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Technology Stocks : Claxson Interactive Group Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: Jack Hartmann who wrote (49)3/4/2001 6:44:36 PM
From: Glenn Petersen  Respond to of 66
 
I agree, not a pretty picture. However, I think that the Cisneros Group is the driving factor in this deal. I think that they are doing it for two reasons. It protects what is left of their investment in El Sito and it gives Ibero-American a back door public offering and access (at some future point) to the public capital markets. Ibero-American appears to have some substantial assets.

cisneros.com

In 1997, the Cisneros Group partnered with Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst to create
Ibero-American Media Partners (IAMP), a $500 million fund that invests in media
properties in Latin America, Spain and Portugal. IAMP assets include the Cisneros
Television Group (CTG), which provides 14 channels to approximately 6 million pay
television households through over 1,000 cable system operators. El Sitio, another IAMP
investment, is one of the leading Internet portals in Latin America. CTG Music offers a
unique, fully integrated music package that includes MuchMusic Iberoamerica, HTV, AEI
Music Latin America and ARTISTdirect Latin America. CTG also founded and operates
Cl@se, a leading educational channel in Latin America.

In Chile, IAMP owns Chilevision, the Chilean national broadcast television network, and
Ibero American Radio Chile (IARC), which operates 8 leading radio stations, comprising
52% of the market. Furthermore, IAMP has interests in Caracol Television, one of two
private national broadcast networks in Colombia, and the Caribbean Communications
Network (CCN), the largest media group in the Caribbean.



To: Jack Hartmann who wrote (49)3/4/2001 6:46:05 PM
From: Glenn Petersen  Respond to of 66
 
Cisneros is certainly the real deal:

cisneros.com

With over 70 companies in 39 countries and annual revenues of $4 billion, the Cisneros
Group of Companies is one of the largest privately held broadcasting, media, technology
and telecommunications organizations in the world.

One of the cornerstone investments of the Cisneros Group is America Online Latin
America, a partnership with AOL that provides global interactive services to the region.
With more than 300,000 subscribers, the company completed a successful IPO in
August 2000 and trades under the ticker AOLA.

In 1995, the Cisneros Group partnered with Hughes Electronics to form DIRECTV Latin
America. With over 1.5 million subscribers, DIRECTV Latin America broadcasts 144
channels to 27 countries, as well as providing a complete range of the most
technologically advanced interactive services, such as online banking, telephony and data
transmission.

The Cisneros Group is the largest shareholder of Univision, the most watched television
network among the 35 million Hispanics in the United States, and in Galavision, the
leading U.S. Spanish-language cable television network. Univision has an 86% market
share and is the 5th largest network in the U.S.

The Cisneros Group’s flagship broadcasting property is Venevision. Purchased in 1961, it
is the leading television network in Venezuela and distributes programming globally
through Venevision International, based in Miami.



To: Jack Hartmann who wrote (49)3/4/2001 6:49:07 PM
From: Glenn Petersen  Respond to of 66
 
Cisneros also seems inclined to prop up its troubled investments, in this case AOL Latin America:

cisneros.com

Friday, February 23, 2001

AOL Latin America Hldrs Group In Talks To
Buy More Shares
By Kevin Guerrero
Dow Jones News Service
WASHINGTON - A group of America Online Latin America Inc.
(AOLA) shareholders are in negotiations with the Spanish- and
Portugese-language Internet service provider to acquire additional
shares of the company's stock.

According to an amended Schedule 13D filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission late Friday, the group includes Brazil's
fourth-largest retail bank, Banco Itau SA (E.BIT); Itau Bank Ltd.;
Aspen Investments LLC; Atlantis Investments LLC and certain other
unidentified shareholders.

The group entered a letter agreement Feb. 13, according to the SEC
filing. Banco Itau and Itau Bank Ltd. are seeking to buy shares with an
aggregate value of about $20 million.

Banco Itau and Itau Bank said they would buy any additional shares
purchased for investment purposes. They also cautioned that the
agreement could fall apart; the letter agreement automatically terminates
if the two sides don't execute definitive pacts by April 15.

Additional shares purchases would be subject to mutual agreement on
terms and conditions of such purchases and a definitive agreement,
approval of America Online Latin America's board, a fairness opinion
from an investment bank hired by the Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., company's
board, and any required regulatory approvals.

Banco Itau has a 36.7% stake in America Online Latin America,
according to the SEC filing.

As previously reported, America Online Latin America's principal
shareholders - AOL Time Warner Inc. (AOL) unit America Online, the
Cisneros Group
(E.CIS) and Banco Itau - have agreed to provide
$150 million in added capital on terms yet to be established by the
parties. Of that amount, Banco Itau agreed to invest about $20 million
in Class A common stock.

AOL Latin America and Banco Itau have a co-branded, customized
America Online Brazil service, which recently launched and is being
marketed to Itau's 7 million banking customers.



To: Jack Hartmann who wrote (49)3/4/2001 7:06:36 PM
From: Glenn Petersen  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 66
 
Take a look at the chart for BTBC, a busted cash rich dot com (with approximately $2.50 per share in cash) that is doing a reverse merger with Ivax Diagnostics, a unit of Ivax Corporation. The deal was announced on November 21 but the stock did not begin to move until there was a perception that the deal was actually going to close. The preliminary proxy materials were filed in early January and the stock has inched up from $1.50 per share to $3.375. The merger is voted on tomorrow.

I'm betting that the same thing happens with LCTO. They have apparently filed an F-4, but I can't find it anywhere. When LCTO announced their results this week, they also noted that the deal is expected to close in April.

biz.yahoo.com

As announced on October 30, 2000, El Sitio has agreed to merge with Ibero American Media Partners (IAMP), a joint venture between the Cisneros Group of Companies and Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Incorporated, a transaction which will result in the creation of Claxson Interactive Group. The merger is expected to close in April 2001

I have not bet the house on this one, but I have accumulated a decent position. The cash rich busted dot coms are going to provide a lot of opportunities.

Okay, I am going to stop beating you over the head. :)