The British pay-TV group BSkyB, in which the Australian tycoon Rupert Murdoch holds 39,5%, communicates that he has started negotiations with 21 Century Fox, another company of the Murdoch group, for the purchase of Sky Germany e Sky Italy.
If the operation takes place, Murdoch could create a large European pay-TV network. However, the group cautions that discussions have not progressed beyond the preliminary stage, and that no agreement has been reached on the "terms, value or structure" of the deal, and that there is no "certainty" that such will occur transaction.
If BSkyB buys 57% of 21 Century Fox as desired, it would have to launch a takeover bid on the remaining shares under German law.
“This combination could potentially create a global pay-TV behemoth,” BSkyB said in a statement. On Friday Bloomberg, citing sources close to the dossier, had written that such an operation could be worth around 10 billion euros.
