DMGT has agreed to purchase The Telegraph for £500 million, forming a major right-leaning media group in the UK. This deal follows RedBird Capital Partners’ withdrawal of its bid for The Telegraph due to regulatory delays and internal opposition. The acquisition will allow DMGT to repay RedBird’s prior investment and comply with the UK’s Foreign State Influence regime. DMGT expects a quick finalization of the deal, which will not involve foreign state investment.
Read More
Senior White House officials have reportedly favored a Paramount-Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, with discussions including potential programming changes at CNN. Larry Ellison, Paramount’s largest shareholder, allegedly discussed removing CNN hosts disliked by Donald Trump, like Erin Burnett and Brianna Keilar, and replacing them with CBS assets. These informal conversations, though not in any official capacity, highlight the intense interest in the deal, and Paramount’s bid could be smoothed by White House support, and current regulatory scrutiny is considered unlikely. Other contenders in the deal include Netflix and Comcast.
Read More
John Q. Hosedrinker