European Tech Wire

SES Global to Acquire New Skies Satellites for €1 Billion

Amsterdam -- Luxembourg-based SES Global, the largest satellite
group in the world, announced that it has agreed to acquire Dutch rival
New Skies Satellites, the world's fifth-largest satellite group, for
approximately €1 billion. Under the terms of the deal, still subject to
regulatory approval, SES will pay about €636 million in cash and
assume about €335 million of New Skies debt. SES, which counts
U.K.-based broadcaster BSkyB among its clients, said the acquisition
would fill gaps in its coverage in Latin America, the Middle East, India
and Africa. SES currently broadcasts to more than 200 million
households worldwide.
http://shorterlink.com/?X4RSE4

Philips Considering M&A Options for Semiconductor Unit

Amsterdam -- Royal Philips Electronics, a consumer-electronics firm
based in the Netherlands, announced that it is seriously considering a
number of merger and acquisition options for its semiconductor
division, the third-largest computer-chip maker in Europe. The
company said it has already begun the process of legally separating the
troubled unit. "There are various merger and acquisition options that
we can and will explore," said Philips Semiconductors CEO Frans van
Houten. While industry experts see STMicroelectronics and Infineon as
possible candidates for a merger with Philips Semiconductors, the
company declined to comment on whether it is currently in talks.
http://shorterlink.com/?7TNPSP

NTL to Replace CEO Simon Duffy with Comcast's Burch

London -- NTL, a U.K.-based cable firm, announced that it will appoint
Stephen Burch, a top executive at U.S.-based cable operator Comcast,
to replace Chief Executive Officer Simon Duffy, who will step down
on Jan. 16. NTL said Duffy would become executive vice chairman,
with a focus on external management issues including group strategy
and business development. The executive shake-up will be a major
surprise for many investors and analysts as it comes at a pivotal time
for the company, which recently made a bid for local mobile operator
Virgin Mobile and is currently in the process of merging with local
rival Telewest.
http://shorterlink.com/?C18T0P

Interregnum Firm Red-M Secures £4.6-Million Investment

London -- Interregnum Plc, a U.K.-based technology merchant bank
listed on London's Alternative Investment Market, announced that its
portfolio company Red-M Group has secured £4.6 million in venture-
capital financing. Pi Capital -- an independent, U.K.-based private-
equity firm investing in local unquoted businesses -- led the round, with
Octopus Asset Management, Apax and Interregnum also participating.
Red-M was formed in April by the merger of Cellular Design Services
(CDS), a wireless consulting services provider, and Red-M
Communications, a vendor of wireless security probes and monitoring
software.
http://www.interregnum.com/News.htm

Finland-Based Satama Acquires Quartal for €5.7 Million

Helsinki -- Satama Interactive Oyj, a Finland-based Internet design and
professional digital services firm, announced that it has acquired
Quartal Content Management Oy (QCM), the leading Finnish
Microsoft partner focusing on public Internet, intranet and CRM
implementations, for approximately €5.7 million. Under the terms of
the acquisition, Satama will pay QCM shareholders 1.9 million Satama
shares, plus €3.7 million. Satama said it acquired QCM in order to gain
better expertise in e-commerce and Microsoft technologies. The
transaction is effective immediately, Satama said.
http://shorterlink.com/?Z4H4NE

EU Proposal Would Allow Product Placement in TV Shows

Strasbourg, France -- The European Commission has proposed new
rules to govern the distribution of "moving images" in the EU that for
the first time could allow the practice of including product placement in
TV shows, Reuters reported. The use of product placement is growing
in the U.S., alongside the growing popularity of digital video recorders
that let viewers skip past TV commercials. But the practice has been
banned in many EU nations, where current rules also limit the amount
of TV advertising to 12 minutes per hour. The new "television without
frontiers" proposals still must gain approval of the European Parliament
and EU member states.
http://tinyurl.com/8tnhw

RealNetworks Re-Launches U.K. Streaming-Radio Service

London -- RealNetworks has re-launched its Radio Pass streaming
music subscription service in the U.K., re-branding the service as
RealMusic, according to the Register. The service, similar to one
recently launched by the company in the U.S., can operate through a
plug-in for Internet Explorer. For about £8.50 a month, RealMusic
offers access to more than 300 pre-programmed stations, from
providers including the BBC and other stations where bands can post
their own songs. Users can also purchase song downloads for about 99
pence each. RealNetworks said it planed to expand RealMusic into
other European countries in the first quarter of 2006.
http://shorterlink.com/?P2ZPVY

U.K.-Based Civica to Acquire Comino Group for £50 Million

London -- Civica, a U.K.-based council outsource firm, announced that
it has agreed to acquire Comino Group Plc, a social housing software
firm, for approximately £50 million. Under the terms of the deal,
Civica will pay 335 pence in cash for each Comino share. Civica said
the acquisition of Comino would provide it with greater scale and focus
in the provision of public-sector systems and strengthen its position in
the local government IT market. "The businesses have been working
together in the market for some time, and the acquisition provides a
great strategic fit for customers and makes sound commercial sense for
both companies," said Civica CEO Simon Downing.
http://shorterlink.com/?CWJVLF

Siemens Division to Acquire U.K.-Based Electrium

Frankfurt -- Siemens, a Germany-based technology group, announced
that its Automation and Drives (A&D) division has agreed to acquire
Electrium, a U.K.-based supplier of electrical installation systems, for
an undisclosed sum. "The acquisition of this profitable vendor puts us
among the top three vendors in the U.K.," said A&D's Godehardt
Schneider. "In addition, the strong Electrium brand is an outstanding
supplement to our portfolio in the export markets of the Near and
Middle East." Electrium currently employs around 700 people at four
sites.
http://shorterlink.com/?0R6V0Z

EU Approves Arrow Acquisition of DNSint.com

Brussels -- The European Commission announced that it has granted
clearance of the proposed acquisition of sole control of DNSint.com
AG (DNS) of Germany by U.S.-based Arrow Electronics. Arrow is a
wholesale distributor of electronic components and computer products;
the company's distribution network covers the Americas, Europe and
the Asia Pacific region. DNS is a wholesale distributor of computer
products in Europe. The proposed deal was examined under the
simplified merger review procedure, the Commission said.
http://shorterlink.com/?R3BANR