France's VIVENDI UNIVERSAL has sold to NEWS CORPORATION, the group of the businessman Rupert Murdoch, its pay television subsidiary in Italy TELEPIU, for 1.5 bn euro. TELEPIU will be merged with STREAM, the pay television platform of NEWS CORP (50%) and TELECOM ITALIA (50%). NEWSCORP should take a 50% stake in the new entity. Talks over the remaining 50% is not known but TELECOM ITALIA could take 25%, whereas the publishing group DE AGOSTINI is also among the potential investors. TELEPIU has some 1.5 million subscribers and recorded a loss of 220 million euro in 2000. Furthermore, TELECOM ITALIA has announced that it is to sell its 25% stake in the Austrian mobile phone operator, MOBILKOM to TELEKOM AUSTRIA for 716 million euro. The Italian operator has also concluded an agreement with OIAG, main stakeholder in TELEKOM AUSTRIA to gradually sell it its 29.8% stake in TELEKOM AUSTRIA.