Liberty Media announced this week that it would re-attribute its 33 percent stake in Live Nation Entertainment, along with other assets, from Formula One Group to its SiriusXM tracking stock, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Over the years, analysts have wondered if Liberty could eventually acquire control of Live Nation. In a statement to THR, the company said that the re-attribution, based on recent market prices, would be effective immediately. The $1.5 billion net asset value, which includes the entire $2.6 billion Live Nation stake, has been re-attributed from SiriusXM to Formula One Group and vice versa.
“[The Formula One Group] now has a strengthened balance sheet that positions us to support and enhance the Formula 1 business while also being opportunistic during these challenging times,” Liberty Media president and CEO Greg Maffei said in a statement.
This new setup paves the way for both stocks to have potential deal opportunities in the future.
“For Liberty SiriusXM, this combines a complementary set of businesses that are established leaders in the live and audio entertainment space,” he continued. “Both the new Formula One Group and Liberty SiriusXM Group now have currencies with which to complete acquisitions, raise capital and engage in share repurchases, among other things.”
Live Nation and SiriusXM, which are now under the same umbrella, could cooperate in more ways going forward, Maffei noted.
