iWorld
Bill Ackman makes a $64bn bid for Universal Music Group
The hedge fund boss wants to list the world’s biggest record label in New York and thinks he knows exactly what ails it
NEW YORK: Bill Ackman wants to buy the world’s biggest record label. Pershing Square Capital Management, the hedge fund run by the billionaire investor, submitted a non-binding proposal on Tuesday to acquire all outstanding shares of Universal Music Group in a business combination transaction worth roughly $64.4 billion (around 55.8 billion euros).
Under the terms of the offer, UMG shareholders would receive 9.4 billion euros in cash, equivalent to 5.05 euros per share, plus 0.77 shares of a newly created company, dubbed New UMG, for each share held. Pershing Square values the total package at 30.40 euros per share, a 78 per cent premium to UMG’s closing price on April 2.
The deal would see UMG merge with Pershing Square SPARC Holdings, with the combined entity incorporating as a Nevada corporation and listing on the New York Stock Exchange. New UMG would publish financial statements under US GAAP and become eligible for S&P 500 index inclusion. Pershing Square says the transaction is expected to close by year-end, with all equity financing backstopped by Ackman’s firm and its affiliates, and all debt financing committed at signing. The transaction would cancel 17 per cent of UMG’s outstanding shares, leaving New UMG with 1.541 billion shares outstanding.
Ackman has a long history with UMG. Pershing Square first bought approximately 10 per cent of the company from Vivendi in the summer of 2021 for around $4 billion, around the time of UMG’s listing on the Euronext Amsterdam exchange. He has since trimmed that position, raising around $1.4 billion from the sale of a 2.7 per cent stake in March 2025, and resigned from UMG’s board in May 2025, citing new executive and board obligations arising from recent investments.
His diagnosis of UMG’s troubles is blunt. The company’s stock has fallen around 33 per cent over the past twelve months on the Euronext Amsterdam exchange, and Ackman lays out six reasons why. These include uncertainty around the Bolloré Group’s 18 per cent stake in the company, the postponement of UMG’s US listing, the underutilisation of UMG’s balance sheet, the absence of a publicly disclosed capital allocation plan and earnings algorithm, a failure to reflect UMG’s 2.7 billion euro stake in Spotify in its valuation, and what Ackman calls suboptimal shareholder investor relations, communications and engagement.
The Bolloré stake has long cast a shadow over the company. Cyrille Bolloré stepped down from UMG’s board in July 2025 as the Bolloré Group battled the French financial markets regulator over its stake in Vivendi, which holds a further capital interest in UMG. UMG had confidentially filed a draft registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in July 2025 for a proposed secondary listing in America, but put those plans on hold in March 2026, citing market conditions.
Ackman has kind words for UMG’s management, at least. “Since UMG’s listing, Lucian Grainge and the company’s management have done an excellent job nurturing and continuing to build a world-class artist roster and generating strong business performance,” he said. But he made his diagnosis plain: “UMG’s stock price has languished due to a combination of issues that are unrelated to the performance of its music business and importantly, all of them can be addressed with this transaction.”
In other words, Ackman believes UMG is a great business trapped inside a broken structure. If the board agrees, he intends to fix that, loudly and in New York.
iWorld
JioStar-backed crackdown busts illegal IPTV network, three arrested
Police seize Rs 20 lakh, expose piracy ring streaming IPL and OTT content
MUMBAI: A coordinated anti-piracy operation backed by JioStar India Private Limited has led to the arrest of three individuals linked to an organised illegal IPTV network streaming premium television and sports content, including matches from the TATA IPL 2026.
The crackdown was carried out by the Cyber Crime Police Firozabad, which uncovered a piracy syndicate operating under the name “BOS IPTV”. The accused were apprehended across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan, signalling the multi-state footprint of the operation.
Investigators found that the network had built a user base of over 900 subscribers, distributing unauthorised streams of copyrighted content through digital platforms, including messaging apps. Authorities also traced structured financial transactions linked to the operation, with payments routed via QR codes, bank accounts and other digital methods.
As part of the enforcement action, law enforcement agencies seized several electronic devices and financial records. Around Rs 20 lakh connected to the accused has been frozen, highlighting the commercial scale of the piracy network.
The case follows an earlier crackdown on a large illegal IPTV operation and marks an expansion of efforts to dismantle connected nodes within the piracy ecosystem. Officials indicated that investigations are ongoing, with more links in the network under scrutiny.
The complaint, supported by JioStar India Private Limited, has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Information Technology Act and the Copyright Act.
The development underscores growing collaboration between content owners and law enforcement agencies as India intensifies its fight against digital piracy. With high-value properties like the IPL in focus, the message is clear: the stream may be illegal, but the crackdown is very real.
