Liberty Media to split off Liberty Entertainment

Liberty Media Corp will spin off its stake in DirecTV Group and other assets into a publicly traded company called Liberty Entertainment Group SA, taking the first step to simplify ownership of the satellite TV provider. Liberty's 50 percent stake in DirecTV will be the dominant asset in Liberty Entertainment, accounting for more than 80 percent of its value. Wall Street analysts said the long-anticipated move could eventually lead to Liberty Entertainment and DirecTV being merged into one trading entity, which would make it easier to trade the stock for acquisitions in the future.