Liberty, Discovery seek to buy 49 percent stake in Formula One: paper
(Reuters) - Liberty Global and Discovery Communications have made a joint approach to CVC Capital about buying a 49 percent stake in Formula One, the Telegraph reported, without citing sources. The talks are at an early stage but could value the auto-racing company at more than 6.5 billion pounds ($10.62 billion), the paper said on its website. (http://link.reuters.com/qev56vink)
Disney to lay off hundreds in gaming unit: report
(Reuters) - Walt Disney Co is preparing to lay off several hundred people in its interactive unit, the division that includes gaming products and the Disney.com website, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. The layoffs are expected to begin after Disney releases its quarterly earnings on Wednesday, the Journal said. Playdom, a social gaming business Disney acquired in 2010, is one division expected to see cutbacks, the newspaper said.
Despite rout, Super Bowl sets TV ratings record: Fox
(Reuters) - A record 111.5 million people watched the Fox network telecast of the Super Bowl on Sunday, keeping the NFL championship game ensconced as TV's perennial U.S. ratings champ despite the most lopsided game in 21 years. The Seattle Seahawks trounced the Denver Broncos 43-8, giving Seattle its first National Football League championship.
FilmOn X seeks role in Supreme Court arguments in Aereo case
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Online television service FilmOn X LLC is asking the Supreme Court to let it argue in behalf of competitor Aereo Inc, whose use of television broadcast signals is being challenged by the four major U.S. broadcasters. The case, to be argued in April, will determine whether both companies can continue with their practice of using network content without paying licensing fees.
Ergen to be in on LightSquared bankruptcy loan: court filing
New York (Reuters) - An investment vehicle owned by Dish Network Corp Chairman Charles Ergen is joining an existing lender group to extend $33 million in financing to bankrupt wireless company LightSquared, court filings show. LightSquared's equity owner, Phil Falcone's Harbinger Capital Partners, is fighting to keep control of the company in a messy bankruptcy. Ergen's investment vehicle has bought up much of LightSquared's debt, while Dish offered and later withdrew a $2.2 billion offer to purchase the company's spectrum, an offer Harbinger did not accept.
Ex-BBC chief Mark Thompson apologises for failed $170 million IT project
LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. media executive Mark Thompson apologized on Monday to the British public and parliamentarians for the failure of a 100 million pound ($170 million) digital project during his years of running the BBC. Thompson, who left the publicly funded broadcaster in 2012 to become chief executive at the New York Times Company, said the Digital Media Initiative (DMI) had failed and that meant "the loss of a lot of public money".
Budweiser scores buzz in Super Bowl ad battle
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Budweiser commercials about a returning soldier and a love-struck puppy emerged as winners in the high-stakes brand battle during football's Super Bowl, as advertisers used Hollywood stars and slick cars to woo consumers. The Budweiser ads took the two top spots in online buzz immediately following the game, according to iSpot, which tracks video views and social media comments. One showed a soldier coming home to a parade, and the other featured a Labrador puppy and the beermaker's famous Clydesdale horses.
Exclusive: Charter may raise Time Warner Cable bid within weeks -sources
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Charter Communications Inc is discussing raising its bid for Time Warner Cable Inc as soon as in the next two weeks, according to people familiar with the matter, a move that could pressure its reluctant rival ahead of a proxy deadline. Charter is considering a higher bid in the low $140s per share range, the people said on Friday, up from its current $132.50 per share offer that values the second-largest U.S. cable operator at $37.3 billion based on shares outstanding.
Actress Sienna Miller angry at British phone-hacking case details
LONDON (Reuters) - British actress Sienna Miller spoke on Friday of her anger that "titillating" information about her affair with James Bond actor Daniel Craig had been made public at the phone-hacking trial of a former Rupert Murdoch tabloid editor. The trial of Andy Coulson, who edited Murdoch's now defunct-News of the World Newspaper, has heard lengthy evidence this week about a voicemail message she left for Craig in 2005 which has taken center stage in the high-profile court case.
Canada strips former publisher Conrad Black of honors
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada has canceled two prestigious honors for Conrad Black, who once ran a newspaper empire stretching from the Chicago Sun-Times to Britain's Daily Telegraph and the Jerusalem Post but who ended up in U.S. prison for fraud. The government on Friday terminated his appointment as an officer of the Order of Canada, which recognizes a lifetime of high achievement and merit.
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