Top Gear and Radio Times magazine owner on for £300m sale May 8, 2016 Immediate Media, the publisher of some of Britain’s most popular magazines like Radio Times and Top Gear, is rumoured to be on sale for £300m. According to the Sunday Times, the publisher’s private equity owner Exponent is interviewing advisers for handling the sale that is expected to be completed before the summer. One of Britain’s [...]
Why the EU referendum should not be used as a scapegoat to explain falling M&A activity May 5, 2016 Barack Obama probably dealt with a wide array of important issues during his recent UK visit, but it’s doubtful anyone noticed. Only one subject dominated, and that was the US President’s views on Brexit. So loud is the discourse surrounding the EU referendum that, as was the case with President Obama’s visit, it threatens to [...]
Read all about it: More blows traded as USA Today publisher Gannett tries to take over its rival May 5, 2016 Numerous blows have been traded between two US newspaper publishers as one seeks to take over the other. USA Today publisher Gannett today reiterated its call for shareholders of Tribune to pressure its board into considering an $815m (£556m) offer. Gannett, which also owns UK regional newspaper publisher Newsquest, made the takeover bid for Tribune, publisher [...]
Why 2016 is already the worst year for collapsed M&A deals in the US May 5, 2016 The collapses of five $10bn-plus valued deals this year have led to unprecedented levels of cancelled mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in the US. Some $378.2bn (£260.8bn) worth of US-targeted deals have been been called off so far this year, according to Dealogic. Read more: The bitter pill of America's new tax law This is up 64 [...]
After Intercontinental Exchange rules out bid, here are the next challenges for the London Stock Exchange-Deutsche Boerse merger May 5, 2016 With the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) out of the picture, analysts covering the London Stock Exchange-Deutsche Boerse merger are turning their attention to other challenges facing the deal. Antitrust, a potential Brexit, interest from other rivals and shareholder approval are among the "hurdles" now being faced. Exane BNP Paribas analysts believe there is more than half a chance the [...]
Megabrew: AB InBev-SABMiller deal bubbles along down under May 5, 2016 The so-called megabrew deal between Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller took a step closer to becoming a reality today, after it received a thumbs up from Australia's antitrust watchdog. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has said it will not oppose AB InBev's takeover of SABMiller, concluding the proposed £71bn tie-up would be unlikely to result in rocketing [...]
Charter Court Financial Services auction sunk by Brexit fears May 4, 2016 The auction of Charter Court Financial Services has collapsed due to concerns over the impact of a Brexit on the UK housing market. Bidders were told the sale process has been abandoned in recent days, it was first reported by Sky News. BC Partners, Varde Partners and Warburg Pincus were among the buyout firms interested [...]
Why there’s a sunny future for solar M&A in UK, with deals volume booming May 4, 2016 Solar deal activity is on the rise, with £11bn of investment in UK projects since 2013, according to new research. UK Renewable Energy Finance 2016, a report from Clean Energy Pipeline and law firm TLT, found a 14 per cent increase in tracked deals last year, with a total acquisition value of £1.6bn. And the first [...]
Exchange wars: London Stock Exchange shares plunge after American rival rules out bid to disrupt Deutsche Boerse merger May 4, 2016 The Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) traded blows with the London Stock Exchange (LSE) today as it ended plans to bid for its UK rival. ICE, which owns the New York Stock Exchange, blamed LSE executives for showing a “disappointing level of engagement”. But the LSE hit back with a statement indicating it had played by the [...]
Report commissioned by Channel 4 argues privatising broadcaster would be “overwhelmingly negative” May 4, 2016 Privatising Channel 4 would be “overwhelmingly negative” and could attract a maximum £500m, according to a new report commissioned by the broadcaster. The government is currently considering whether to sell off the channel, which is publicly owned but privately funded. Culture secretary John Whittingdale recently talked up the prospect of selling Channel 4, saying it [...]