Murdoch, Packer offer $2.9 bln for Consolidated Media

(Reuters) - Lachlan Murdoch, son of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, and Australian gaming magnate James Packer launched a joint A$3.3 billion ($2.9 billion) offer on Monday to buy out the Packer-backed publishing company Consolidated Media Holdings CMJ.AX.

The deal would mark Lachlan's first big business move since quitting his father's business in 2005, and is the second major effort by the two rival media empires to forge a venture, after backing One.Tel, a telecommunications company that collapsed in 2001 owing A$600 million.

The move comes less than three months since Packer separated his late father Kerry Packer's media business from gaming to better focus on building up the gambling operations.

The sons of the media moguls are each expected to take a 50 percent stake in the joint venture vehicle Consolidated Media, which was formed from the split late last year.

The indicative offer, which represents a 24.4 percent premium to Consolidated's last traded price, has the blessing of Consolidated's biggest shareholder -- the James Packer-backed Consolidated Press Holdings (CPH).

Consolidated Media Holdings has appointed UBS as its financial adviser.

Consolidated Media owns 25 percent of pay-TV provider Foxtel, about 27 percent of on-line job site Seek Ltd (SEK.AX: Quote, Profile, Research) and 25 percent of PBL Media. Seek rose 7.4 percent to A$7.15 on Monday.

 

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