Covington & Burling LLP | Practices, Industries & Regions

Covington has successfully represented a variety of participants in the Communications and Media Industry throughout the world -- such as television broadcast stations, radio station groups, wireless operators, satellite companies and fiber operators -- in a broad range of financing transactions, from the straight-forward but business critical bank loan, to the sophisticated and complex cross-border financing.

We have represented borrowers in negotiations with a variety of participants in financing transactions, such as domestic and multi-national commercial banks, underwriters of public debt offerings, export credit agencies, providers of credit enhancements and financial advisors. A distinctive quality and core strength is our ability to integrate critical business and regulatory issues specific to the industry into our work, enabling us to negotiate, structure, and successfully finance transactions that address our clients’ unique business and legal issues.

Representative Matters

LIN TV Corp. in connection with a series of credit facilities aggregating in the amount of $900 million, as well as in a $175 million offering of unsecured debt securities underwritten by leading investment banks.
Radio One in a private placement of $200 million 6.375% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2013.
Reliance Infocomm Limited in connection with its $750 million secured financing from Export-Import Bank of the United States and Export Development Canada.
Mobile Satellite Ventures LP in a $750 million Rule 144A placement of 14% senior secured discount notes.
Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings, Inc. in a $100 million Rule 144A placement of 12.75% Senior Notes due 2014.
Telemobil S.A., a Romania wireless telecommunications services provider, operating under the trade name Zapp®, in arranging $40 million in senior loans from Bank Austria Credantstalt AG and Raiffeisen Bank S.A. and $54 million in sponsor supported loans from Export-Import Bank of the United States and Black Sea Trade and Development Bank.

Accolades

Ranked by Chambers USA as leading Communications Finance practice in 2006.
Ranked by Chambers USA as a leading Communications practice in 2004-2007.
Ranked by Chambers USA as leading Media and Entertainment practice in 2006-2007.
Ranked by Practical Law Company as a leading Communications practice in 2005-2006.
Our partners have significant experience outside of the practice - for example, on Capitol Hill, where they were deeply involved in the development of telecommunications legislation, and in the executive suites of major and highly visible media companies.
Our partners have over the years held leadership positions in major associations in the media field - including the Federal Communications Bar Association, the International Radio and Television Society Foundation, the Media Institute and the Media Law Resource Center.