The 21st Century Fox media company has submitted a legal challenge against the CBS network’s proposed takeover of Australian commercial broadcaster Ten.
Ten, which entered voluntary administration in June, is one of the main sports broadcasters in Australia.
In addition to Ten’s core linear channel, CBS struck a deal last month to acquire digital terrestrial television channel Eleven, in which it already has a 33-per-cent stake, as well as the DTT channel One and Ten’s digital platform, TenPlay.
According to the Reuters news agency, Ten’s lawyers said that Fox executive chairman Lachlan Murdoch’s private company had offered to revise the bid it made in June for Ten before CBS became the front-runner.
Murdoch’s company, Illyria, and its Australian partner, Birketu, have informed Ten that they “wish to in some way reopen their offer by opening negotiations,” according to Ten lawyer Richard McHugh.
CBS is prepared to pay at least Aus$201.1m (€136m/$162m) in cash for Ten, court papers have indicated.