EUROPEAN TELEVISION
Sky investors popping champagne after auction drama
London — Shares in UK broadcaster Sky soared on Monday after US cable giant Comcast outgunned Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox in a dramatic auction for the pan-European TV operator. In midday deals, Sky shares surged 8.68% to £17.22 on London’s falling FTSE 100 index, after Comcast successfully bid £30.6bn, or £17.28 per share, in a blind auction held on Saturday. Fox, which already owns 39% of Sky, had offered £15.67 per share to value the total group at £27.6bn. Management at Sky has recommended that its shareholders "immediately" accept the Comcast bid, which it described as "an excellent outcome". The heart-stopping auction drama was the climax to a long-running battle for control of Europe’s biggest pay-TV provider. 'Popping the champagne' Interactive Investor analyst Rebecca O’Keeffe said: "Sky shareholders are popping the champagne after this weekend’s bidding auction valued the company at eye-watering levels." The takeover tussle comes as global players such as Comcast and...
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