Liberty Media

Liberty Ends Talks on Possible Deal for WorldSpace

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 17, 2010 - 8:20am.
Silver Spring, Md. - Liberty Satellite Radio, a unit of John Malone's Liberty Media (NASD: LINTA), said on Wednesday that it has called off talks regarding a possible "transaction" with WorldSpace, leaving the international satellite radio provider in financial limbo.

Sirius XM Raises $800M in Notes Offering; Will Pay Off Debt

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 15, 2010 - 9:28am.
Washington - Satellite radio firm Sirius XM (NASD: SIRI) said that it has raised $800 million though an offering of senior notes, due in 2015.

Liberty Media Looks to Boost Live Nation Stake to 34.9%

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 26, 2010 - 7:45am.
Englewood, Colo. - Liberty Media (NASD: LINTA), the media conglomerate controlled by John Malone, whose holdings include Starz, Overture Films and QVC, on Tuesday announced its intention to increase its stake in the newly merged Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) by purchasing up to 34.5 million shares.

Liberty Names Former HBO Head Albrecht as Starz CEO

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 22, 2009 - 11:03am.
Englewood, Colo. - Liberty Media (NASD: LINTA) announced on Tuesday that it has named former HBO (NYSE: TWX) chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht as the new president and CEO of its Starz pay-TV programming unit. Robert B. Clasen is set to retire as chairman and CEO of Starz at the end of the year. Albrecht spent over 20 years at HBO, before resigning in 2007 shortly after being arrested and charged with assaulting a girlfriend.

Liberty's Fanball Buys Fantasy Sports Assets of F+W Media

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 19, 2009 - 7:35am.
St. Louis - Fanball, a unit of Liberty Media (NASD: LINTA) that provides online fantasy sports contests and related services, announced on Wednesday that it has acquired the fantasy sports assets of F+W Media.

DirecTV to Merge With Liberty Media's Entertainment Unit

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 4, 2009 - 7:30am.
El Segundo, Calif. - Satellite TV operator DirecTV (NASD: DTV) announced on Monday that it plans to mere with the entertainment unit of Liberty Media (NASD: LINTA), which will be spun off into a separate, publicly-traded company. The deal will give John Malone's Liberty Media a 54% controlling stake in DirecTV, up from 48% prior to the transaction.

Sirius XM to Adopt 'Poison Pill' Stockholder Rights Plan

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 30, 2009 - 9:18am.
New York - Sirius XM Radio (NASD: SIRI) said on Thursday that its board has approved a "poison pill" plan that would complicate any potential hostile takeover bids for the company.

Sirius XM Averts Bankruptcy Through Deal with Liberty Media

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 17, 2009 - 8:16am.
Washington - Averting possible bankruptcy, satellite radio provider Sirius XM (NASD: SIRI) on Tuesday reached an 11th-hour deal with Colorado-based Liberty Media (NASD: LINTA), which has agreed to loan the company $530 million in exchange for preferred shares convertible into a 40% equity stake. The deal allows Sirius XM to immediately repay $171.6 million in notes -- mainly owned by Liberty's chief rival, EchoStar (NASD: SATS) -- that were due on Tuesday.

Sirius XM Scrambles to Avoid Bankruptcy; Exchanges Notes

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 13, 2009 - 9:08am.
New York - Satellite radio firm Sirius XM (NASD: SIRI) said on Friday that it is scrambling to avert the possibility of having to declare bankruptcy next week.

N.Y. Times: DirecTV Owner in Talks with Sirius XM

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 12, 2009 - 8:47am.
Washington - Just five days before the company's $175 million debt payment comes due, Sirius XM (NASD: SIRI) has entered talks with Liberty Media (NASD: LCAPB) that the satellite radio provider hopes could keep it out of bankruptcy, The New York Times reported. The talks could set up a situation in which Liberty, the majority owner of DirecTV, wages battle with fellow satellite TV firm EchoStar (NASD: SATS), the owner of Dish Network, for control of Sirius XM.

Liberty Media to Spin-Off Entertainment Group

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 15, 2008 - 11:25am.

Englewood, Colo. - John Malone's Liberty Media Corp. (NASD: LINTA) on Monday announced that its board has authorized a plan to spin-off its Liberty Entertainment group, which holds a majority stake in DirecTV, GSN, Fun Technologies and Liberty Sports Holdings. "We believe a new asset-backed security will reduce the discount from fair value in our stock, thereby making it a more attractive currency, and will permit us to better pursue our strategic objectives," said Liberty Media president and CEO Greg Maffei.

Liberty Media to Spin Off Entertainment Business

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 3, 2008 - 7:21am.

Englewood, Colo. - Liberty Media (NASD: LINTA) announced on Wednesday that it plans to split off its Liberty Entertainment group, which includes the company's stakes in DirecTV, Starz, FUN Technologies, GSN, WildBlue Communications and Liberty Sports, into a separate public company.

Useful Networks Buys Mobile Games Firm KnowledgeWhere

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 13, 2008 - 7:32am.

Denver - Useful Networks, a unit of Liberty Media (NASD: LINTA) that develops location-based services for mobile phones, announced on Wednesday its acquisition of Canada-based KnowledgeWhere, a developer of location-aware mobile games, advertising and developer-enablement programs.

Starz Shutters Vongo Service, Shifts to White-Label Offerings

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 12, 2008 - 9:19am.

Los Angeles - Vongo, the Web video-on-demand service launched by Liberty Media's (NASD: LINTA) Starz unit back in 2006, is being shut down at the end of next month, according to a note on the website.

WSJ: Liberty Open to Deal for AOL Dial-Up Business

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 12, 2008 - 7:34am.

New York - Liberty Media (NASD: LINTA), the Colorado-based video and online commerce firm that owns QVC, would be open to exchanging its 2.8% stake in New York-based Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) for the dial-up Internet business of AOL, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. Liberty said that turning its Time Warner stake into a "cash-generating asset" would be "attractive," but added that no such deal is currently on the table.

Starz, Manga Entertainment Shows Added to iTunes Store

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 25, 2008 - 11:12am.

Burbank, Calif. - Liberty Media's (NASD: LINTA) Starz Media said on Tuesday that it has added programming from Starz Entertainment and Manga Entertainment to Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iTunes Store. The company added shows including Starz's "Head Case" and "Hollywood Residential," as well as Manga's "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" and "Tokko."

Electronic Arts, Starz Media Team on "Dead Space" Feature Film

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 24, 2008 - 10:50am.

Redwood City, Calif. - Video game developer and publisher Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS) announced on Monday that it has partnered with Liberty Media's (NASD: LINTA) Starz Media unit to develop an animated movie prequel to its sci-fi game "Dead Space."

Liberty Media Acquires Controlling Stake in Bodybuilding.com

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 7, 2008 - 8:38am.

Englewood, Colo. - Liberty Media (NASD: LINTA), which owns interests in a broad range of media and entertainment companies, announced on Monday that it has acquired a controlling stake in Bodybuilding.com, a fitness site and retailer of sports nutrition products.

Liberty Media to Acquire FUN Technologies for $94 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 9, 2007 - 7:37am.

Toronto - John Malone's Liberty Media (NASD: LINTA) said on Friday that it will acquire Toronto-based FUN Technologies, a provider of online casual and fantasy sports games and sports information, in a deal valued at about $94 million.

Starz Media Launches Manga.com Entertainment Site

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 26, 2007 - 12:54pm.

Los Angeles - Manga Entertainment, a unit of Liberty Media's Starz Media, on Friday announced the launch of Manga.com, a site that will feature streaming video, product-related information and other editorial content on Japanese manga. The site will offer original entertainment, as well as clips from Manga Entertainment's library, which includes TV and movie titles such as "Ghost in the Shell," "Ninja Scroll" and "Street Fighter."