Discovery Communications has expanded its web presence with the acquisition of online knowledge repository HowStuffWorks for an estimated $250 million (E176m). Discovery will use HowStuffWorks to showcase its existing footage, uploading programme clips into entries on the site. It also plans to create a HowStuffWorks-branded series to air daily on Discovery Channel from next summer. […]

Eagle Broadband, a national provider of IP products and services, has completed an asset purchase agreement with Nighthawk Systems whereby Nighthawk purchased all rights, title, and interest in Eagle Broadband’s set-top box business. As part of this sale, the team of set-top box engineers and support staff formerly with Eagle has now become employees of […]

Channel 4 has held talks with Emap about taking full control of Box Television – owner of seven music channels on digital television platforms such as Freeview, including Kerrang!, Kiss, Q and The Hits, the UK's most popular music channel. The broadcaster, which bought half of Emap's music television division in July for £28 million, […]

NBC Universal has agreed to pay $925 million (E652m) for Oxygen Media, the independent cable television channel for women launched seven years ago by talk-show host Oprah Winfrey. It marks NBC's latest move to tap into the cable sector. Executives hope they can cross-promote NBC’s traditional broadcast network, cable services and Internet portals, and believe […]

Richard Desmond, owner of the UK's Daily Express newspaper, has confirmed plans to sell a majority stake in his adult television business, assumed to be a prelude to an IPO of the newspaper business. The plans for a placing of shares in Portland Television, which is responsible for pay TV channels ranging from Red Hot-branded […]

BBC Worldwide has bought a majority stake in travel guide company Lonely Planet. The corporation’s commercial arm has acquired a 75 per cent stake in the privately owned company. The Lonely Planet operation will boost BBC Worldwide’s travel output, which includes over 500 hours of travel programming such as Michael Palin’s New Europe and Planet […]

Germany’s Deutsche Telekom has concluded a deal to buy Dutch mobile phone and broadband Internet operator Orange Netherlands from France Telecom for E1.3 billion. Deutsche Telekom said it expects the combination to result in savings of about E1 billion over the next few years. About half of those savings would be generated in the first […]

Greg Maffei, CEO and president of Liberty Media, said his company’s deal with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. to gain control of DirecTV will give real market leverage to the Liberty’s media distribution holdings – but it’s unlikely the Government would let Liberty merge DirecTV with EchoStar. Analysts have speculated that such a merger could succeed […]

EchoStar Communications has agreed to acquire Sling Media in a deal that values the maker of the Slingbox device at $380 million (E279m). The price is payable in cash and EchoStar options. Slingbox devices allow users to watch their home TV signals on any Internet-connected computer.”As an early investor in Sling Media, EchoStar has been […]

Configurable processor specialist ARC International has bought multimedia IP developer Alarity Corporation, for £2 million (E2.9 million) in cash. The bulk of Alarity’s development team is based in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the 40 strong group focuses on codec software, firmware, and advanced multimedia architectures.