Liberty Global


Virgin Media hires ex-News Corp boss Tom Mockridge

Former News International CEO Tom Mockridge is set to take the CEO role at Virgin Media, replacing current boss Neil Berkett after the closing of Liberty Global’s buyout of the business. Mockridge, who spent more than two decades at News Corp before stepping down from its newspaper arm in December, will report to Liberty Global […]

MTG appoints Virgin exec to Viasat COO role

Modern Times Group (MTG) has appointed former Virgin Media executive Aleks Habdank as chief operating officer of Viasat Broadcasting’s pay-TV and emerging markets operations. Habdank, who is due to take up his new role on May 7, will manage Viasat Broadcasting’s pay-TV channel operations in Central and Eastern Europe, and develop its pay-TV business in […]

Liberty Global ‘ups Ziggo stake’

Liberty Global has increased its stake in Dutch cable operator Ziggo from 12.65% to 15% according to Dow Jones’ newswires. The increase, revealed in a filing with Dutch stock market regulator AFM today, comes after Warburg Pincus completed its exit from ownership of Dutch cable operator Ziggo last week. The private equity groups sold its […]

Kabel Deutschland shares spike on Liberty rumour

Shares in Kabel Deutschland rose sharply yesterday on reports that Liberty Global may be preparing a bid for the leading German cable operator. According to business title Manager Magazin, Liberty Global aims to pre-empt Vodafone, which has reportedly been interested in acquiring the operator. While a bid for KDG would attract the attention of the […]

Europe approves Liberty-Virgin Media buyout

The European Commission has green-lit Liberty Global’s planned buyout of Virgin Media, claiming the deal would not raise competition concerns. The €17.2 billion (US$22.5 billion) acquisition, which will bring together Europe’s largest cable operator and the second-largest pay TV operator in the UK, was cleared today under EU merger regulations. The commission said that the […]

Europe approves Liberty-Virgin Media buyout

The European Commission has green-lit Liberty Global’s planned buyout of Virgin Media, claiming the deal would not raise competition concerns. The €17.2 billion (US$22.5 billion) acquisition, which will bring together Europe’s largest cable operator and the second-largest pay TV operator in the UK, was cleared today under EU merger regulations. The commission said that the […]

Liberty buys 12.7% Ziggo stake

Liberty Global has paid roughly €632.5 million (US$808.3 million) for a 12.65% stake in the Netherlands’ largest cable operator Ziggo. Through the deal, Liberty has acquired 25.3 million Ziggo shares from Barclays Capital Securities for €25 per share, giving it an almost 13% stake based on the shares outstanding as of December 31, 2012. Commenting […]

Liberty boss says Murdochs approve of Virgin deal, dismisses Netflix threat

Rupert and James Murdoch both approve of Liberty Global’s takeover of Virgin Media and understand the need for competition in the UK market, LGI’s CEO Mike Fries said late yesterday. Fries added that under LGI’s control, Virgin Media will not compete with BSkyB for premium sports rights. In a keynote address at the Cable Congress […]

The Style Network preps date with Virgin Media

Fashion and entertainment channel The Style Network has secured carriage on Virgin Media in the UK. The channel will launch on the cable platform, which is in the throes of being acquired by Liberty Global, on March 6. It will be channel 285 on the Virgin Media EPG. Style is run by Universal Networks International, […]

Liberty Global-Virgin Media benefits limited say analysts

While Liberty Global’s acquisition of Virgin Media will create scale and moderately improve the cable giant’s debt-to-EBITDA ratio, synergies created by the deal will be limited, according to Moody’s. The credit ratings agency also believes Liberty Global will retain the ability to do more acquisitions going forwards, but argues that consolidation of central and eastern […]