Liberty Stirs Takeover Talk by Upping Stake in ITV

Financial Times: Liberty Global has lifted its stake in ITV to 9.9 percent, a move likely to stir speculation over whether John Malone’s cable company will ultimately seek to buy the British free-to-air broadcaster. It comes almost exactly a year after Liberty, which also owns broadband provider Virgin Media, paid £481 million for an initial stake of 6.4 percent holding. Liberty CEO Mike Fries said the investment remains an “opportunistic one for us in our largest market,” adding that ITV is “a well-run company with attractive growth potential.”