Media Moguls' 'Marriage' On the Rocks

Longtime partners Diller, Malone may be severing ties
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 27, 2007 12:38 PM CDT
Media Moguls' 'Marriage' On the Rocks
John Malone, head of Liberty Media, may be severing ties with longtime partner Barry Diller.   (Getty Images)

The long and lucrative partnership between media giants John Malone and Barry Diller may be nearing its end, the Wall Street Journal reports. "We've been frustrated with each other at times," says Diller, whose IAC empire, backed by Malone's Liberty Media, includes the Home Shopping Network, Ticketmaster and Expedia. Lackluster business is raising tensions between the two and threatening their complex ties.

Malone owns a majority voting stake in Diller's companies, but a proxy agreement, valid until death, allows Diller to vote on Malone's behalf. Now, with business slumping, Malone is asserting his influence and Diller is chafing for independence. Malone, who likens the partnership to a "marriage," may be willing to wait it out. He once reminded investors that "if a bus gets" Diller, Liberty Media takes control of IAC. (More InterActiveCorp stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X