Capabilities by Industry: Communications & Media
Greenhill has considerable transaction experience and a global network of corporate relationships in the Communications & Media sector. Our Managing Directors and professionals in North America, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe and Australia have executed many of the most significant and complex transactions for some of the leading companies in the industry.
Our experience in the Communications & Media industry encompasses the following sub-sectors: advertising and marketing services; business-to-business media; cable; consumer media and education; mobile devices; professional publishing and information services; and wireless and full service telcos.
Below we highlight a few of the transactions on which we have advised in this area:
Recent Transactions
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11 local television stations from Nexstar Media Group
Advised TEGNA, Inc., a leading broadcasting and digital marketing services company, on the acquisition of 11 local television stations in 8 markets from Nexstar Media Group
NII Holdings’ operations in Brazil (“Nextel Brazil”)
Advised NII Holdings, a provider of mobile communications services in Brazil, on the sale of its 70% interest in its operations in Brazil (“Nextel Brazil”) to América Móvil
Sky plc
Acted on behalf of a group of independent shareholders of Sky plc, representing their interests at the Hearings Committee of the UK Takeover Panel and at the Takeover Appeals Board in the context of the Panel’s determination of a Chain Principle Offer price payable by Disney for Sky
Best Lawyers, LLC
Advised Best Lawyers, the oldest and most respected peer review publication and digital media company in the global legal community, on its sale to Levine Leichtman Capital Partners
IslaLink
Advised EQT, a leading alternative investments firm with more than EUR 37 billion of AUM on the sale of its portfolio company IslaLink, a leading neutral and independent submarine fiber infrastructure operator in the Balearic Islands
Cityfibre Infrastructure Holdings plc
Advised Antin Infrastructure Partners and West Street Infrastructure Partners, part of Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking division, in connection with the take private of CityFibre Infrastructure Holdings plc, a leading independent provider of wholesale fibre network infrastructure
Midwest Television, Inc.
Advised TEGNA, Inc., a major broadcasting and digital marketing services company, on the acquisition of Midwest Television, Inc.
CareerBuilder, LLC
Advised TEGNA, Inc., a leading broadcasting company, on the sale of its 53% ownership stake in CareerBuilder, LLC for $250 million of cash proceeds and 12.5% ongoing ownership
F+W Media
Advised F+W Media, a content and e-commerce company focused on a variety of special interest categories, on the out-of-court restructuring of its c.$100 million term loan and a $15 million new money investment from existing lenders
Ad Hoc Group of Senior Secured Noteholders
Advised the Ad Hoc Group of Senior Secured Noteholders in connection with the restructuring of Goodman Networks.
Host Europe Group
Advised GoDaddy, the largest domain name registrar worldwide and a leading web hosting provider, on its acquisition of Host Europe Group, the largest privately owned web services provider in Europe
Adams Media
Advised F+W Media, a content and e-commerce company, on the divestment its consumer book publishing business, Adams Media, to Simon & Schuster, a division of CBS Corporation
IAC/InterActiveCorp
Advised the Special Committee of the Board of Directors of IAC/InterActiveCorp, a leading media and internet company, on the potential creation of a new class of non-voting common stock
TEGNA, Inc.
Advised TEGNA, Inc., a major broadcasting and digital marketing services company, on the spin-off of Cars.com and the creation of two independent publicly traded companies: one focused on television broadcasting and one focused on the online automotive marketplace.
ReachLocal
Served as independent financial advisor to the Board of Directors of Gannett in connection with its acquisition of ReachLocal
Equinix Data Center Assets
Advised Digital Realty Trust, the world's largest wholesale colocation services and data center solutions provider, on its acquisition of a portfolio of eight carrier-neutral European data centers from Equinix
Frieze Events Ltd. / Frieze Publishing Ltd.
Advised Frieze, the premier art events and media company, on its strategic investment and partnership with WME IMG Global
Wireless Infrastructure Group
Advised 3i Infrastructure plc, a leading UK listed investor in infrastructure businesses and assets, on its acquisition of a 36% economic interest in Wireless Infrastructure Group, the UK’s 2nd largest independent telecommunications tower company
Perseus Books LLC
Advised Perseus Books LLC, a leading independent publishing company, on the sale of its client services business to Ingram Content Group Inc.
Perseus Books LLC
Advised Perseus Books LLC, a leading independent publishing company, on the sale of its publishing business to Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Specialized Anodized Extrusion Holding Switzerland AG (Spandex)
Advised Gilde Buy Out Partners on the sale of Spandex, a specialized B2B distributor of graphic media and equipment to the signage and visual communications industry, to Chequers Capital
Victorian Thoroughbred Racing Media Rights
Advised Tabcorp Holdings Limited (“Tabcorp”), a leading diversified Australian entertainment group with wagering, gaming, racing media and Keno operations, on reaching agreement on a long-term deal for domestic broadcast, digital and international media rights for Victorian thoroughbred racing content
Telecity Group plc
Advised Telecity Group plc, Europe’s leading provider of premium carrier-neutral data centres, on a recommended cash and share offer from Equinix, Inc. a leading US provider of colocation data centre services globally
Scholastic Corporation’s Educational Technology and Services business
Advised Scholastic Corporation, a children’s publishing and education company, on the sale of its Educational Technology and Services business to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company, an educational and trade publisher
Wireline assets of Verizon Communications in California, Florida and Texas
Advised the Board of Directors of Frontier in connection with its acquisition of wireline assets from Verizon in California, Florida and Texas
NSW Thoroughbred Racing Media Rights
Advised Tabcorp Holdings Limited (“Tabcorp”), a leading diversified Australian entertainment group with wagering, gaming, racing media and Keno operations, on reaching agreement on a long-term deal for domestic broadcast, digital and international media rights for NSW thoroughbred racing content, and a contemporaneous Pay TV deal with Foxtel
Chandler Macleod Group Limited
Advised Recruit Holdings Co.,Ltd, the leading global staffing services company in Japan, on the acquisition of Chandler Macleod Group Limited, a major general recruitment company
Peoplebank Holdings PTY LTD
Advised Recruit Holdings Co.,Ltd, the leading global staffing services company in Japan, on the acquisition of Peoplebank Holdings PTY LTD, Australasia’s leading IT&T recruitment company
Tipness Limited
Advised Nippon Television Holdings, a media and content company engaged in production and broadcasting primarily in Japan, on the acquisition of Tipness Limited, the fourth largest fitness club company in Japan, from Suntory Holdings and Marubeni Corporation
Gannett Co., Inc.
Advised Gannett Co., Inc. a media and marketing solutions company, on the spin-off of its Publishing business and the creation of two separate media companies: one focused on television broadcasting and digital marketing and one focused on newspapers.
Cars.com
Advised Gannett Co., Inc. a media and marketing solutions company, on its acquisition of Cars.com (part of Classified Ventures, LLC), a provider of online auto advertising solutions and consumer content.
Global Trade Information Services, Inc.
Advised Global Trade Information Services, the world’s leading supplier of international merchandise trade data, on the sale of the company to IHS.
Publications International, Ltd. Children’s Division
Advised Publications International, a leading consumer book publisher, on the sale of its Children’s Division to Jiangsu Phoenix Publishing and Media Corporation Limited
ARTnews
Advised ARTnews, the world's oldest and most widely circulated art magazine, on its sale to Skate Capital Corp., a private art and media industry investment vehicle
Gannett (Apartments.com)
Advised Gannett Co., Inc., a media and marketing solutions company, on the sale of its stake in the online real estate classifieds service Apartments.com (part of Classified Ventures, LLC) to CoStar Group, a provider of information services to the commercial real estate industry
hibu plc (formerly Yell Group plc)
Advised hibu, a full service provider of digital and print marketing services for SMEs and owner of print directory brands Yellow Pages (UK), Yellowbook (US) and Paginas Amarillas (Spain), on the comprehensive restructuring of its £2.2 billion balance sheet debt
Global Television
Advised Catalyst Investment Managers on the sale of its portfolio company Global Television, Australia’s largest provider of outsourced broadcasting and video production services, to NEP Inc., a leading provider of total broadcast solutions in the US, UK and Brazil. NEP is majority-owned by private funds managed by Crestview Partners
Open Colleges Australia Pty Ltd
Advised Open Colleges, Australia’s leading privately owned online provider in the high-growth vocational education and training sector, on the sale of a 70% stake (plus exit arrangements for the balance) to Apollo Education Group, Inc., one of North America’s largest private education providers
AT&T (Connecticut Wireline Operations)
Advised AT&T Inc. on the sale of its wireline operations in the State of Connecticut to Frontier Communications
Aztec (subsidiary of Dentsu Inc.)
Advised Dentsu Inc., Asia’s largest advertising agency, on the sale of its retail data analytics subsidiary Aztec, to IRI, a global market research company
iSelect (30% shareholding)
Advised Mi9, a joint venture between Microsoft and Nine Entertainment Co, and one of Australia’s leading digital media companies, on the sale of its 30% holding in iSelect, a leading Australian online-driven comparison service, as part of the Initial Public Offering of iSelect
Broadcast Rights for V8 Supercars
Advised Archer Capital, a leading Australian private equity firm, and its portfolio company V8 Supercars Australia, on the sale of the Australian FTA television broadcasting rights for V8 Supercars to Seven, a leading Free to Air broadcaster in Australia
SKY Network Television Limited
Advised Todd Corporation, a major New Zealand family office, on the divestment of its 11.1% holding in SKY Network Television Limited, New Zealand’s leading provider of pay television services
Phaidon Press Limited
Advised Phaidon Press Limited (“Phaidon”) and its owner, Richard Schlagman, on the sale of the company to the family of Leon Black. Founded in 1923, Phaidon is a leading branded publishing and media company focused on the visual arts, culture and lifestyle sectors
DMG Radio Australia, a subsidiary of Daily Mail and Guardian Trust Plc
Advised Daily Mail and Guardian Trust plc (DMGT), on the sale of its remaining 50% interest in its Radio business in Australia to Illyria Pty, a private investment company of Lachlan Murdoch. The Radio operations comprise two national music networks in Australia
Broadcast Rights for the National Rugby League
Advised the Australian Rugby League Commission on the sale of the Australian television broadcasting rights for the National Rugby League to Nine, a leading Free to Air broadcaster and Fox Sports, Australia’s largest pay TV broadcaster (partially owned by News Limited)
Journal Communications, Inc.
Advised the Board of Directors of Journal Communications, Inc., a diversified media company with newspaper and broadcasting interests, in connection with the repurchase of 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of its Class C Common Stock from successors to the Company’s founding family
Aegis Group plc
Advised Aegis Group plc, a leading global media and digital communications agency, on its sale to Dentsu Inc., the leading advertising group in Asia
Village Roadshow Entertainment Group
Advised Village Roadshow Entertainment Group on its $275 million mezzanine and equity capital raise from a group of investors
Robbins-Gioia Inc.
Advised Informa plc on the sale of its subsidiary, Robbins-Gioia Inc., to a group of private investors