3 Italia, the 3G operator in Italy, has delayed its IPO in order to buy a TV station, regional broadcaster Canale 7. The station owns a digital TV licence and reaches about 40% of the population, and 3 wants to create a “triple-play mobile service”– telephone, TV and internet on the one device.
This is part of a Euro 220 million investment in mobile TV on the part of 3 Italia, which plans to roll out a mobile streaming TV service and is obviously banking on the investment to increase profits.
This is among the first such deals in Europe, though some have happened in Asia before. You’ll probably see the start fo such deals in U.S. and other bigger European countries in the next two years or so, as operators exhaust out their options to expand and bring in more content.
Some similar deals in Asia:
– Index Corp Buys Into French Soccer Club :
– DoCoMo Buys Into Tower Records
– SK Telecom Buys Record Label
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