[Merged]Ntl to buy Telewest

[Ignition]

Originally Posted by Stu038

How much of that is through speculative buying of Telewest shares though? When the merger happens regardless of who owns the final company or what it ends up being called, anyone with a few thousand Telewest shares is going to make a $ or two, a merger/buy out price is always higher than the market value.

Having looked at this again a little while ago you're very right Stu, Telewest are longer term not financially stable at the moment whereas ntl are and make real money and the only losses are on paper due to having to depreciate assets much faster than normal.

[Bob]

EDIT:
http://today.reuters.com/stocks/Quot...-Sep-2005+RTRS

Hopefully this one will work

[orangebird]

Originally Posted by Bob

http://yahoo.reuters.com/financeQuot...2598256_newsml

?? Tells me this story is not available?

edit - I can see it now

[Derek]

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/ar...806079,00.html

Another 'coming soon' story

[jtwn]

Time to close down the telewest forums then

[bilal]

lets say they do merge, how long would it take to become combined and offer the same products at the same price???

[Robc66]

Originally Posted by bilal

lets say they do merge, how long would it take to become combined and offer the same products at the same price???

Im not sure.....I hope it would be soon though

[Chrysalis]

Hmm so.

Where is this 3.4billion coming from, as ntl apperently have no cash to upgrade analogue area's.

Simon duffy in charge of combined companies, when his counterpart is doing a better job.

5 million customers and only cable provider in uk isnt too good for consumers, I am guessing since ofcom hate to touch cable companies they wont think nothing of this.

[cookie_365]

More from Reuters.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Chrysalis

Where is this 3.4billion coming from, as ntl apperently have no cash to upgrade analogue area's.

Well they could do it if they wanted to but it isn't really cost effective as it would be the equivalent to completing a new build.

[DeadKenny]

Sky News reporting this as a done deal this morning.

[BBKing]

Not quite done, but a step closer. No doubt more information will come out later.

[Ignition]

http://investing.reuters.co.uk/inves...6-31_WLA2044:1

Originally Posted by Reuters

LONDON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - UK cable company NTL said on Monday it has agreed to buy its smaller counterpart Telewest for about $6 billion in cash and shares.

Under terms of the long-awaited deal, NTL will pay $16.25 in cash and 0.115 NTL shares for every Telewest share, for a total of $23.93 per share. It will also assume about 1.7 billion pounds ($3 billion) in Telewest debt, pushing the combined company's total debt to about 5.7 billion pounds including the cost of the acquisition.

The deal, long expected since both companies emerged from their financial restructurings several years ago, is designed to create a more effective competitor against rivals like telecoms operator BT Group (BT.L: Quote, Profile, Research) and satellite broadcaster BSkyB (BSY.L: Quote, Profile, Research).

NTL Chief Executive Simon Duffy will take over as chief executive of the combined company, while his Telewest counterpart Barry Elson will stand down. NTL Chairman James Mooney will keep his job, and Telewest Chairman Cob Stenham will become deputy chairman.

[BBKing]

And on the Reg.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/03/ntl_telewest/

[bob_builder]

Originally Posted by bilal

lets say they do merge, how long would it take to become combined and offer the same products at the same price???

Well I imagine that prices will be brought into line pretty quickly but NTL do not even offer exactly the same services within its own network (from the C&W merger) so I would imagine that these will stay much the same.