So the Saudi`s have taken a stake in DAZN:
Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has been making big bets on global sports. It has just poured a reported $US1 billion into the company that bought Foxtel in December.
www.smh.com.au
Also:
Nine`s largest shareholder and half-owner of St. George lllawarra rumoured to be planning to take majority ownership of Nine.
"The sale last week of WIN corporation’s northern NSW TV licences had long been in the works, but the timing of the divestment set industry tongues wagging.
"The sell-off of the licences to Network Ten – provided the deal meets the necessary regulatory requirements – will allow
billionaire WIN owner Bruce Gordon, Nine’s largest shareholder, to further tighten his control of Nine by converting his equity swaps with Macquarie Group into shares.
"Free from the shackles of Australia’s media ownership laws, Mr Gordon, 96, would be legally entitled to lift his stake in Nine from 14.95 per cent to a dominant 25.1 per cent.
"It’s also likely that by lifting his stake in Nine, Mr Gordon would push for a second seat on the board – which at present has seven members, including interim CEO Matt Stanton.
"The chief executive of
WIN Corporation, Andrew Lancaster, currently sits on the Nine board as Mr Gordon’s proxy.
"But with Nine not expected to appoint its next CEO until after the release of its half-yearly results on February 25, and with ongoing uncertainty about the length of existing chairwoman Catherine West’s tenure,
there is speculation as to whether the time is right for Mr Lancaster to make a play for either of those roles to mirror Mr Gordon’s increased interest in the company.
"In a statement last week, Mr Lancaster said: “WIN’s strategic focus is on Nine and it no longer makes sense for us to own the 10 Northern NSW business. As an industry we should be looking to make the buying of advertising easier for our clients and this transaction should help do that.”
"It’s understood that top of the list of what the Gordons might keep with the Nine/9now TV brands is the Stan streaming business."
Interesting, what is the number one thing you need if you are going to own solely a FTA television and streaming business.
Interesting also;
"Meanwhile, the move by Paramount to buy the northern NSW licences means nearly all the three free-to-air TV proprietors control their destiny and ad sales across Australia."
So Paramount have Oz wide reach now, essential if you want to own a tier one sport.