Sinclair Broadcast Group acquires Tribune Media Company for approximately $3.9 Billion

SinclairThe Sinclair Broadcast Group has acquired 100% of Tribune Media Company’s issued and outstanding shares for $43.50 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $3.9 billion, plus the assumption of approximately $2.7 billion in net debt.

Under the terms of the agreement, Tribune stockholders will receive $35.00 in cash and 0.23 shares of Sinclair Class A common stock for each share of Tribune Class A common stock and Class B common stock they own. The total $43.50 per share consideration represents a premium of approximately 26% over Tribune’s unaffected closing share price on February 28, 2017, the day prior to media speculation regarding a possible transaction; approximately 14% over Tribune’s 30-day volume weighted average closing stock price; and approximately 8% over Tribune’s closing share price on May 5, 2017, the last trading day prior to today’s announcement.

Tribune owns or operates 42 television stations in 33 markets, cable network WGN America, digital multicast network Antenna TV, minority stakes in the TV Food Network and CareerBuilder, and a variety of real estate assets. Tribune’s stations consist of 14 FOX, 12 CW, 6 CBS, 3 ABC, 2 NBC, 3 MyNetworkTV affiliates and 2 independent stations.

Chris Ripley, President and CEO of Sinclair, said, “This is a transformational acquisition for Sinclair that will open up a myriad of opportunities for the company. The Tribune stations are highly complementary to Sinclair’s existing footprint and will create a leading nationwide media platform that includes our country’s largest markets. The acquisition will enable Sinclair to build ATSC 3.0 (Next Generation Broadcast Platform) advanced services, scale emerging networks and national sales, and integrate content verticals. The acquisition will also create substantial synergistic value through operating efficiencies, revenue streams, programming strategies and digital platforms.”

USA, Baltimore, MD & Chicago, IL

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ITV acquires US TV production company Thinkfactory Media

itvITV plc is acquiring a controlling stake in Thinkfactory Media, a US producer of reality, entertainment and drama, including the Emmy award-winning Hatfields & McCoys. Based in Los Angeles, the company was founded by Emmy-nominated Producer, Leslie Greif. Think Factory Media produces programming in most genres for television including:  features, unscripted series, documentaries, mini-series, branded entertainment projects, concerts, music specials and various movies of the week.

thinkfactorymedia

ITV will pay an upfront cash consideration of $30m for a 65% stake in Thinkfactory Media, with a put and call option to buy theremaining 35% of the company. The put and call option could be exercised from between 3 years after the initial deal and at the end of year 5 with the total amount paid linked to the performance of the company over that period.  ITV says that the multiple paid is similar to the range paid on their previous acquisitions.

UK, London & USA, Losa Angeles, CA

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Gannett to acquire television company Belo

gannettInternational media business Gannett is to acquire television company Belo in a deal that nearly doubles Gannett’s broadcast portfolio.

Gannett will acquire all outstanding shares of Belo for $13.75 per share in cash, or approximately $1.5 billion, plus the assumption of belo$715 million in existing debt for an enterprise value of approximately $2.2 billion. The transaction, which has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies, represents a 28.1 percent premium to the closing price of Belo common stock on June 12, 2013.

Belo Corp. owns and operates 20 television stations and their associated websites.  Belo stations, which include affiliations with ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and the CW, reach more than 14 percent of U.S. television households.

The Company anticipates that the transaction will generate approximately $175 million in annual run-rate synergies within three years after closing.  The transaction valuation implies a 9.4x average 2011/2012 EBITDA multiple prior to synergies, and a 5.4x multiple assuming expected synergies.

Gracia Martore, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gannett, said, “We are thrilled to bring together two highly respected media companies with rich histories of award-winning journalism, operational excellence and strong brand leadership.  We have been successfully transforming Gannett into a diversified multi-media company with broadcast, digital and publishing components across high-growth markets nationwide, and this is another important step in the process.  It will significantly improve our cash flow and financial strength, enabling us to quickly pay down debt while remaining committed to disciplined capital allocation.  By enhancing our portfolio with one of the largest, most geographically diverse and network-balanced TV station groups in the country, the new Gannett will be well positioned to lead innovation, bolster our existing growth initiatives and take advantage of new opportunities in the emerging digital media landscape.”

USA, McLean, VA & Dallas, TX

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CBS Corporation acquired the rest of TV Guide Digital

CBSCBS Corporation has wholly acquired TV Guide Digital, which includes the  TVGuide.com and TV Guide Mobile properties. In March Fusion DigiNet reported that CBS took over the TV Guide stake held by One Equity Partners, the private-equity arm of J.P. Morgan Chase, which owned 49% of the company, with the option to buy another 1%. CBS was said to be paying about $100 million for the 49% stake.

Under the terms of the new deal, CBS Corporation has acquired the remaining 50 percent stake in TV Guide Digital shares from tvguide_logo_tatLionsgate. CBS and Lionsgate’s 50/50 partnership for the highly distributed TVGN cable network, announced on March 26, will continue.

TVGuide.com and the TV Guide Mobile apps will become part of CBS Interactive’s Technology, Games and Lifestyle group.

“TV Guide is one of the most-enduring and iconic brands in the world of television and video, and we’re proud to welcome TV Guide Digital to the CBS Interactive family,” said Jim Lanzone , President of CBS Interactive. “TVGuide.com and TV Guide Mobile have the biggest and most-engaged audiences in the valuable TV information category, making them a perfect fit for our portfolio of premium content brands.”

USA, Los Angeles, CA & San Francisco, CA

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CBS acquires 50% of TV Guide

CBS Corp. is acquiring 50% of of TV Guide, the company that encompasses TVGN (formerly TV Guide Network) and TVGuide.com.

CBS is taking over the TV Guide stake held by One Equity Partners, the private-equity arm of J.P. Morgan Chase, which owned 49% of the company, with an option to buy another 1%. CBS is said to be paying about $100 million, less than the $122 million OEP spent in June 2009. CBS joins TVGN co-owner Lionsgate Entertainment.

“This is a strategic way for CBS to use its content brands and gain access to a highly distributed basic cable network that has a lot of upside,” said Leslie Moonves, President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS Corporation. “Lionsgate, led by my friend Jon Feltheimer, is a forward-thinking content company and a great partner for us here. We’re excited to bring CBS’s programming and production assets to the venture, and work with Lionsgate to rebrand and grow a channel that will be increasingly valuable to our carriage partners.”

USA, Los Angeles, CA

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News Corporation sells stake in Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings

News Corporation’s wholly-owned subsidiary Star Entertainment Holdings Limited is to sell an approximately 5.28 percent stake in Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings Limited for approximately $92 million. Following the sale, Star Entertainment Holdings Limited’s total ownership stake in Phoenix will be reduced to approximately 12.16 percent.

James Murdoch, Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Chairman and CEO, International, News Corporation, said, “Mr Liu Changle and Phoenix’s accomplishments in the media industry in China are remarkable. We believe the company’s strong position in all of the segments in which it operates, combined with the country’s robust consumer market, will continue to drive growth. Today’s sale is simply a part of our broader global agenda of simplifying our affiliate ownership structures.”

Hong Kong

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News Corporation to sell its stake in SKY New Zealand

newslimitedNews Corporation‘s News Limited subsidiary is going to divest its 44% stake in New Zealand’s largest subscription based broadcasting company SKY Network Television Limited.

News Limited has appointed Deutsche Bank to underwrite and, together with Craigs Investment Partners, tosky nz manage, the sales of its SKY shares. It is expected that the shares will be sold to a broad range of institutional and retail investors. Following the sales, News Limited will no longer have any holding in SKY Network Television Limited.

Chase Carey, President and Chief Operating Officer, News Corporation said: “SKY is a world class subscription television business and has been an outstanding investment for News Corporation. We and SKY have always enjoyed an excellent, arms-length working relationship and we expect this to continue unaffected by the sale. In particular, we do not anticipate any change to current arrangements regarding access to content and collaboration on technology.”

As a result of the sale, Michael Miller, Regional Director of News Limited, will resign from the board of SKY.

Australia, Sydney & New Zealand, Auckland

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ITV plc final results for the year ending December 31, 2012.

ITV plc has announced its final results for the full year ending December 31, 2012.itv

Full results details

Highlights

  • External revenues up 3% to £2,196m (2011: £2,140m), with growth in all areas of the business
  • Total non-NAR revenues up £114m, 12%, to £1,036m (2011: £922m)
  • ITV Studios revenues up £100m, 16%, to £712m (2011: £612m)
  • ITV Family NAR flat, outperforming the TV advertising market
  • Online, Pay & Interactive revenues up 26% to £102m
  • Delivered £30m cost savings
  • EBITA before exceptional items up 13% to £520m (2011: £462m)
  • ITV Studios EBITA up 29% to £107m (2011: £83m)
  • Broadcast and Online EBITA up 9% to £413m (2011: £379m)
  • Adjusted PBT up 17% to £464m (2011: £398m)
  • Adjusted EPS up 16% to 9.2p (2011: 7.9p)
  • Positive net cash of £206m (2011: £45m)
  • Board has proposed a final dividend of 1.8p (2011: 1.2p) giving a full year dividend of 2.6p (2011: 1.6p), and a special dividend of 4.0p, worth £156m
  • Positive start to 2013 with Q1 advertising expected to be up 5% and continued strong demand for ITV Studios content.

Adam Crozier, ITV Chief Executive, said:

“We’re now almost three years into our Transformation Plan and our strong performance is delivering growth right across ITV, enabling us to build a stronger and more balanced business.

UK, London

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InterMedia Partners and Azteca Acquisition Corporation to merge their Spanish-language media companies

intermediaInterMedia Partners are to merge Cine Latino and InterMedia Español Holdings, which includes WAPA America and WAPA TV, with Azteca Acquisition Corporation in a transaction valued at approximately $400 million. InterMedia currently owns Cinelatino with Cinema Aeropuerto, S.A. de C.V., an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Grupo MVS, S.A. de C.V., and James McNamara. The new company will be called Hemisphere Media Group, and will be a pure-play U.S. Hispanic TV/cable networks and content platform.

Following completion, Peter Kern, Managing Partner of InterMedia, will serve as Chairman of Hemisphere cinelatinoMedia Group. Alan J. Sokol, Senior Partner of InterMedia will become Chief Executive Officer. Craig Fischer, who works with Sokol at InterMedia, will become Chief Financial Officer. Gabriel Brener, CEO of Azteca Acquisition Corporation, and Sokol will become Directors of the new company.

Hemisphere will be headquartered in Miami, Florida.

Summary of the transaction

Under the terms of the proposed business combination, Azteca, WAPA and Cinelatino will each become indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries of Hemisphere. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement,

  • each share of Azteca common stock will be converted into one share of Hemisphere Class A common stock (which will be entitled to one vote per share);
  • the outstanding membership interests of WAPA and the outstanding common shares of Cinelatino common stock will be converted into an aggregate of 30.0 million shares of Hemisphere Class B common stock (which will be entitled to ten votes per share), valued at approximately $300 million, plus an additional 3.0 million shares of Hemisphere Class B common stock subject to certain forfeiture provisions if the market price of Hemisphere Class A common stock does not reach certain levels, and $5 million in cash;
  • 250,000 shares of Azteca common stock held by certain Azteca officers will be cancelled and an additional 250,000 shares held by the Azteca sponsor will be subject to forfeiture if the market price of Hemisphere Class A common stock does not reach certain levels; and
  • in exchange for cash consideration, all current holders of Azteca’s warrants will be asked to amend their warrants such that there will be approximately 50% less Hemisphere Class A common stock issued upon warrant exercise.

The Hemisphere Class A common stock and Hemisphere Class B common stock issued in the business combination will have the same rights and obligations, except that Hemisphere Class A common stock will be entitled to one vote per share while the Hemisphere Class B common stock will be entitled to ten votes per share. Assuming no redemptions by Azteca stockholders and no repurchases by Azteca of Azteca common stock from the public stockholders, immediately following the consummation of the business combination, current Azteca stockholders (including Azteca’s founders) will own approximately 27% of Hemisphere and the WAPA Member and Cinelatino stockholders will own, together, approximately 73% of Hemisphere immediately following the closing (excluding the shares subject to forfeiture provisions and Azteca warrants).

Hemisphere intends to apply for listing of the shares of Hemisphere Class A common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market.

Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Maxim Group LLC are acting as capital markets and financial advisors to Azteca Acquisition Corporation. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is acting as financial advisor to InterMedia Partners. Greenberg Traurig, LLP is acting as legal advisor to Azteca Acquisition Corporation, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is acting as legal advisor to InterMedia Partners. Stan Budeshtsky is acting as a consultant to Azteca Acquisition Corporation.

USA, New York, NY & Miami, FL

 

Al Jazeera Acquires Current TV

al-Jazeera-0021Qatar based Al Jazeera has acquired US cable network Current TV. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, however, analysts have estimated the deal could have been worth up to $500 million (Source).

Current TV was launched in 2005 by former US Vice President Al Gore and fellow Democrat Joel Hyatt centred on featuring a mixture of user generated content and original programming. With this approach the network achieved only disappointing ratings, prompting a shift towards traditional programming in 2009. Later movements towards becoming a more progressive news channel have brought typical viewer figures of around 42,000.

Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani, director general of Al Jazeera, said in a statement “by acquiring Current TV, Al Jazeera will significantly expand our existing distribution footprint in the US, as well as increase our newsgathering and reporting efforts in America.”

Al Jazeera has continued that it will eventually replace Current TV’s programming and plans to use the acquisition to create Al Jazeera America (separate from Al Jazeera English), enabling it to allow its programming to reach more than 40 million US households, compared to the 4.7 million today. Furthermore, Al Jazeera will open bureaus in the US in addition to those already existing in New York, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago, doubling its US based staff.

Qatar, Doha & US, San Francisco, CA