BSkyB, adds more HD, going private?

Chris Forrester ©RapidTVNews | 14-03-2010

There was plenty of excitement in London on Friday as BSkyB’s share price rocketed up almost 4% on rumours that News Corp is contemplating taking the broadcaster private.

At one stage Sky’s share price was 597.5p, before profit-taking brought it back to 583.5p a share. Reports suggest that Rupert Murdoch would offer 735p per share for the outstanding 61% of shares. News Corp controls 39% of BSkyB. 8m shares changed hands on Friday, whereas a normal day would see fewer than 4m traded.

The increased interest took Sky’s market capitalisation over the £10bn figure to £10.3bn. The interest in BSkyB helped Pace move forward 2% to 190p, although still well down on its 241p recent high.

But away from the stock exchange Sky also unveiled its latest batch of HDTV channels. ITV1, Hallmark, Sky Sports 4 will all be added imminently, with Sky News HD only a month or two away. Sky said it will have 50 HDTV channels on air by the end of this year, plus a promised Sky 3D service.

© Rapid TV News 2010

 

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