BSkyB in Talks with 21st Century Fox Over European Pay-TV Interests

NEW YORK/LONDON: BSkyB has confirmed that it is in preliminary discussions with 21st Century Fox regarding the potential acquisition of its interests in Sky Deutschland and Sky Italia.

21st Century Fox currently holds a 57-percent stake in Sky Deutschland and owns 100 percent of Sky Italia. BSkyB itself is 39-percent owned by 21st Century Fox.

A BSkyB spokesperson said that the discussions have not progressed beyond a preliminary stage and that there is "no certainty that a transaction will occur."

"BSkyB has a clear set of plans to grow its business in the U.K. and Ireland, is executing these well and expects to continue to achieve excellent growth and returns for shareholders," the spokesperson said. "At the same time, the company continuously explores ways to create further value for shareholders.
 
"As part of this approach, the company initiated preliminary discussions with 21st Century Fox to evaluate the potential acquisition of its pay-TV assets in Germany and Italy. BSkyB believes at the right value, this combination would have the potential to create a world-class multinational pay-TV group."

A spokesperson from 21st Century Fox said: “Over the years we've had numerous internal discussions regarding the organizational and ownership structure of the European Sky-branded satellite platforms. From time to time these conversations have included BSkyB, however no agreement between the parties has ever been reached."