Spain's Prisa invites offers for Digital+: report

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish media group Prisa has invited companies interested in bidding for its pay-TV unit Digital+ to submit non-binding offers from September 15, Expansion said on Saturday, citing financial sources.

Prisa, which has units ranging from Spanish newspaper El Pais to Latin American radio stations, has yet to officially say it has started a formal sale process for Digital+, but has said it was studying selling part or all of its pay-TV business.

Expansion said HSBC is advising Prisa on the sale and has sent details of the assets for sale to around a dozen media groups and telecoms operators.

Prisa plans to draw up a shortlist two weeks afterwards and will then allow those firms to carry out due diligence on Digital+ before closing a deal in October, said the paper.

Among the companies contacted during the last few weeks about possible interest in Digital+ are Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, France's Vivendi, Italy's Mediaset, Mexican operator Telmex, France Telecom and Spanish operators Telefonica and Ono, said the paper, citing sources close to the operation.

No one was available at Prisa to comment on the report.

(Reporting by Sarah Morris; editing by Chris Pizzey)