— Informa: It’s been confirmed that Blackstone has replaced Hellman & Friedman in the consortium to buy B2B publisher and Datamonitor owner Informa. It joins Providence Equity LLP and The Carlyle Group in a three-way private equity tag team. But investors are spooked by reports suggesting the offer price has fallen from 506p to 440p. Via AP.
— Indie site down: As though we’re living in the Dark Ages, Independent.co.uk was down for a whole day yesterday. GM Bill Swanson tells Guardian.co.uk he doesn’t know why – but he wasn’t happy with the site’s Dutch hosting company.
— Papers hike prices: National newspapers have caught a price-rise cold. The Times on Saturday is going up £0.10 to £1.50, Daily Telegraph and Guardian adding the same amount to go at £1.60 on Saturdays, while The Telegraph is also going up £0.10 to £0.90 on weekdays. Why? Guardian.co.uk: “The price hikes appear to be part of a change of emphasis toward subscription services.”