マードック対ブルームバーグの戦いが始まるのか？

ReutersのExclusiveとして報じられたFTの身売りの話。今回のタイトルはあくまで推測の話にすぎません。推測の話にすぎないといって想像を膨らませてしまっていますが、ブルームバーグはBusinessWeekも買ったことですし、Financial Timesを買ってもおかしくないかもしれません。

Exclusive: Pearson to sell FT, announcement due shortly 6:07am EDT
Britain's Pearson (PSON.L) said it was in advanced talks about selling the Financial Times newspaper, confirming an earlier Reuters report on Thursday.

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A source told Reuters the group had decided to sell the newspaper and website to a "global, digital news company".

親会社Pearsonのサイトで交渉があることをあっさり認めていました。ただ、相手についても、この話が成立するかも明言していませんね。あくまで可能性としてありうるという話なのでregarding the potential disposal of FT Groupとpotentialが使われています。

Comment on recent press speculation
July 23, 2015
Pearson notes recent press speculation and confirms that it is in advanced discussions regarding the potential disposal of FT Group although there is no certainty that the discussions will lead to a transaction. A further announcement will be made if and when appropriate.

野次馬としてはどこが買うの？という興味が湧いてしまいます。数日前のFortuneの記事ではpotential acquirers—a group that likely includes German media giant Axel Springer and Bloomberg itselfと同じくpotentialという形容詞をつけてドイツのSpringerか、アメリカのブルームバーグをあげていました。

Here's why the Financial Times might really be for sale this time
by Mathew Ingram @mathewi JULY 20, 2015, 12:53 PM EDT

Rumors have swirled around the British financial daily before, but this time its parent Pearson PLC may be more motivated than ever to sell.
Pearson PLC, the British company that publishes The Financial Times, is said to be exploring a potential sale of its venerable business daily—known for its salmon-colored newspaper pages—for as much as $1.6 billion, according to a report by Bloomberg on Monday. Similar rumors have swirled around the FT a number of times in the past and nothing much has come of them, but there are a number of reasons why this time could be different, and why Pearson may be looking to sell.
For one thing, if the Bloomberg report is accurate, Pearson appears to have received actual expressions of interest from potential acquirers—a group that likely includes German media giant Axel Springer and Bloomberg itself (since founder Michael Bloomberg has made it pretty clear he would like to own the paper). In the past, a sale of the financial daily was mostly something that media analysts speculated about, particularly after Pearson got a new CEO who was seen as less attached to the FT brand.

しつこいですが、まだ交渉している段階の話ですので、どうなるかわからないものですのでご留意ください。