CanWest, Goldman Sachs bid $2.3 billion for Alliance Atlantis

TORONTO – A deal that had to happen from a CanWest point of view came together quickly over the holidays, say the principals. After market closing Wednesday, CanWest Global Communications and GS Capital Partners, a private equity affiliate of Goldman Sachs & Co., announced they have entered into an agreement to buy Alliance Atlantis Communications for $53 per share in cash for an aggregate price of approximately $2.3 billion. The deal fixes a long-term gap in CanWest's portfolio which has been light on specialty services. CanWest has a single analog service: TVtropolis (formerly Prime) and digi-nets Men TV, Mystery, Xtreme...