News

FCC may approve DirecTV handoff to Liberty Media...somewhat

By Ed Oswald | Published February 22, 2008, 11:51 AM

Three Republican FCC commissioners have approved News Corp.'s planned handover of DirecTV to Liberty Media, which would undo a deal that the FCC debated once already. But the two remaining Democrats have not yet signed off.

Both sides agreed to the handover in December 2006, which called for News Corp. to handover its 41% stake in DirecTV in exchange for Liberty's 16% voting share in Rupert Murdoch's media conglomerate.

In addition, Liberty is set to receive three sports networks, and an undisclosed sum of cash to sweeten the pot. The move was widely seen as a protective measure by News Corp. in order to refocus Murdoch's control over his company's principal businesses.

One condition of the deal is Liberty ceding control over either its DirecTV or cable business in Puerto Rico, where it manages both.

But until commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein vote on the measure -- even if they dissent -- it cannot be completed. Reuters claims that their vote is expected in the next several days, although it is speculated that their holdouts could be a by-product of Liberty Media's feud with Barry Diller's IAC.

That disagreement boiled into the courts earlier this week, with Liberty Media filing a court action to oust current CEO Diller from the board. It is also asking for several members of the board to be replaced with its own representatives.

Liberty acquired a large share of stock in IAC in mid-January, which gave it a 30% share in the company and a majority voting stake. With Liberty moving in, IAC has begun an effort to spin off businesses in order to water down the company's influence.

A flurry of lawsuits have followed between the two groups, with IAC recently stating that "Liberty does not control IAC" and saying Liberty has "gone off the deep end."

Why is this important? Simply put, Liberty has a broadband strategy, and combined with its holdings in both IAC and now DirecTV it would have the resources necessary to re-launch its efforts.

Attempts at contacting either News Corp. or Liberty Media for comment by BetaNews had not been answered as of press time, although both companies have previously declined comment to other media outlets.

View comments by with a score of at least

Report: Microsoft to randomize Europe's browser screen choices

The fact that "A" is for "Apple" was apparently at the heart of browser vendor objections to Microsoft's alternative to listing IE first.

Acer eclipses Dell for #2 spot in global PC shipments, says iSuppli data

It literally does look like a 360-degree turnaround in Dell's fortunes, as the bells of bad tidings now toll solely for Dell.

Microsoft, don't hang up on Windows Mobile, but do call for help

Only a Manhattan Project can save Microsoft's phone strategy now.

See ya later, WinMo: Microsoft's mobile strategy needs a reboot

Carmi Levy | Wide Angle Zoom: Hands up if you're considering upgrading to a Windows phone for the holidays...Anybody?

Playing catch-up in 2010: Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, and Symbian

Microsoft, RIM, and Nokia are each working on improved mobile operating systems. But could these efforts add up to too little, too late?

Will Nokia's plans further alienate American consumers?

A look at Nokia's plans for the coming years does little to shine up the company's increasingly dull image.

Bing bonked by service outage Thursday, Microsoft configured the wrong server

It's always nice to have a backup, but it's even nicer to remember which one is the backup. That's the lesson Bing's admins learned yesterday evening.

Survey reveals there are more women then men, including on social networks

If you think you can market your products and services online as though you're selling car batteries in the middle of halftime, think again. And again.

Android team updates 'Donut' and 'Eclair' SDKs

The Android SDK includes components which optimize app development for each version of the mobile operating system. Today, the 1.6 and 2.0 components got updates.

The Black Screen Syndrome, or, Tech news in search of the apocalypse

Scott Fulton On Point: This is a story about something that should not have been a story, about something that at one time was a story.

Online advertising evolves away from display, toward interactive software

Marketing departments and agencies are increasingly establishing positions for "creative technologists" who can steer designers and developers toward platforms that enable direct connections with consumers.