Media Mergers and Acquisitions

IN Statistics | 27/09/2012
MEDIA MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
(MARCH 2011- JULY 2012)
 
S/N
COMPANY
BUYER
SELLER
PERCENT-AGE OF STAKE BOUGHT (IN %)
INVESTED AMOUNT
IN INR (CRORES)
MONTH & YEAR OF M&A
OTHER DETAILS
USEFUL LINKS
PRINT MEDIA
1
India Today Group
Aditya Birla Group
Living Media (India Today Group)
27.5
NA
May 2012
The stake is being purchased through IGH Holdings Private Ltd, an investment company of industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla-led business conglomerate. After such transfers, the subsidiaries and associate firms of Living Media would include TV Today Network, ITAS Media, Today Retail Network, Today Merchandise, Harper Collins, Mail Today Newspapers, India Today Online, Universal Learn Today, Integrated Databases India and Automotive Exchange Pvt Ltd.
2
Dainik
Bhaskar
Group's 50% stake in
Diligent
Media Corp
Essel Group
DB Corp
50
NA
May 2012
Launched in 2005 by Diligent Media Corporation, DNA (Daily News & Analysis) is a broadsheet published in the English language from Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Jaipur, Bangalore and Indore in India.
Essel bought Bhaskar Group’s entire stake in the JV (joint venture).
 
 
3
Private Ltd- Naidunia
Media
Limited
is its sub
sidiary
Dainik Jagran
Nai Dunia
100
300 (Estimated)
 
 
April 2012
 
 
 
 
4
BBC
Worl
dwide-
World
wide
Media
Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd (BCCL)
BBC
50
46.7
August 2011
The JV was formed eight years ago and has under its umbrella a bouquet of brands and magazines such as Femina, Filmfare, GRAZIA, HELLO!, BBC TopGear, BBC Good Homes and Lonely Planet, among others.
 
 
 
5
Divya
Prabhat Publication
D B Corp
Divya Prabhat Publication
60
1.2
July 2011
Divya Prabhat runs Prabhat Kiran, an afternoon newspaper in Madhya Pradesh
 
 
6
Jagran
Praka
shan
Limited
(JPL)
Blackstone Group
Jagran Prakashan Limited (JPL)
12
225
April 2011
Blackstone GPV Capital Partners (Mauritius) V-Q Ltd had invested Rs 225 crore in accordance with various government approvals. It took 18 months for a green signal from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board. Jagran Media Network Investment Pvt Ltd is JPL's holding company, holding a stake of 59.46 per cent.
 
 
 
 
NEWS CHANNEL
7
NDTV
Oswal Green Tech
NDTV
14.7
24
December 2011
Oswal Green Tech is a chemical and fertilizer company
 
 
GENERAL ENTERTAINMENT CHANNEL
8
B4U Tele
vision
Network
India
 Private
Limited
Eros International
B4U Television Network India Private Limited
76
284
April 2012
Eros already owns 24% stake in the television network, but has not exercised significant influenceover the company. Eros will purchase the 76% it does not currently own.
 
 
9
UTV Soft
ware Com
mu
nications
Walt Disney
UTV Software Communi
cations
49.56
242
February 2012
Disney first acquired a 14.9 percent stake in UTV for about $15 million in 2006. Subsequently in 2008, Disney upped its stake to 32.1 percent for about $230 million, which also gave Disney a 15 percent stake (valued at about $30 million) in UTV’s broadcasting unit UTV Global Broadcasting Limited. Last year, Disney upped its stake to 50.44 percent in UTV, leaving co-founder Ronnie Screwvala and three other backers holding a 19.82 percent stake. 
 
 
 
10
UTV Sof
tware Commu
nications
Reliance Capital
UTV Software Commu
nications
66
NA
December 2011
Reliance Capital, Anil Amban’s company bout 66% in UTV that runs Bloomberg UTV which was UTV founder Ronnie Screwwala’s stake
 
 
SPORTS CHANNEL
11
ESPN-
StarS
ports
News Corp
Disney Media Networks
50
NA
June 2012
16 year partnership with Walt Disney and ESS ended with this deal. ESPN Star Sports operates 28 broadcast networks in 24 Asian countries, including a number focused on cricket.
 
 
 
REGIONAL CHANNEL
12
MAA Television Network
 
Sony Pictures Television
 
MAA Television Network
30
NA
April 2012
MAA Television Network Limited (MTN), which runs a network of Telugu television channels including the entertainment channel MAA TV, music channel MAA Music, MAA Movies and MAA Junior.
13
Eenadu Group
Netwo
rk18
Reliance India Limited
The deal between RIL and Network18 aims to raise funds for the acquisition of the ETV channels through a rights issue, to be funded by the independent media trust, set up by RIL.
2100
January 2012
Reliance Industries and Network 18 group joined hands for a multi-layered deal, under which the Mukesh Ambani-led corporate giant would sell a part of its interest in Eenadu TV channels and would also fund promoters of the media group. Network 18 and TV18 would raise about Rs 4,000 crore including Rs 1,700 crore contributions of the promoters. TV18 acquired 100 per cent stake in regional news channels, 50 per cent in non-Telugu entertainment channels and 24.5 per cent interest in two Telugu channels.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
14
Metronation Chennai Television Limited
Educa
tional Trustee Company Pvt Ltd
New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) and Kasturi and Sons Ltd (publisher of The Hindu newspaper)
100
(49% from Kasturi & Sons and 51% from NDTV)
15
October 2011
NDTV, which operates NDTV 24X7, NDTV India, NDTV Profit and NDTV Good Times, owneds 51 per cent stake in the venture, with the remaining 49 per cent lying with Kasturi and Sons. Kasturi and Sons owns a number of publications such as The Hindu, The Hindu Business Line, The Sportstar and Frontline.
 
 
 
15
 
 
Asianet
News Network (ANN)
Kannada Prabha Public
ations
Asianet
51
NA
July 2011
Kannada Prabha is the New Indian Express Group’s leading Kannada daily newspaper.
 
 
LIFESTYLE CHANNEL
 
16
NDTV
Astro All Asia Networks Plc. (Astro)
NDTV Lifestyle Holdings Pvt Ltd
49
185
March 2011
NDTV sold 49% of its stake for $40 million (about Rs 180 crore) in its arm NDTV Lifestyle Holdings Pvt Ltd (NLHPL) to Astro All Asia Networks Plc. Last September, the company had announced it had entered into a strategic alliance with South Asia Creative Assets Ltd (SACAL), a subsidiary of Astro All Asia Networks Plc, for lifestyle channels in India.
 
The agreement envisaged SACAL acquiring a 49 per cent stake in NLHPL in two tranches in the proposed holding company for NDTV Lifestyle Ltd— the lifestyle subsidiary of NDTV.
 
 
 
 
 
 
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