MTV owner Viacom has completed its takeover of Channel 5 and announced its first joint programme commissions, including a reality TV series in which participants will "go back to life in the stone age".
But a cable channel takeover, even in part, carries enormous risk, as Ms. Winfrey and Ms. Stewart can attest — they have more real estate now, but the ratings comparisons are not favorable.
Henry's succession was strongly contested by the Catholic League and by Philip II, and Elizabeth feared a Spanish takeover of the channel ports.
This time the talk is of a Channel 4 takeover of Five.
Mr. Beck is known to have contemplated an expansion of his subscription Web site and a takeover of a cable channel in whole or in part.
The US media company, which announced its £450m takeover of Richard Desmond's Channel 5 in May, has been given unconditional clearance from the European Commission to close the deal.
The remainder is invested, often opaquely, in businesses, including a city-centre hotel (where the Venezuelan flag hangs in the foyer) and a television channel, whose takeover last year forced a prominent critic of Mr Ortega's off the air.
Two of the options Mr. Beck has contemplated, according to people who have spoken about it with him, are a partial or wholesale takeover of a cable channel, or an expansion of his subscription video service on the Web.
ITV plc's Channel TV takeover will leave just three ITV network licences outside its control – the Scottish TV and Grampian TV franchises in Scotland, both owned by STV, and UTV in Northern Ireland.
Blackstone has spent about $1.51 billion from its private equity funds this quarter, down 35percentt from the comparable period last year, though the company has participated in deals like the $3.5 billion takeover of the Weather Channel in July.
Online activity includes "takeovers" on websites including Channel 4, which will feature an interactive 3D demo of the new Guardian.
