REPORT: DREAMWORKS ANIMATION MAY BE SOLD TO JAPANESE FIRM

Hollywood may see a second film studio gobbled up by a Japanese corporation, if DreamWorks Animation is acquired by the Japanese telecommunications company SoftBank. The Hollywood Reporter reported on Saturday that DWA chief Jeffrey Katzenberg had been in talks with SoftBank, which had offered him $32 a share, representing a hefty premium over the current share price of $22.36. A DreamWorks Animation spokesperson declined to comment on the report, and the Los Angeles Times noted that as recently as this summer Katzenberg was maintaining that he was no longer interested in selling the studio. And today (Monday) a report in Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japan’s leading business newspaper, quoted a source as confirming that the two sides had been "in contact" but that "the likelihood of (the deal) actually happening is slim." Reports about a possible deal come days after the Financial Times reported that the private equity groups that control the Spanish broadcaster Univision are considering a sale or initial public offering.