25/07/2014

BSkyB Plans To Create European Pay-Television Giant

The owner of Sky News plans to create a European pay-television giant that will more than treble the company's potential customer base.

Announcing its full-year results on Friday, BSkyB confirmed that it had reached a deal with 21st Century Fox (21CF) to acquire its 100% interest in Sky Italia and 57.4% stake in Sky Deutschland in deals worth a combined £5.3bn.

The transactions will propel BSkyB into market-leading positions in five countries, including three of the four largest pay-TV markets in Europe, and provide a platform to sell a diverse range of entertainment products in some of the Continent's wealthiest economies. They will also give the company access to markets in Germany and Italy, where seven out of ten homes have yet to sign up to pay-TV services.

(CD/JP)

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