There's nothing like a good media takeover story to get journalists in a frenzy.
And Pearson (LON:PSON) duly obliged this week by revealing plans to sell the FT Group for £844mln to Japanese business media firm Nikkei.
The publishing group's announcement on Thursday that it was in talks with a mystery bidder immediately set the Fleet Street rumour mill rolling.
News agencies Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters and German media group Axel Springer were all named in the rush to unmask the potential suitor.
The FT, which prizes its independence from management, even ran its own story saying Springer was the front-runner.
But Pearson confounded expectations by announcing the deal with the owner of Japan's own heavyweight financial newspaper, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
The shock move has sparked talk about further sales by the education publisher.
It has also triggered speculation about the future of the FT under Nikkei, although the Japanese group quickly declared business as usual.
MORE SELL-OFFS?
Pearson announced half-year results on Friday showing a 1% rise in sales to £2.2bn and a 4% fall in adjusted operating profit to £72mln.
Its 47%-owned Penguin Random House (PRH) book publishing joint venture, which is behind bestsellers such as The Girl on the Train and Grey, did well.
The company reiterated annual profit guidance, lifted its dividend by 6% to 18p a share and predicted stronger returns in 2016 and beyond.
But analysts already reckon Pearson will also sell PRH in its drive to focus on education publishing.
From November, 2015, Pearson has the right to sell its 47% stake in PRH to German group Bertelsmann if the two parties can agree a price.
Analysts said Pearson had got an "attractive" price for the FT and highlighted lucrative assets that it was keeping such as its stake in The Economist magazine.
They also said the deal and the results suggested Pearson needed to shake up the business.
Deutsche Bank's Chris Collett said: "We think the disposal is a sign of the structural pressure that the core business is under.
"We think other assets (PRH joint venture) will be disposed of, but critically we think all proceeds will be reinvested in EM education and software, not returned to shareholders."
GLOBAL INFLUENCE
As well as the famous pink paper itself, the FT sale includes other businesses such as FT.com, How to Spend It, FT Labs, FTChinese, the Confidentials, The Banker, Investors Chronicle, MandateWire, Money-Media and Medley Global Advisors.
But Pearson is keeping its 50% stake in The Economist. It also said the FT Group's building beside Southwark Bridge in London was not part of the deal.
The FT Group employs 2,200 people, 600 of whom are journalists working in London and in news bureaux around the world.
Nikkei said it would respect the editorial independence and values of the FT and would invest in the business rather than slashing jobs.
Japan’s largest financial news group has no plans to cut FT editorial staff and will fund further expansion of its digital news business, Nikkei's chief executive Naotoshi Okada told Bloomberg News.
The deal represented corporate Japan's latest move to extend its global influence, commentators said.
Japanese car-makers such as Toyota, Honda and Nissan already make up a large part of Britain's car industry.
Engineering giant Hitachi is building a factory in north-east England to make new high-speed trains for the UK rail network.
Food and drink giant Suntory has snapped up brands such as Ribena and Lucozade from GlaxoSmithKline (LON:GSK).
And another Japanese food group, Mizkan, has added British favourites such as Sarson’s vinegar and Haywards and Branston pickles to its portfolio.