Access Industries
Encyclopedia
Access Industries is a privately held, U.S.-based industrial group founded in 1986 by its chairman, Len Blavatnik. Access’s industrial focus spans three sectors: natural resource and chemicals; media and telecommunications; and real estate. It is the owner of the Warner Music Group
as of July 20, 2011.
, a former joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell
and BASF
. Basell, headquartered in Hoofddorp, The Netherlands, was the global leader in the technology, production and marketing of polyolefins. Basell’s polyolefin materials and production technologies were used to produce a wide variety of customer applications from packaging and automotive to medical and consumer goods.
In December 2007, Access's Basell Holdings acquired Lyondell Chemical Company
in a $20 billion transaction. The merged company, named LyondellBasell Industries, is the world's third largest independent chemical company. LyondellBasell is one of the world's largest polymers, petrochemicals and fuels companies: the global leader in polyolefins technology, production and marketing; a pioneer in propylene oxide and derivatives; a leading producer of advanced fuel products; and the operator of one of North America's largest full-conversion refineries. LyondellBasell is headquartered in The Netherlands. In Jan 2009, LyondellBasell Industries sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for its U.S. operations and one of its European holding companies amid a heavy debt load and plunging sales.
, marking the largest-ever foreign investment in a Russian company.
, the market leader in messaging solutions for mobile operators worldwide. Acision has over 300 mobile operators as customers who serve over a billion end users. Over 50 per cent of global messaging traffic is generated through Acision's platforms. The company employs approximately 1,700 people in 22 countries across six continents.
which launched in March 2004 on Freeview, Britain’s Digital Terrestrial TV platform. Top Up TV broadcasts a range of channels including: British Eurosport, UKTV Gold
, Discovery Channel
, TCM
, Cartoon Network
, Discovery Real Time
, UKTV Food
, and Bloomberg
.
in 2004 with Thomas H. Lee Partners
, Bain Capital
, Providence Equity Partners
, and Edgar Bronfman, Jr. A partial sale of Warner Music Group was completed through an IPO on the NYSE in May 2005. Access continued as a significant shareholder.
In May, 2011, WMG announced its sale to Access for US$3.3 billion cash, after a three-month bidding process. The purchase was set to include cash of US$320 million and would include the assumption of US$2 billion of WMG debt. Access's stake in WMG was put at 2 percent at the time of the announcement. The purchase was completed on July 20, 2011.
in 2009. net1 is a telecom services provider offering mobile broadband in Scandinavia
. By deploying 3G
-technology in lower frequencies the company has the largest geographical footprint of all scandinavian operators and approx, 100,000 subscribers.
http://www.net1.se/
, opened in 2004 in Buenos Aires
, Argentina
.
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
as of July 20, 2011.
LyondellBasell Industries
In 2005, Access acquired Basell PolyolefinsBasell Polyolefins
Basell Polyolefins was a joint venture between BASF and Royal Dutch Shell. Leonard Blavatnik's Access Industries acquired it from the venturers for $5.7 billion in August 2005...
, a former joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
and BASF
BASF
BASF SE is the largest chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Germany. BASF originally stood for Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik . Today, the four letters are a registered trademark and the company is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, and Zurich Stock...
. Basell, headquartered in Hoofddorp, The Netherlands, was the global leader in the technology, production and marketing of polyolefins. Basell’s polyolefin materials and production technologies were used to produce a wide variety of customer applications from packaging and automotive to medical and consumer goods.
In December 2007, Access's Basell Holdings acquired Lyondell Chemical Company
Lyondell Chemical Company
LyondellBasell Industries is a public multinational chemical company based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It was formed in December 2007 by the acquisition of Lyondell Chemical Company by Basell Polyolefins for $12.7 billion. LyondellBasell was listed on the New York Stock Exchange on October 14, 2010...
in a $20 billion transaction. The merged company, named LyondellBasell Industries, is the world's third largest independent chemical company. LyondellBasell is one of the world's largest polymers, petrochemicals and fuels companies: the global leader in polyolefins technology, production and marketing; a pioneer in propylene oxide and derivatives; a leading producer of advanced fuel products; and the operator of one of North America's largest full-conversion refineries. LyondellBasell is headquartered in The Netherlands. In Jan 2009, LyondellBasell Industries sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for its U.S. operations and one of its European holding companies amid a heavy debt load and plunging sales.
TNK-BP
In 1997, Access acquired a stake in the Russian oil company TNK and played a crucial role in transforming TNK into one of the world’s most respected oil companies. In 2003, half of TNK was sold to British Petroleum (BP) to form TNK-BPTNK-BP
TNK-BP is a major vertically integrated Russian oil company. It is Russia's third largest oil producer and among the ten largest private oil companies in the world. TNK-BP is Russia's third largest oil company in terms of reserves and crude oil production...
, marking the largest-ever foreign investment in a Russian company.
UC RUSAL
In 1996, Access helped to form SUAL, one of the world’s largest aluminum producers, through direct investment and the merger of assets. Over the next decade, SUAL continued to grow and became widely recognized as one of the best managed companies in Russia. In early 2007, SUAL merged with RUSAL and the alumina business of Glencore International AG to form UC Rusal, the world’s largest vertically integrated aluminum producer.Acision
In 2007, Access acquired a stake in AcisionAcision
Acision is a privately held mobile communications network infrastructure company specialising in messaging and charging systems that enable popular services such as Short message service , Multimedia Messaging Service , mobile internet browsing, Mobile Broadband and voicemail.-History:Acision's...
, the market leader in messaging solutions for mobile operators worldwide. Acision has over 300 mobile operators as customers who serve over a billion end users. Over 50 per cent of global messaging traffic is generated through Acision's platforms. The company employs approximately 1,700 people in 22 countries across six continents.
Top Up TV
In late 2003, Access acquired a controlling stake in Top Up TVTop Up TV
Top Up TV is a pay television service in the UK launched in March 2004, operating on the digital terrestrial platform. The aim of the service is to "Top Up" Freeview customers by providing additional channels and services....
which launched in March 2004 on Freeview, Britain’s Digital Terrestrial TV platform. Top Up TV broadcasts a range of channels including: British Eurosport, UKTV Gold
UKTV Gold
GOLD is the original channel of the UKTV network, broadcasting to the United Kingdom and Ireland. It launched on 1 November 1992 as UK Gold, and is currently available on Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk TV and terrestrial subscription via Top Up TV. It shows repeats of classic programming from the BBC...
, Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
, TCM
TCM
-Arts and sciences:* Trinity College of Music, a leading music conservatory, based in Greenwich, London, United Kingdom* Theory of Condensed Matter group, a theoretical physics research group in the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge...
, Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
, Discovery Real Time
Discovery Real Time
Discovery Real Time is a factual television channel owned by Discovery Networks Europe.It was originally launched in the UK in March 1992 as TLC, a British version of the US channel of the same name...
, UKTV Food
UKTV Food
Good Food is a lifestyle channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom as part of the UKTV network of channels. The channel originally launched on 5 November 2001 and relaunched in its current format on 22 June 2009. Good Food is available on satellite through Sky and on cable services, primarily...
, and Bloomberg
Bloomberg Television
Bloomberg Television is a 24-hour global network broadcasting business and financial news. It is distributed globally, reaching over 200 million homes worldwide. It is owned and operated by Bloomberg L.P...
.
Warner Music Group
Access invested in Warner Music GroupWarner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
in 2004 with Thomas H. Lee Partners
Thomas H. Lee Partners
Thomas H. Lee Partners is a private equity firm based in Boston, Massachusetts specializing in leveraged buyouts, growth capital, special situations, industry consolidations, and recapitalizations....
, Bain Capital
Bain Capital
Bain Capital LLC is a Boston-based private equity firm founded in 1984 by partners from the consulting firm Bain & Company. Originally conceived as an early-stage, growth-oriented investment fund, Bain Capital today manages approximately $65 billion in assets, and its strategies include private...
, Providence Equity Partners
Providence Equity Partners
Providence Equity Partners is a global private equity investment firm focused on media, entertainment, communications and information investments...
, and Edgar Bronfman, Jr. A partial sale of Warner Music Group was completed through an IPO on the NYSE in May 2005. Access continued as a significant shareholder.
In May, 2011, WMG announced its sale to Access for US$3.3 billion cash, after a three-month bidding process. The purchase was set to include cash of US$320 million and would include the assumption of US$2 billion of WMG debt. Access's stake in WMG was put at 2 percent at the time of the announcement. The purchase was completed on July 20, 2011.
net1
Access invested in net1Net1
Net1 are an Internet Service Provider based in the north east of Ireland.-Service Delivery:Net1 deliver broadband services to homes and businesses using FWA from a base stations in Counties Louth, Meath, Cavan, Monaghan, Fingal and parts of Armagh, Westmeath, Tyrone, Longford and Fermanagh...
in 2009. net1 is a telecom services provider offering mobile broadband in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. By deploying 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
-technology in lower frequencies the company has the largest geographical footprint of all scandinavian operators and approx, 100,000 subscribers.
http://www.net1.se/
AMEDIA
Access owns a majority stake in Amedia, Russia's leading TV production company. The Amedia group of companies also includes Media City, one of the largest TV studios in Russia, which provides end-to-end production services (including sound stages, equipment, costumes and scenery) to in-house and third-party producers.Icon Group
In 2009, Access acquired the UK operations of LA-based Icon Group, the film and entertainment business created by Mel Gibson and Bruce Davey.Real estate
Access owns hotels and commercial real estate properties in the U.S., Latin America, and Europe. One notable development is the Faena Hotel+UniverseFaena Hotel+Universe
The Faena Hotel+Universe is a five star hotel in the Puerto Madero section of Buenos Aires.-Overview:The lot where the hotel is today situated was originally purchased in 1902 by Bunge y Born, the leading local agribusiness firm...
, opened in 2004 in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.