Standard&Poor's ratings on Liberty Media Corp. remain on CreditWatch with negative implications where they were placed Feb. 23, 2001. The company has reached a revised agreement in principle to acquire 100% of the equity of six of nine German regional cable TV companies owned by Deutsche Telekom AG for €5.5 billion (about $4.7 billion), without any pre-existing debt. The two parties have yet to complete a definitive agreement, and have not announced financing terms. Liberty's investment and exposure in this entity will be meaningfully increased from the previously contemplated $2.2 billion, 55% stake. The revised preliminary terms will eliminate regulatory issues that would have existed had Deutsche Telekom retained a stake. The German cable industry is highly fragmented.
