Murdoch family rejects approaches from Vodafone and Vivendi for 39% stake in Sky – report
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The Murdoch family has rejected bid approaches from Vodafone and Vivendi for Twenty-First Century Fox’s 39% shareholding in the FTSE-100 satellite television broadcaster Sky, The Sunday Telegraph reported.
The newspaper cited City sources who said Vivendi’s largest shareholder Vincent Bollore and the Murdoch family, Twenty-First Century Fox’s controlling shareholders, held informal talks in the spring regarding a possible tie-up that would have included assets in Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, and Italy.
It is thought that the talks did not lead to a deal due to the Murdoch family’s asking price of 1800p per share for its shareholding in Sky. That figure would be 73% higher than Sky’s closing share price of 1038p on Friday, 19 June, the item calculated.
The article went on to cite sources who said Vodafone informally approached the Murdoch family regarding a potential offer for Sky last year. The Murdochs demanded the same price and took the discussions no further, the report said.
It is believed that Twenty-First Century Fox and Sky’s boards did not discuss either of the two approaches, the article said.
The talks would prompt speculation that the Murdochs might launch a fresh attempt to acquire Sky outright, the item said, noting that the Murdochs tried to buy Sky in 2011. Political opposition in the UK forced the Murdochs to walk away at that time.
Sky’s market capitalisation stood at GBP 17.84bn (EUR 24.96bn) at the close of trading on Friday.
Source Sunday Telegraph