Blockbuster takeover bid by Dish wins judge's OK (Reuters)

Thursday, April 7, 2011 2:01 PM

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Satellite television consort Dish Network Corp can go aweigh with its $320 meg acquire of Blockbuster Inc, a insolvency determine ruled on Thursday.

Judge histrion Lifland's approval gives Dish, led by billionaire Charlie Ergen, curb of the one-time recording property leader's 1,700 stores -- a new way to market Dish's services.

Dish place in the winning effort for Blockbuster at an sell early this hebdomad at U.S. insolvency suite in Manhattan.

The consort vex discover reformist investor Carl Icahn, South Korea's SK Telecom Co and a group of inclose assets led by Monarch Alternative Capital LP.

Proceeds of the understanding module support country soured Blockbuster creditors who are together unpaid more than $1 billion. These creditors include Icahn, other bondholders and movie studios, among others.

Jim Keyes, Blockbuster's honcho executive, said after Thursday's suite chance that he was entertained with the sale, especially because Dish has said it plans to ready Blockbuster operating.

Speaking to reporters, Keyes declined to feature how some stores module rest unstoppered but said he expects Dish to adopt a significant number of leases. Blockbuster's DVD property kiosks, operated by NCR Corp, are also due to stay in business, he said.

Blockbuster helps alter Dish's playing beyond its equipment assist and could support alter the consort into a field provider of on-demand video, analysts said. For details click on [ID:nLE7F6164].

MORE THAN 100 OBJECTIONS FILED

Other possibleness buyers included liquidators that were due to near Blockbuster had they won the auction.

Blockbuster employs roughly 16,500 grouping in the United States and 12,800 grouping elsewhere, Keyes said.

The understanding is due to near on Apr 25, Dish said in a evidence on Thursday. A spokeswoman for Dish did not directly respond to a sound call hunt boost comment.

More than 100 parties had filed objections to the understanding with the court, including landlords hunt assurance that Dish would honor and country sums unpaid on Blockbuster's leases. Many of these sums rest in dispute.

Blockbuster asked that the objections be dealt with at a after date, and the determine agreed.

"It was not country until rattling recently that the flourishing bidder contemplated an ongoing playing model" rather than a liquidation, Lifland said.

He added that Dish's $320 meg effort was "fair and reasonable," and in the prizewinning interest of Blockbuster creditors and the insolvency estate.

Blockbuster filed for insolvency in September. It decided to place itself up for understanding in Feb after a organisation to organise lapse unconnected as losses mounted.

As of Feb 27, Blockbuster's assets included more than $100 meg of receivables and cash and a property library estimated to be worth $175 million. Other assets include client lists and rights to stream movies over the Internet.

Lenders including Icahn that had provided Blockbuster a $125 meg insolvency give module be paid in flooded as part of the sale, author Karotkin, a lawyer for Blockbuster, said at the hearing.

Dish's shares lapse 37 cents or 1.5 proportionality to $23.95 on Nasdaq.

The housing is in re: Blockbuster Inc, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York, No 10-14997.

(Reporting by Dena Aubin; additional reporting by Jon Stempel and blackamoor Hals; redaction by Evangelist Wallace, Dave Zimmerman and Bernard Orr)


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