Richard Branson is considering buying back Virgin Records more than 40 years after founding the business that spawned his empire.

EU antitrust regulators opened an indepth investigation yesterday into a bid by Vivendi’s Universal Music to buy EMI’s recorded music unit for $1.9bn (€1.4bn), saying the proposed deal could reduce competition to the detriment of consumers.

THE record company behind U2 and Jedward has blamed piracy and illegal downloading for a fall in profits at its Irish operations.

Mobile phone giant Vodafone said it had completed the disposal of its 44% shareholding in French telecoms company SFR to Vivendi for €7.75bn.

The sponsors of the match introduced in 2000 to mark the contribution Seve Ballesteros made to European golf have suggested a name change following the Spanish star’s death earlier this month.

Aggreko led the FTSE 100 Index further above the 6000 level today after it was lifted by a deal to supply power to the firm that ran the crippled Fukushima power plant.

Vodafone shares were boosted today after the telecoms giant unveiled the €7.94bn sale of its 44% stake in SFR, France’s second largest mobile phone company.

THE record company behind U2 and Ronan Keating saw its Irish pre-tax profits plunge from €6.2 million to €2.5m last year.

GLOBAL recorded music sales fell 7% to €12.8 billion in 2009, hit by a fall in the world’s two biggest markets of the US and Japan, the industry’s trade body said yesterday.

Next season’s European Tour – starting in South Africa on Thursday – will feature a minimum of 47 tournaments, including six new ones, and will once again culminate in the Dubai World Championship.

THE record company behind U2 saw its Irish pre-tax profits increase from €4.6 million to €6.2m last year.

Latest positions in the singles at the Vivendi Trophy with Seve Ballesteros, Continental Europe v Great Britain and Ireland, St-Nom la Breteche, Paris, France.

Latest positions in the singles at the Vivendi Trophy with Seve Ballesteros, Continental Europe v Great Britain and Ireland, St-Nom la Breteche, Paris, France.

Results on the final day of the Vivendi Trophy with Seve Ballesteros, Continental Europe v Great Britain and Ireland, St-Nom la Breteche, Paris, France

Chris Wood had luck on his side as he made it three wins out of three for Britain and Ireland against Continental Europe at the Vivendi Trophy in Paris today.

Robert Rock got off the mark and Nick Dougherty had another win to stretch Britain and Ireland’s lead over Continental Europe at the Vivendi Trophy in Paris today.

Latest positions in the morning greensomes at the Vivendi Trophy with Seve Ballesteros, Continental Europe v Great Britain and Ireland, St-Nom la Breteche, Paris, France.

Ian Poulter has explained his absence from the Vivendi Trophy in Paris this week by saying he wants to avoid burnout.

PAUL McGINLEY and Thomas Bjorn – high on Colin Montgomerie’s wanted list as Ryder Cup vice-captains – would love nothing more than to force him into finding someone else.

Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn - high on Colin Montgomerie's wanted list as Ryder Cup vice-captains - would love nothing more than to force him into finding someone else.

Broadcasting giant BSkyB is mulling a €2.5bn bid for Spanish pay TV platform Digital+, a report said today.

US video games publisher Electronic Arts has launched a $2bn (€1.3bn) takeover bid for rival Take-Two Interactive Software, owner of the Grand Theft Auto game.

Wall Street tumbled today, led by financial services stocks, on concerns that the US economy’s expansion will erode amid troubles in the mortgage industry.

Two computer games giants today announced plans to merge to create the world’s largest computer games publisher.

IT was a match made in high-tech heaven.

YouTube announced deals to licence content from two major record companies just hours before the wildly popular US video website agreed to be bought by Google for $1.6bn (€1.27bn).

A music publishing group with the rights to songs by Robbie Williams and Coldplay agreed to a £1bn (€1.47bn) takeover deal today.

Online video-sharing phenomenon YouTube wants to show every music video ever made on the site.

THE record label behind U2 and rapper Eminem saw its Irish profits rise by almost €2 million last year.

Virgin Mobile and Carphone Warehouse today confirmed they were in talks over the launch of a mobile phone service in France.

Sony and BMG, the music unit of the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG, said today they had completed the merging of their music businesses.

The former chief executive of Vivendi Universal, Jean-Marie Messier, was taken into police custody in Paris today in an investigation into financial misappropriation during his time at the telecommunications giant, police said.

VODAFONE Group, in which many former eircom investors hold shares, may raise its dividend by 20%, easing investor concern that chief executive Arun Sarin’s expansion strategy may hurt shareholder returns.

NBC closed its deal to merge with the Universal entertainment businesses today, creating a new media conglomerate that will take its place alongside giants such as Time Warner and Viacom.

Vodafone Group PLC chief executive officer Arun Sarin said Vivendi Universal SA's SFR Cegetel unit will ond day be a part of Vodafone.

Music group EMI could face a takeover move from a United States private equity group if it fails in its bid for the recorded music division of Time Warner, according to reports.

Peribit Networks which has chosen Dublin to be its European hub has secured $10m (€8.5m) in its fourth round of financing.

VIVENDI Universal’s dream of landing a $14 billion cash-rich deal for its US entertainment empire is fast evaporating with final bids likely to fall short of the mark, sources involved in the auction said.

Apple has reported lower second quarter net income today.

Apple may bid for Universal Music, the music division of French media and communications group Vivendi, in a deal worth $6bn.

Media giant Vivendi Universal announced a net loss of €23bn last year - the largest in French corporate history.

Video-games group Argonaut saw shares slump by almost a quarter today after it announced a delay in the launch of its eagerly-awaited game Malice.

THE multi-million euro contract to build Dublin's Luas light rail system is to be reviewed

The Footsie 100 Index was down 42.1 to 4033.3 in the first hour of trading.