Acquisitions

Sprint Nextel, Clearwire Form $14.5 Billion WiMax Company

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 7, 2008 - 8:55am.

Reston, Va. - Following months of negotiations, Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S) said on Wednesday that it will combine its WiMax business with that of Clearwire. The resulting $14.5 billion company, which will retain the name Clearwire, will focus on deploying the first nationwide mobile WiMAX network, which promises wireless speeds comparable to those of broadband. The companies also said they have landed $3.2 billion in investments toward the project from Intel Capital, Google (NASD: GOOG), Comcast (NASD: CMCSA), Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWX) and Bright House Networks.

Atari Shares Delisted from Nasdaq

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 9, 2008 - 7:52am.

New York - Video game publisher Atari (NASD: ATAR), which last week agreed to merge with its major shareholder, France-based Infogrames, announced on Friday that the Nasdaq has delisted its shares, effective today.

Circuit City: Icahn Could Acquire Company if Blockbuster Can't

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 9, 2008 - 7:38am.

Richmond, Va. - One month after revealing an unsolicited $1 billion takeover bid from Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI), consumer electronics retailer Circuit City (NYSE: CC) said on Friday that it will open its books to the video rental giant in preparation for a potential acquisition.

dotMobi Acquires Mobile Browsing Technology from Mowser

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 9, 2008 - 7:04am.

San Mateo, Calif. - dotMobi, a provider of Internet addresses for mobile phones, said on Friday that it has acquired the technology assets of Mowser, a developer of mobile Web browsing technology.

Live Universe Acquires TV Listings, Video Site MeeVee

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 8, 2008 - 11:51am.

Los Angeles - Live Universe, the company started by MySpace founder Brad Greenspan, has acquired MeeVee, a provider of TV and online video listings, for an undisclosed sum, TechCrunch reports.

Mobile Entertainment Distributor PlayPhone Merges with Pitch

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 7, 2008 - 7:57am.

San Jose, Calif. - PlayPhone, a mobile entertainment content distributor, announced on Wednesday that it has merged with U.K.-based Pitch Entertainment Group.

Buzznet Acquires Web Music Community Absolute Punk

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 6, 2008 - 8:47am.

Hollywood, Calif. - Buzznet, a music-focused social media community, on Tuesday announced that it has acquired yet another music site, this time purchasing alternative music Web zine Absolute Punk for an undisclosed sum. The deal follows Hollywood-based Buzznet's recent acquisitions of music blogs Stereogum and Idolator, and a $25 million round of financing earlier this year from investors that included Universal Music Group.

Mobile TV Firm ROK Buys IPTV Provider Jalipo for $16.8 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 6, 2008 - 8:02am.

London - ROK Entertainment Group, a provider of mobile TV delivery technology, announced on Tuesday that it has acquired Jalipo Ltd, a U.K. provider of IPTV services, through the issuance of 600,000 ROK shares in a transaction valued at about $16.8 million.

Men's Web Network CraveOnline Acquires Two Hockey Sites

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 5, 2008 - 8:16am.

Los Angeles - CraveOnline, a male-focused network of entertainment sites, announced on Monday that it has acquired two hockey-related sites, HockeysFuture.com and HFBoards.com.

WSJ: AOL Could Emerge Winner of Failed Microsoft-Yahoo Deal

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 5, 2008 - 7:43am.

New York - AOL (NYSE: TWX) could emerge as the big winner of this weekend's failed mega-deal between Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) and Yahoo (NASD: YHOO), with both companies potentially seeking to acquire the Time Warner unit in their efforts to better compete with Internet ad leader Google, The Wall Street Journal reported. "Both companies may turn their attention to the struggling Internet business, providing Time Warner Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes with a possible exit strategy," The Journal reported.

Microsoft Abandons Three-Month Battle, Drops Bid for Yahoo

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 5, 2008 - 7:37am.

Redmond, Wash. - Shares of Yahoo (NASD: YHOO) fell 15% by late Monday, two days after Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) withdrew its $47.5 billion takeover bid for the company. A deal, which had been more than three months in the making, appeared to be close to fruition last week, when Microsoft agreed to raise its offer by $4 a share -- roughly $5 billion -- to $33 a share. According to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, however, Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang rejected the deal, insisting the offer be raised to at least $37 a share.

Ticketmaster Buys VIP Ticketing Services Firm SLO

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 1, 2008 - 8:33am.

West Hollywood, Calif. - IAC's (NASD: IACI) Ticketmaster announced on Thursday that it has acquired the assets of SLO Limited, a provider of VIP ticketing services to major touring artists and special events.

Infogrames to Acquire Rest of Atari for $11 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 1, 2008 - 8:21am.

Lyon, France - Video game publisher Infogrames, the largest shareholder in New York-based Atari (NASD: ATAR), announced on Thursday that it will acquire the rest of the Atari's outstanding shares for $11 million, or $1.68 per share.

XM, Sirius Extend Merger Deadline As FCC Decision Looms

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 1, 2008 - 7:30am.

Washington - Still awaiting approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), XM Satellite Radio (NASD: XMSR) and Sirius Satellite Radio (NASD: SIRI) have agreed to extend their merger deadline, which otherwise would have expired on May 15.

tags: Deals | Radio | Music | Sirius | Acquisitions | FCC | XM |

Shareholders Approve Macrovision Deal for Gemstar-TV Guide

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 30, 2008 - 12:13pm.

Santa Clara, Calif. - Four months after first announcing plans to acquire Gemstar-TV Guide (NASD: GMST), Macrovision (NASD: MVSN), a provider of anti-piracy technology and informational databases, said that shareholders from both companies have now approved the $2.3 billion deal.

Social Bookmarks Site Mister Wong Acquires Lifestream.fm

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 30, 2008 - 8:13am.

Los Angeles - Mister Wong, a Germany-based social bookmarks site, has acquired Lifestream.fm, a service that allows users to aggregate RSS feeds from various social media sites, Mashable.com reports.

Zodiac Interactive Sells Mobile Content Search Engine Zodigo

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 30, 2008 - 7:52am.

Valley Stream, N.Y. - Zodiac Interactive, whose interactive TV software has garnered the company an Emmy award, announced on Wednesday that it has sold its Zodigo mobile content search engine through a management buy-out led by Matt Johnston, formerly Zodiac SVP of strategy and CEO of Zodigo.

XM, Sirius Delay Annual Meetings Pending Merger

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 29, 2008 - 7:13am.

Washington - With their merger possibly on the brink of completion, XM Satellite Radio (NASD: XMSR) and Sirius Satellite Radio (NASD: SIRI) both announced on Tuesday that they would both postpone their annual meetings. The two companies continue to await a decision on the deal by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

tags: Deals | Radio | Music | Sirius | Acquisitions | FCC | DOJ | XM |

Sonic Solutions Buys PhotoShow Developer Simple Star

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 29, 2008 - 7:03am.

Novato, Calif. - Sonic Solutions (NASD: SNIC), a provider of digital media software, announced on Tuesday that it has acquired the assets of Simple Star, the developer of PhotoShow, an application that lets users create multimedia files from photos and videos.

Cox Acquires Adify Online Ad Network for $300 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 29, 2008 - 6:47am.

Atlanta - Cox Enterprises, the owner of a cable TV and broadband provider, newspapers, television and radio stations, announced on Tuesday that its Cox TMI unit will acquire Adify, a provider of vertical online advertising. While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, PaidContent pegged the price tag at around $300 million, and reports that Adify saw revenues of $7 million last year and is expected to pull in $35 million in 2008.