British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) studies the possible throwing of an offer of acquisition of Digitalis + for 2.500 million euros, as informs the rotary Briton Financial Times.

It would be the first commercial adventure abroad of the British group, property of the Australian magnate Rupert Murdoch, from an operation thrown in Germany in 2000 that did not go out as it was waited.

The platform of television of Digital payment +, of the Spanish group Hurry (owner of the newspaper El Pais), takes some time in the point of view of News Corp, the American conglomerate of Murdoch who controls 39,1 % of BSkyB.

Pero News Corp is interested simultaneously in the German group of television of payment Premiere, what, according to Financial Times, has unleashed a polemic inside the group mediático of Murdoch on the money who should devote to finance his expansion in western Europe.

The younger son of Murdoch and president of BSkyB, James Murdoch, has received, in his condition of executive director of News Corp for Europe and Asia, the order of growing, constructing on the current assets of the group like BskyB and Sky Italy.

According to persons familiar with the debate that has exploded in the bosom of the group of Murdoch, there has not been taken yet the decision to go forward.

Nevertheless, the strong liquidity which BSkyB has at present would allow him to finance an acquisition of this type in a moment in which News Corp chases other possible agreements.

According to the English newspaper, Murdoch's possible offer on Ditigal + would come across with the strong competition of other interested groups, between which there is quoted Vivendi, Phone companhy, ONO and Orange.

Hurry wants to sell Digitalis + in order to pay the debts that it contracted this year on having bought the shares of other shareholders in Sogecable, the proprietary group of Digitalis + and Four.

A possible capital injection in Hurry of the magnate of the telecommunications Carlos Slim might, nevertheless, avoid the sale of the platform of payment, for which one believes that the group Prisa asks for 3.300 million euros, writes the FT.

In 2000, BSkyB bought a minority participation in the German platform of television of payment Kirch Media, but two years later it had to deduct of the balance almost 1.260 million euros of the money invested in the operation.

Of be doing by Digitalis +, News Corp and BSkyB would reinforce his control on the rights of the European soccer, it points out that also Financial Times, according to which a temporary employee disputes on the rights of the Spanish group on the Spanish League might complicate the operation.


(Agencies, 04/07/08)