DLA Piper named finalists in the New Zealand Law Awards 2021

DLA Piper has been named finalist in two categories in the 2021 New Zealand Awards; M&A Deal of the Year for advising Discovery, Inc, on its acquisition of MediaWorks TV Limited and IPT partner, Nick Valentine, named in the Young Private Practice Lawyer of the Year category.

The M&A team advised media giant Discovery, Inc, on its agreement to purchase MediaWorks' TV business, comprising of free-to-air channels, Three, Bravo, Three+1, Bravo+1, The Edge TV and The Breeze TV; streaming service ThreeNow; and multi-platform news and current affairs service Newshub.

Discovery, Inc. is the global leader in real life entertainment and is known in New Zealand for its pay TV channels Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Food Network, Living and Discovery Turbo and free-to-air channels HGTV and Choice TV.

DLA Piper's team was led by corporate partner Reuben Woods. IPT partner Nick Valentine advised on the media and transitional services aspects of the deal and competition partner Alicia Murray gave regulatory advice.

Reuben Woods comments, "Discovery is a long-standing and significant client of the global firm and being named a finalist is a fantastic acknowledgment of the hard work that the team put into this deal."

Partner Nick Valentine, Head of the New Zealand IP and Technology practice, was also named a finalist in the Young Private Practice Lawyer of the Year category. Finalists for this category are selected based on the quantity, quality, importance, and innovativeness of their work.

"It is a great recognition to be named a finalist at this year's awards" says Nick Valentine, "thank you to my fantastic team and clients for their continued support".