Company
Sky Plc
LON:SKY
Sky plays an important role in the British TV and radio landscape. It brings us entertainment, information and sport through mass programme distribution, and also provides telecoms and Internet services.
285 stories · page 1 of 3
Sky streaming launch steps up competition with BT and Virgin Media
With popular channels like Sky Sports, Cinema, Entertainment will not be included in the basic deal, Joshua Lamb questions the benefits of the new service
BT dividend hike seen as unlikely by analysts as telecoms firm tackles costs, pensions and debt
“With the combined pension and net debt position a rather daunting £16.1bn, it’s hard to see the new CEO raising the dividend in May’s full years,” said George Salmon, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown
ITV higher as Liberum Capital suggests STV deal with Sky pointer to retransmission fee agreement
Liberum's analysts said they believe such a deal between ITV and Sky would lead to a material – around 15% plus - uplift to the FTSE 100-listed broadcasters' consensus earnings
BT and other broadband providers face clampdown over pricing under new Ofcom rules
Ofcom has launched a review into broadband pricing practices over concerns customers are paying more than they should
European Commission seeks input on investigation into Disney pay-TV commitments
The watchdog said it was concerned that clauses in contractual deals between six film studios, including Disney and Sky, could prevent programmes being shown across borders
Archive
US midterm elections, Primark, Morrisons and Imperial Brands make for busy day ahead
The day ahead will see Americans go to the polls to vote in the midterm elections but closer to home the focus is on financials from AB Foods, Morrison's and Imperial Brands
Sky's contracts with Disney at risk after Comcast takeover
Berenberg said: "Disney missed buying Sky and competes with Comcast. Disney now doesn’t have any incentive to renew its programming deals with Sky unless it’s on extremely good financial terms”
FTSE 100 closes lower as sterling gains on BoE rate comments
The bank suggested there could be a faster pace of hikes if the UK gets a smooth Brexit deal
Archive
No change expected from Bank of England on 'Super Thursday' despite Budget optimism
Aside from the BoE interest rate decision, the Day Ahead will also bring updates from the likes of BT Group, Royal Dutch Shell, Smith & Nephew, Shire, Just Eat, and Indivior
CMA clears Sky Betting takeover by Canadian peer Stars Group
Stars will buy Sky Bet, the firm behind the Sky Vegas and Sky Casino brands, creating the largest publicly-listed online gaming company in the world
James Murdoch steps down from Sky board after Comcast completes takeover
Comcast now owns 76.84% of Sky after successfully outbidding Fox in an auction to take over the broadcaster last month
UK culture minister urges Comcast to ensure Sky News independence after takeover
"We want to make sure (Comcast is) committed to Sky News in the long term and committed to its editorial independence," culture minister Jeremy Wright said
Archive
Fevertree's ejection from the "Mindless Momentum" portfolio suggests the market is losing its fizz
The latest refresh of the blue-chip version of the "Mindless Momentum" virtual portfolio indicated that the number of really big gainers (50% or more over the last year) is on the wane.
Hardware & electrical equipment
Gfinity scores Premier League egaming tournament deal
The ePremier League starts in January 2019 with every Premier League club represented, with the final due to take place in London in March 2019
Bye bye Sky - Comcast's £30bn acquisition of the satellite broadcaster looks set to close early
Last week the American media giant agreed to buy a 39% stake in the satellite broadcaster from under-bidder 21st Century Fox
Comcast completes fourth largest bond sale ever to fund Sky deal
Comcast's bond sale is the fourth largest in corporate history behind issues from CVS Health Corp, Verizon Communications Inc and Anheuser-Busch InBev NV
Comcast to end Sky share purchases in the market after taking controlling stake
Comcast outbid Fox in a £27.9bn auction of Sky at the weekend
Fox and Disney to sell shares in Sky to Comcast
Fox was outbid by Comcast in an auction of Sky on Saturday
Investments and investor services
Fox and Disney to sell shares in Sky to Comcast
Disney is to buy Fox's entertainment assets, including its stake in Sky, but has opted to sell this holding rather than remain a minority stakeholder
Sky bobs higher as Comcast reveals 30% holding after making market purchases, makes offer mandatory
The crossing of the 30% threshold means that the US cable giant must now offer to buy out other Sky investors at its offer price of 1,728p per share
Investments and investor services
US stocks end lower as markets weighed by China cancelling trade talks with Washington
President Donald Trump has now started the 10% tariffs on $200bn of Chinese goods
FTSE 100 closes in the red as trade tariffs kick in
The UK blue-chip index lost almost 32 points at 7,458
Sky set to be acquired by Comcast for £30.6bn after Fox trumped in sealed-bid auction
Comcast bid 1,728p a share for control of the FTSE 100-listed firm, trumping a 1,567p-a-share offer by Fox, the UK Takeover Panel announced on Saturday
FTSE 100 surges higher as Brexit talks reach impasse; pound plunges
Around 4pm, the UK bluechip index was 109 points higher at 7,476, just easing back from the session peak of 7,495 after a strong week
Archive
Sky goes up for auction to end heavy week for company results
The UK's takeover panel said the bidding process will transfer into an auction phase from 5pm tomorrow until Saturday evening
Sky is not the limit, says UBS, as it downgrades the pay-TV giant to neutral
The bid battle might, perhaps, have made for a good mini-series in the style of "Dallas"; all it needs is an episode called "who custard-pied Rupert Murdoch?"
‘Sealed bids’ auction for Sky draws near as investors hold out for more money
If Sky’s two suitors, Fox and Comcast, don’t confirm their best and final offers by the end of this week, the UK Takeover Panel will hold a rare auction
Sky invests US$2mln in US-based content supply chain solutions provider SDVI
The company provides a cloud-based service that helps media companies manage resources and applications across their content supply chains, as well as analytics software
Sky could be up for auction if Takeover Panel intervenes in Comcast-Fox bidding war
Comcast and Fox have been battling it out to secure ownership of Sky and have until September 22 to revise their current bids
BT broadband customers suffer biggest out-of-contract price hikes, Uswitch reveals
UK price comparison website Uswitch said many telecoms firms raise prices substantially after contracts expire
Comcast extends offer period for Sky amid bidding war with Fox
The offer period for Comcast's bid to buy Sky will now remain open for acceptances until September 12
UK takeover panel confirms 1,400p floor for possible mandatory Disney bid for Sky
Disney will only need to make the offer if it completes its purchase of assets owned by 21st Century Fox before Fox or Comcast succeed in taking control of the FTSE 100 broadcaster
21st Century Fox posts formal offer document for Sky takeover bid
The document effectively formalises a proposed bid by the media giant in July although Fox now intends to acquire the FTSE 100-broadcaster by way of a takeover
21st Century Fox given until Thursday night to increase bid for Sky
The deadline, enforced by takeover rules, means the media giant will have just days to trump Comcast’s £25.9bn bid for the FTSE 100 pay-TV broadcaster
UK Takeover Panel confirms Walt Disney would have to offer at least 1,400p a share to buy satellite TV broadcaster Sky
The Takeover Panel’s hearings committee subsequently examined that decision on July 27 after the regulator said that "various interested parties affected by the ruling" had asked for a review
BT Sports loses more broadcast rights after withdrawing from negotiations to show NBA basketball and UFC fights
The news follows BT Sport's failure to secure the rights to broadcast Italian Serie A football matches after BT lost a bidding war to Eleven Sports earlier this month
Sky reports strong full-year performance as bidding war rages on
The FTSE 100 pay-TV group reported underlying earnings for the full-year of £2.1bn, up from £1.9bn the year before, while like-for-like revenues climbed to £13.5bn from £12.9bn
FTSE 100 keeps head above water at close: Facebook in focus
The Nasdaq on Wall Street is down over 88 points at the time of writing, at 7,420.
Archive
Blue-chip deluge on Thursday with Royal Dutch Shell, AstraZeneca and Diageo (and more) set to report
Three of the 10 largest London-listed companies (by capitalisation) are updating the market on Thursday. A dozen or more other household names are also expected to report.
Comcast drops 21st Century Fox bid to refocus on the pursuit of UK pay-TV firm Sky
Comcast's move leaves the field clear for the Walt Disney Company’s £71.3bn bid to win control of a swath of Rupert Murdoch’s Fox media assets
Investments and investor services
FTSE 100: Forget Brexit, here’s what we’ll learn from a bumper earnings week
We have a deluge of earnings statements from some of Britain's biggest businesses. Below we discuss the themes likely to emerge from the mid-term reporting season
TalkTalk and BT top the table of most complained about broadband providers
In its latest quarterly league table on complaints, communications regulator Ofcom said TalkTalk had received 29 complaints per 100,000 customers while BT received 23
UK Takeover Panel rules Disney would need to make minimum bid of 1,400p per share for Sky
The UK Takeover Panel ruled Walt Disney would need to make a minimum bid of 1,400p per share for Sky if it succeeds in its bid to buy Twenty-First Century Fox
BT loses rights to broadcast Italy’s Serie A football in wake of Ronaldo’s move to Juventus
Global sports broadcaster entrant Eleven Sports has dealt a blow to BT and Sky by securing the rights to Serie A and La Liga
Investments and investor services
FTSE 100 firms on Friday as Trump's UK visit dominates headlines
In the currency markets, the pound gained 0.07% against the Euro and was up 0.11% against the US dollar
Sky up as investors bet Comcast's raised bid won’t be the last move in the battle with Fox
In early morning trading on Thursday, Sky shares were 2% higher at 1,524p, comfortably above the agreed Comcast cash offer pitched at 1,475p per share, and Sky’s previously agreed bid of 1,400p a share
FTSE 100 closes higher Thursday as traders come back to equities
Sterling was also stronger - up 0.06% to 1.1318 against the Euro and up 0.12% versus the US dollar
Comcast bids $34bln for Sky, tops Fox’s offer
Comcast announced its cash offer has been recommended by Sky’s independent committee of directors and that it has committed financing required for the deal.
Sky bid saga continues as satellite broadcaster agrees to increased £24.5bn Fox offer
Fox’s new cash bid of 1,400p a share is an increase on its 1,075p per share agreed bid made in December 2016 and tops a rival 1,250p per share offer from Comcast Corp
Sky higher on report Fox preparing new £25bn bid to top Comcast’s offer for the satellite broadcaster
The Financial Times said Fox’s new offer is expected to be at a premium to Comcast’s most recent bid of 1,250p a share, well above its 1,075p a share initial bid made in December 2016
Numis upgrades TalkTalk but the City broker really isn’t a fan
Because shares have fallen over the past few weeks, Numis reckons the stock is now just a ‘reduce’, but it has a lot of issues with TalkTalk: namely the collapse of the B2B unit sale and rivals starting to compete better on price
Walt Disney ups earnings forecasts for Sky while hedge funds pressure regulator to up bid price
In an SEC filing on Tuesday, Disney said it expected Sky to make underlying earnings of £3.06bn in the year ending June 30 2020, up from its original forecast of £2.41bn
Sky shares rise after Disney US$88bn bid for 21st Century Fox
The bidding war appears to have moved into its end-game
Clash of the (media) titans: What drove the Fox, Comcast, Disney bidding war over Sky?
What started out as a seemingly mundane takeover of the British broadcaster escalated into a massive bidding war between three media giants, but how did it get to that point?
21st Century Fox bid battle could kick-off after key US court ruling approved another mega-takeover
On Tuesday, a US Federal judge ruled that telecoms giant AT&T Inc. can proceed with its near US$85bn acquisition of Time Warner Inc, which traders believe will give a greenlight to other big deals
Comcast set to get 'unconditional' EU approval for Sky bid
The cable giant is reportedly offering US$31bn to buy the pay-TV channel while competing with Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox Inc
UK government approves Fox's takeover of Sky as long as it agrees to sell off Sky News
Culture secretary Matt Hancock also told MPs he won't be intervening in a rival offer from US media giant Comcast
ITV mulling £1bn joint venture with the BBC to acquire half of Dave broadcaster UKTV
UKTV, whose channels include Dave and Gold, is an independent commercial joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Nasdaq-listed firm Discovery Inc
BT Group up on reports of informal interest from infrastructure funds about taking stake in Openreach
BT owns the UK's national telecom and broadband network through Openreach, a legally separate division that is used by the firm and its rivals to provide services to consumers
Archive
FTSE 100 closes higher but gives up gains; sterling hit on Brexit worries
Both the US and UK are heading towards a three-day weekend and, to be honest, it kind of feels like the break has already begun...
BT rivals TalkTalk and Vodafone threaten Openreach broadband dominance
Openreach plans to replace the UK’s ageing copper lines with fibre optic cables to bring faster broadband to three million premises by 2020
Comcast preparing 21st Century Fox bid, to top Walt Disney's US$52.4bn offer
In a statement following media reports, Comcast said: "Any offer for Fox would be all-cash and at a premium to the value of the current all-share offer from Disney"
Comcast's takeover bid for Sky receives boost from Culture Secretary
Britain’s culture secretary Matt Hancock said the proposed merger between Sky and Comcast "does not raise concerns in relation to public interest considerations"
Sky deputy chairman to focus on broadcaster’s takeover as Glencore grants him leave of absence
Sky is in the middle of a complex takeover battle, with 21st Century Fox, Disney and Comcast all looking to acquire the broadcaster
BT Group is making some radical changes but the bottom line still looks wobbly
The telecoms giant reported a 1% fall in full-year underlying revenue to £23.7bn, below City expectations, while underlying earnings (EBITDA) were at the bottom of the group’s guidance range at £7.5bn, down 2% on last year
Comcast reportedly seeking support from banks to start a bidding war over 21st Century Fox assets
Rupert Murdoch may well like the idea of a bidding war for the assets he has agreed to sell to Walt Disney but as the Scots might say, Walt disnae ...
UK government to deliver its verdict on 21st Century Fox’s bid for Sky by June 13
The Competition and Markets Authority sent its assessment of the likely impact of the deal to UK media secretary Matt Hancock on Tuesday, giving him 30 working days to make a decision
Investments and investor services
The only way is down for equities as bond yields top 3%
The yield on US Treasury notes has risen above 3%, putting a bit of vim into the greenback. Equities, however, were set for another gloomy session with the Dow tipped to shed almost 100 points
Sky pulls recommendation for Fox takeover bid after higher offer from Comcast
Comcast said its offer of £12.50 per share for Sky represents a 16% premium to Fox’s £10.75 per share proposal
Stellar Diamonds shares leap as court approves its acquisition by NWF
A look at some of the biggest risers and fallers in London on Wednesday
UK gambling firm Sky Betting and Gaming to be sold to Canada's Stars Group-
Stars Group, the owner of PokerStars, said the deal to buy Sky Betting and Gaming will create the largest publicly listed online gaming company in the world
UBS cuts price target for Sky amid weaker performance in Germany
In a note to clients, analysts at UBS said third quarter results were solid with a good performance in UK and Italy but Germany was weak
Sky delivers strong quarter ahead of expected Fox-Comcast bidding war
Sky said it remains on track for the full year but expects the consumer environment to "remain challenging"
Bloomsbury Publishing appoints Conde Nast’s Penny Scott-Bayfield as finance director
The Harry Potter books publisher said Scott-Bayfield will succeed Wendy Pallot who will step down from the board following the company’s AGM on July 16
FTSE 100 closes in the black as Shire surges; tobacco stocks drift lower
Shire shares ended 5.89% up as the group received and rejected a takeover approach from Japan's Takeda Pharma
Investments and investor services
Unilever, Debenhams and Rentokil Initial in the spotlight as updates loom
Thursday looks a pretty busy day for investors with a number of important updates due.
BT receives most complaints for mobile and pay-TV services, Ofcom data reveals
Sky had the lowest proportion of complaints for its broadband, landline and pay-TV services
Takeover regulator rules Walt Disney must make offer for whole of Sky if it succeeds in buying 21st Century Fox assets
The Takeover Panel also said Disney must match Fox's 1,075p a share takeover offer for the shares in Sky it does not already own
21st Century Fox's London offices raided by the European Commission
Officials from the European Commission have raided a number of offices, including 21st Century Fox's west London premises, as part of an investigation relating to the potential abuse of the broadcaster's dominant position in the sports broa
Investments and investor services
FTSE 100 closes in red amid trader tensions but Tesco soars
FTSE 100 closed in the red - down around nine points at 7,257
Sky News could be sold to Disney in bid to gain CMA approval for Fox-Sky takeover
Disney would buy Sky News regardless of whether its proposed acquisition of Fox’s assets proceeds
Investments and investor services
FTSE 100 closes higher ending an "ugly quarter"; GKN top riser after Melrose succeeds in bid
Turnaround group Melrose received valid acceptances for its offer for GKN representing around 52.43% of the voting rights
FTSE 100 consolidates gains to close higher but miners weigh
The UK blue-chip index finished over 44 points higher at 7,044, but big miners tempered gains
21st Century Fox brings in Citibank to help finance Sky takeover
Bank of America had been among the original group of banks lined up to finance the US$15.5bn takeover, but its Merrill Lynch division is acting an advisor to Comcast, which recently unveiled a rival bid for Sky
Investments and investor services
Genel Energy and Ted Baker in the spotlight ahead of Thursday’s results
The Kurdistan oil and gas business releases its results on Thursday, while investors will be hoping to see continued momentum for the fashion retailer.
Sky shares come down to earth a little as two brokers make diverse moves after Comcast bid
Liberum Capital upgraded its rating for the pay-TV group to ‘buy’ from ‘hold’ and increased its price target for the stock to 1,250p from 970p
Archive
Advertising key to ITV's latest results broadcast; Taylor Wimpey continues housebuilder updates
Day ahead includes full-year results from blue chips including broadcaster ITV PLC, housebuilder Taylor Wimpey PLC, motor insurer Admiral PLC, and mid cap estate agents Foxton's PLC
Macy's Inc, Sempra Energy, Comcast Corp, Walt Disney Co and more - PRE-MARKET
Macy's is expected to report quarterly earnings before the bell
Investments and investor services
Nakama says expected recovery in trading has not materialised
Andrea Williams, the new chief executive officer, is conducting a strategic review of the operating businesses and putting in place measures to stabilise the business, reduce operating costs and grow net fee income.
Here’s the news: Sky gets surprise £22.1bn cash bid from Comcast, trumping Rupert Murdoch's Fox offer
Comcast, which owns NBC and Universal Pictures, said in a statement that it is offering 1,250p per share to Sky investors, significantly higher than the 1,075p a share Fox bid
Investments and investor services
FTSE 100 closes in red as Powell's hawkish tone gives traders jitters
New Fed supremo Jerome Powell will likely stick to a gradual, three hikes scenario, but the case for a faster pace of tightening is growing stronger, according to Nordic investment bank, SEB
BT shares jump as Ofcom eases price controls on Openreach
BT is likely to face renewed pressure to expand its fibre broadband upgrade across Britain
Fox vows to keep Sky News running for 10 years under renewed takeover offer
Fox is now willing to keep running Sky News for at least 10 years under a sweetened offer to secure full control of Sky
RBC Capital Markets downgrades Sky rating but hikes price target on takeover expectations
The analysts believe Fox is likely to bump up its offer for Sky in order to get shareholder approval at the extraordinary general meeting, should regulatory clearance finally be given
Sky’s ‘bargain’ Premier League rights deal could leave investors wanting more money from Murdoch
Positive investor sentiment today helped Sky shares rise above the proposed Fox takeover price
Premier League auction sees rights fees cool, so is the rivalry now over for Sky and BT Sport?
Sky has retained its dominant position as the majority rights holder, while BT will have Saturday's 'early' kick-off fixtures
Investments and investor services
FTSE 100 ends in positive territory with precious metals miners leading the way
The blue-chip index closed at 7,214, up 46 points on the day
Sky and BT to pay £4.464bn for Premier League football broadcast rights
The price tag is less than what the two broadcasters had paid out in the last bid – when they paid a total of £5.136bn to screen 168 games
TalkTalk in price war with Vodafone and BT Group, analysts warn
Goldman Sachs and RBC Capital cut their target price on TalkTalk while Numis put the stock under review