Nikkei, the Japanese financial newspaper company that owns multiple dailies, announced Thursday morning it is buying the Financial Times from news and education company Pearson PLC for $1.29 billion.
The deal, which was reported first by Marketwatch, comes after much speculation — from the Financial Times and others — about a possible suitor for the bisque-colored journal of business and economic affairs.
Earlier this morning, the Financial Times reported that Berlin-based media conglomerate Axel Springer was a frontrunner among the possible buyers for the paper. Before that, several possible buyers were suggested by media reporters, including Bloomberg LP honcho Michael Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters.
