Sky soars on Vodafone, Vivendi reports

European satcaster Sky saw its shares soar in value yesterday after interest from Canal+ owner Vivendi and UK-based telecoms giant Vodafone was reportedly rebuffed by Rupert Murdoch.

Vivendi has previously been linked with a deal for the European pay TV giant, while analysts have predicted Vodafone could be a suitor for Sky.

However, a report in The Daily Telegraph newspaper sent shares up by 5% after it claimed that the Murdoch family had knocked back two separate offers for their 39% stake in the business over the past six months.

The informal approaches come as Vincent Bolloré-fronted Vivendi continues to scout out potential acquisition targets, including Sky.

Earlier this year Vivendi denied it had been looking to buy the UK-based pay TV broadcaster, which is valued at more than £17bn (US$26bn).

Rumours have been circling that Sky could become a target following its formation through the takeover of Sky Deutschland and Sky Italia by BSkyB last year.

That deal created a company with a reach of 20 million households across the UK, Italy, Germany, Ireland and Austria, and a programming budget that tops US$7bn.

Vodafone, meanwhile, has been exploring its own TV options and has also been linked with US cable operator Liberty Global.