deal for Next Commerce. The acquisition comes shortly after Future announced a £14.2m takeover deal for fellow UK publisher Imagine. Read more: Magazine publisher imagines bright future with £14.2m [...]
Disney interest? Third parties? Bidding wars? Here’s what analysts think will happen to Peppa Pig owner Entertainment One August 15, 2016 Analysts have named Walt Disney, Vivendi, Lionsgate and Studio Canal as possible suitors for Peppa Pig owner Entertainment One. EOne’s share price was trading at 251p on Monday – up more than 25 per cent from below 200p at the beginning of last week. [stockChart code="ETO" date="2016-08-15 16:40"] This rise has come after the board [...]
Competition emerges for ITV in pursuit of Peppa Pig owner EOne August 14, 2016 Private equity giant KKR is said to be considering a bid for Peppa Pig owner Entertainment One. News of the interest comes after ITV had a £1bn bid for EOne rejected last week. Read more: Peppa Pig maker turns down £1bn takeover offer KKR held talks with EOne’s main shareholder, Canadian pension fund CPPIB, before ITV’s [...]
Microsoft splashes cash on video game streaming startup Beam August 11, 2016 Microsoft is getting in on the live games streaming action with its latest acquisition. The tech giant – fresh from snapping up LinkedIn in a $26bn (£20.1bn) deal – has acquired Beam, a Seattle-based startup which live streams video games. Read more: YouTube has launched its own live gaming service It will be rolled into Microsoft's Xbox operations, and [...]
Deutsche Boerse turns attention to regulation after cementing shareholder support for London Stock Exchange merger August 10, 2016 Deutsche Boerse has announced a “major milestone” in its quest to complete a merger with the London Stock Exchange. The German exchange said more than 75 per cent of shares have now been tendered in support of the deal. The firm had already received the 60 per cent support necessary. Read more: More European opposition, this [...]
Ministry of Sound investment: Sony Music acquires London Grammar label August 10, 2016 Sony Music UK has announced the acquisition of label Ministry of Sound Recordings. Founded in 1993 as an extension to the South London nightclub Ministry of Sound, the label boasts a roster including London Grammar, DJ Fresh, Sigala, Jodie Abacus, Louis Berry, MIAMIGO and Moss Kena. Read more: Imogen Heap believes blockchain technology could save [...]
More M&A experts think Brexit vote could spark overseas interest in UK firms August 8, 2016 Nearly a quarter of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) partners and dealmakers at Deloitte believe the Brexit vote could boost UK inbound activity. When Japan’s SoftBank announced a £24.3bn deal for UK chip maker Arm, some M&A experts suggested that British companies could become attractive takeover targets post-Brexit vote, with the pound’s value falling against the dollar. [...]
UK private equity buyout activity comes through Brexit vote unscathed in July August 8, 2016 UK private equity buyout activity has been unharmed by the Brexit vote, new research suggests. Over the course of July, 16 such deals were recorded by Unquote researchers – ahead of 15 tracked in the same month last year. July was also the second most active month for private equity-backed buyouts this year, behind 19 [...]
London-listed publisher Quarto books takeover deal for US company August 8, 2016 London-listed book publisher Quarto Group has announced the acquisition a US company. Quarto said its subsidiary, Quarto Publishing Group USA, has agreed a takeover deal for Becker&Mayer from McEvoy Group, an independent trade publishing firm. Quarto said the deal is worth at least $9.8m (£7.5m), which will be combined with a working capital adjustment payment [...]
N-ice: Melrose shares jump a cool 13 per cent as it closes in on air conditioning deal August 8, 2016 Shares in Melrose Industries shot up a cool 13 per cent today – as the London-listed turnaround group closed in on completing its takeover deal for a US air conditioning company. Melrose today announced that the “shop window period” on its deal for Nortek expired on 6 August without a superior offer being made. Read more: Cold [...]
