SK Telecom Considers Bid for Blockbuster
South Korea’s SK Telecom Co. is considering a bid for movie-rental chain Blockbuster Inc., which filed for bankruptcy court protection last year, an official at the Korean mobile operator said Thursday.
The official declined to say why SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest mobile carrier by revenue, might bid for Blockbuster, but the company has been seeking ways to broaden its business portfolio and tap new sources of growth overseas to overcome the limited opportunities to expand in one of the world’s most saturated and fiercely competitive telecom markets.
Market watchers were uncertain whether a successful bid would benefit SK Telecom, although some said that acquiring Blockbuster could provide a source of visual content for its mobile-service business.