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Filed under: Deals, Media World, Film

Pity poor Macrovision (NASDAQ: MVSN). First it unloads the print version of TV Guide for a measly $1 (and has to loan OpenGate Capital $9.5 million in cash to help cover the obligations assumed). Now, three weeks after agreeing to sell TVGuide.com and the TV Guide Channel to Alan Shapiro and One Equity Partners for $300 million, it turns around and dumps that deal in favor of a $255 million offer from Lions Gate (NYSE:LGF).

Filed under: Deals, Television, Internet, Sony Corp ADR (SNE), Comcast Cl'A' (CMCSA), Media World, Film

So, I just read that Lions Gate Entertainment (NYSE: LGF) purchased TVGuide.com and TV Guide Network from Macrovision Solutions Corp. (NASDAQ: MVSN) for over $250 million. Here's the press release. The question I have is: Why would Lions Gate want to do this?

Filed under: Magazines, Private equity

As we reported in October, TV Guide's prospects look as bleak as a Friends spin-off. The brand that Rupert Murdoch paid $3 billion for in 1988 was recently purchased from MacroVision (NASDAQ:MVSN) by OpenGate Capital -- for a buck.

At that, the venture capital company might have overpaid, since the magazine comes laden with up to $100 million in obligations. Worse, the purchase only included the paper version; MacroVision retained TVguide.com. On the bright side, MacroVision loaned OpenGate $9.5 million at 3% interest to help cover those obligations.

Movie rental service Netflix (NFLX) has hired a new executive to bring its Internet streaming service to more living rooms.

Netflix plans to announce Thursday that it's hired Gregory K. Peters as VP of partner products. He will be in charge of partnerships with gadget companies to offer devices like Blu-ray players and set-top boxes that play Netflix's Internet streams directly on TVs. So far, Netflix's partners include Microsoft (MSFT), Samsung, LG, Roku, and TiVo (TIVO).