Politics seen overshadowing deals at media moguls' summit

New York

THE titans of media and technology are back in Sun Valley, Idaho, for their annual summit to plot the future of their industries, but it seems like world politics and the economy are what everyone really wants to talk about.

Take David Zaslav, whose Discovery Communications Inc has made big bets on TV rights for European sports. Holding court with reporters on Tuesday, he focused as much on the continent's poor-performing economy as he did the changing media landscape. Western Europe, excluding the UK, has been in a recession for the past 10 years, said Mr Zaslav, 56, citing the lack of wage growth and high unemployment. The situation in Europe right now is a "recipe for some real challenges". "It doesn't look right now like it's going to get a lot better," he said after arriving in Sun Valley, where the conference is hosted each year by Allen & Co.