THE DEAL'S SIXTH ANNUAL HIGH-TECH M&A PREDICTIONS FOR 2006

The Deal's Joshua Jaffe has an interesting set of predictions for 2006:

Technology dealmaking rolled along in 2005, with all signs of gaining pace this year. Mergers and acquisitions among high-tech companies of all sizes picked up substantially as private equity firms and traditional media companies joined Internet and traditional tech companies in aggressive dealmaking.

Trend spotting is easy, though, which is why The Deal, in its sixth annual set of high-tech M&A predictions, doesn't just offer up general prognostications.

Following is a list of specific deals that will happen in 2006. Even if they don't all pan out, which is more than likely, these predictions highlight the hot M&A tech sectors this year. Specific deal predictions may not be the most accurate way to predict the future of technology dealmaking, but we hope it makes for better reading.

Liberty Media bids for IAC/InterActiveCorp.
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Yahoo! snares Web 2.0 minnows, buys movie studio
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