LibertyMedia.com is a media Corporate web site
Liberty Media Corporations
Liberty Media Corporation is one of the largest holdings companies, which holds interests in several globally branded online commerce, media, communications and entertainment companies such as AOL Time Warner Inc., Discovery Communications, Inc., Motorola, Inc., QVC, Inc., Sprint PCS Group, Starz Encore, Telewest Communications plc, The News Corporation Limited, and USA Interactive. The company also has interests in certain domestic and international programming networks and businesses. Some of the principal assets of the company also comprise interests in international video distribution businesses; plant and equipment manufacturers; international telephony and domestic wireless telephony; and other related broadband service businesses. The class A and Class B common stocks of the company are traded in the New York stock exchange under the symbols L and LMC.B, respectively. Through its subsidiaries, the company operates in North America, Europe and Asia. In 2004, Liberty was described by Microsoft's Slate magazine 2004 as, “A strange hybrid—part venture capital fund, part mutual fund, part asset shuffler extraordinaire, and part long-term operator of businesses.” The company is rated No. 281 in FORTUNE 500 and No. 316 in FT Global 500.
History
The company found its origin as part of TCI, an American cable television group and was acquired by AT&T in the year 1999 for $54 billion. Eventually, AT&T spun off the company in 2001. Subsequently, the company spent $5 billion on nine German regional cable networks. In 2001, the company went for aggressive acquisitions of cable operators and content developers in the EU. In 2003, the company bought all of the remaining 57% interests of QVC from Comcast for US$7.9 billion and absorbed Liberty Livewire Corporation.
In 2004, the company emerged as the largest shareholder in the Murdoch-controlled group. In 2005, the company went for spinning off its stake in the Discovery cable and satellite business and thus a new publicly traded company called Discovery Holdings emerged to house Liberty's 50% stake in Discovery Channel, the Travel Channel, the Learning Channel and Animal Planet, and the Ascent media postproduction business. In 2006, Liberty Media's 50% stake in Court TV was acquired by Time Warner for $735 million. In 2006, IDT sold its IDT Entertainment division to Liberty Media. As a result, the assets of IDT Entertainment and popular line of premium TV channels of Starz Entertainment Group jointly produced content for all distribution platforms. To gain control of DirecTV and the Atlanta Braves baseball team in 2007, Liberty went in for asset swaps with News Corp. and Time Warner. At the completion of the deal, Liberty received the Atlanta Braves, a group of craft magazines and $1 billion in cash in exchange for 60 million shares of Time Warner stock. In addition, Liberty has also purchased Green Bay, Wisconsin, television station WFRV-TV and its branch in Escanaba, Michigan, WJMN-TV, from CBS estimated at about $234 million.
Company Profile
Liberty Media Holding Corp., which was formerly called as Liberty Media owns interests in a wide range of electronic retailing, communications and entertainment, and media businesses. Liberty Media Corporation comprises some of the globally recognized and respected brands distinctly grouped under two trading stock groups known as Liberty Interactive Group and Liberty Capital Group. With this arrangement, the fast-growing video and online commerce operations of the company are effectively split from the company's less robust cable TV and entertainment businesses.
The Liberty Interactive Group includes the company’s interests in QVC, Provide Commerce, IAC/InterActiveCorp, and Expedia. The Liberty Capital Group includes the company’s interests in Starz Entertainment, News Corporation, and Time Warner.
To note some of its eminent holdings, QVC is the leading electronic retail service provider in the US, reaching over 85 million homes with international operations in the UK, Germany and Japan. UnitedGlobalCom has operations in several countries and it is the largest international broadband communications provider of video, voice, and internet services. IAC is a multi-brand interactive commerce company involved in global business transactions through Internet, television and the telephone. Expedia provides travel products and services to leisure and corporate travelers. Provide Commerce offers an e-commerce marketplace for perishable goods directly delivered from suppliers to customers.
Official Website
LibertyMedia.com gives a good deal of information regarding the corporate structure, press coverage and business profile. To know more about the company’s media coverage, complete overview, and market research reports, the other sites listed under reference and additional readings may be consulted.
Additional Information
Address
- Liberty Media Corporation
- 12300 Liberty Blvd
- Englewood, CO 80112
