• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, November 21, 2013

M&A activity in the entertainment, media and communications sector increased 9% through the first nine months of 2013 to 53 deals, driven by areas including Internet /information services, publishing and telecom.

Total announced deal value in that period was up 55% from a year ago to $77.1 billion, resulting from “megadeals” in broadcasting, telecom, advertising and marketing, according to the latest data from PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Private equity-backed deals made up 20% of total deals, consistent with the prior year. The study also noted that changes in how consumers access content and the growth of smart devices are behind a mobile data surge that continues to propel both corporate acquisitions and PE deals.

While interest in the overseas markets remains, deals by U.S. companies buying foreign ones declined to 126 so far this year, compared to 158 in 2012, partly because of the more rigorous requirements for completing cross-border deals.