International law firm Taylor Wessing has advised News Corporation and News Corp UK & Ireland on its successful acquisition of talkSPORT owner, Wireless Group plc, for £220.3 million.

Wireless is a media group operating in the UK and Ireland primarily focused on radio broadcasting. The business has valuable media brands that include talkSPORT, the leading sports radio network in the UK, and a wider portfolio of media assets with a significant presence and audience engagement, both digitally and internationally.

Taylor Wessing was instructed by Victoria Smith, Head of Corporate Legal and Chief Compliance Officer at News UK.

Mike Turner, International Head of Technology, Media and Communications (TMC) at Taylor Wessing said: “It has been a great pleasure working with Victoria Smith and her team at News UK on this transformational transaction. Victoria has steered News Corporation, News UK and a team of external advisors through what was a complex and challenging process with great skill and commercial judgment.”

The Taylor Wessing team was led by Andrew Davis, partner in the Corporate Technology team, Mike Turner, International Head of TMC, Will Belcher, partner in the Corporate Finance team, Corporate senior associate Alexandra Richardson (now on secondment at News UK), associates Amy Coburn, Andrew Sterling and Jemilla Olufeko, and trainees Katie Kaplucha and Pollyanna West. Specialist advice was provided by Tony Ghee and Adam Rendle (Media), Robert Vidal and Louisa Penny (Competition) Mark Smith and Emma Aylwin (Pensions) Ann Casey and Anna Humphrey (Employee Incentives and Benefits), Joe Aiston and Kate Potts (Employment), Michael Helfgott and Nick Wood (Real Estate) and Martin Yells (Banking).