Sky Plotting Its Own Acquisitions As Bidding War Between 21st Century Fox and Comcast Rumbles On
European pay-TV giant Sky may be in the middle of a bidding war between 21st Century Fox and Comcast but CEO Jeremy Darroch is still keeping his eye out for its own acquisitions.
Speaking after its full-year financial results, Darroch said that it would continue its strategy to invest in Silicon Valley start-ups and production companies and would potentially look for “bigger” deals.
“We’re continuing to invest in smaller companies either based on the west coast of the U.S. to give us exposure to some of those new ideas, so we continue apace with that. We’re also looking at a range of acquisitions, on the whole, at the moment, they tend to be fill-in acquisitions, but I think over time, potentially bigger things so we’re not taking our foot off the gas,” he said.
Sky has invested in digital firms including virtual reality business Jaunt, multi-channel network Whistle Sports, online video aggregator Pluto.TV and native advertising firm Sharethrough as well as production companies such as The Great British Bake Off producer Love Productions, Pat Younge’s Sugar Films, Songs of Praise indie Avanti and True North.
Elsewhere, Darroch wouldn’t be drawn on discussing the Disney-Fox-Comcast bid process but did say that he believes Sky’s “culture of success” make it a great fit for any owner.
He added that Sky is “certainly not slowing down” as a result of all of the investment attention. “Whilst understandably the external focus has been on the bids for Sky, I can tell you that our teams are highly focused and motivated and I think excited about the opportunities ahead no matter what our ownership structure is.
“This business has got really good momentum in it so whatever the future holds for any of us, Sky is in a good place,” he added.
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