Private equity expects media asset boost

Private equity groups expect to boost their level of investment in media assets in 2011, but music, consumer publishing and television are considered the least attractive sectors. The findings, from a report by consultancy Grant Thornton, illustrate the diverse fortunes of different areas in the media, where the structural shift in the way people consume content has forced widespread adaptation, with varying degrees of success. More than two-thirds of those surveyed said they expected an increase in private equity activity in media over the next 12 months, while 90 per cent said they planned to invest in the sector in the same period. Digital media will be the most aggressively targeted segment for investment by private equity, the report found, underlining the sector's growth prospects as publishers, record companies and mobile operators aim to expand their digital products.