New York (HedgeCo.Net) – Private-equity firm CVC Asia Pacific, who owns 75 percent of PBL Media, is trying to prevent the company from defaulting on its $4.3 billion in debt, according to the Asian Wall Street Journal. 

PBL Media, the owner of massive Australian magazine group ACP and Australia’s Channel Nine, could be placed under the control of its bankers if they default on the debt; something CVC is frantically trying to stop.  

According to an article in The Australian, PBL’s debt is distributed among almost 40 creditors, including many hedge funds and global banks.  CVC is trying to formulate a rescue package that would include raising $325 million from its banks, $250 million of which would go directly to paying PBL Media’s debt.

The Asian Wall Street Journal also reported that several of the large banks might also be on board to stop the default "which could result in their having to take a charge against earnings for the bad loans.”  These banks include UBS, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Calyon, ABN AMRO and several other Australian banks.

However, some of the hedge funds who are invested in PBL aren’t too thrilled about CVC’s rescue plan, which entails creditors granting PBL a “covenant holiday” of 18 months.  The Journal stated that “because hedge funds are required to mark their investments to market every day, the funds have little to gain from the CVC plan.”

Julie Scuderi
Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net
Email: julie@hedgeco.net

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