Some of the biggest names in dealmaking in New York and London are duking it out as part of the Comcast-Fox-Sky bidding war

Screenshot/CNBC

Blair Effron, cofounder of Centerview Partners, is advising 21st Century Fox on its bid for Sky.

• Comcast has officially made a £22 billion ($30.7 billion) bid for Britain's Sky.
• 21st Century Fox, which owns 40% of Sky, has been trying to buy the remaining stake since the end of 2016 but has faced repeated regulatory hurdles.
• The deal pits some of the sharpest minds in global mergers and acquisitions against each other, with the three sides represented by some of the biggest names on Wall Street and in the City of London.

Blair Effron. Jennifer Nason. John Waldron. Simon Robey. Roger Altman.

They're some of the biggest names in global mergers and acquisitions - individuals who've made their name on both sides of the Atlantic by working on trillions of dollars worth of deals. And now, thanks to a bidding war for European broadcast company Sky, they're working alongside and opposite of each other.

US entertainment giant Comcast entered the fray for Sky on Wednesday, making a £22 billion ($30.7 billion) bid for Sky, gate-crashing Rupert Murdoch's takeover attempt for the British and European broadcaster.

The bid represents a 16% premium on the latest offer from Murdoch's 21st Century Fox. Comcast's deal values Sky at £22.1 billion ($30.9 billion). Sky's board responded by withdrawing its recommendation for investors to approve Fox's December 2016 bid, which has been repeatedly hit by regulatory hurdles.

The three companies each have a phalanx of investment bankers advising on the potential transaction. Here's what you need to know about them:

Sky

Sky's taking advice from Morgan Stanley, PJT Partners, and Barclays

Morgan Stanley

The Morgan Stanley team is led by Simon Smith, a Morgan Stanley veteran who's head of investment banking in Europe. Laurence Hopkins, another long time Morgan Stanley banker, is also on the team, along with Anthony Zammit, a junior London-based banker who last year worked on a potential takeover of European consumer giant Unilever. Ben Grindley, who works in corporate broking, is also on the deal.

PJT Partners

When PJT Partners, the independent advisory firm launched by former Morgan Stanley dealmaker Paul Taubman, decided to launch in Europe, former UBS banker Simon Lyons was one of the first hires through the door. He's advising Sky on the deal, alongside Scott Matlock, a former Morgan Stanley banker who has long specialized in telecoms, media and tech deals. Jonathan Hall is the junior banker on the deal team.

Barclays

Barclays' advisory team is led by veteran bankers Mark Astaire and Richard Taylor, and includes Hugh Moran. Astaire is one of the leading figures on the advisory scene in London, and is now the chairman of corporate broking, while Taylor is the former head of European investment banking at Barclays. He's now a chairman of investment banking.

21st Century Fox

Rupert Murdoch's media giant is taking advice from Deutsche Bank, Centerview Partners, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan.

Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank's team is led by Gavin Deane, who's global cohead of telecoms, media and technology investment banking at the German bank. James Arculus, head of UK M&A, is also on the team, along with junior bankers Jon Krissel and Mathew Mathew.

Centerview Partners

Blair Effron, the cofounder of Centerview Partners, is advising 21st Century Fox, along with US-based partner David Cohen, and London-based former UBS banker James Hartop. Tim Hannan's also on the deal team.

Goldman Sachs

John Waldron, cohead of Goldman Sachs' vaunted investment banking division, is on Goldman Sachs' deal team, along with Mark Sorrell, the son of former WPP boss Sir Martin Sorrell and a takeover specialist who now heads M&A for Goldman Sachs in Europe. Owain Evans and Mike Smith, both managing directors, are also on the deal.

JPMorgan

Jennifer Nason, global chairman for telecoms, media and tech banking at JPMorgan, is on the deal, along with European TMT specialist Hugo Baring. UK takeover expert Dwayne Lysaght, who's also advising Takeda on its $64 billion deal talks with Shire, is also on the deal, along with Marco Caggiano.

Comcast

Comcast's taking advice from Robey Warshaw, Evercore, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and Wells Fargo.

Robey Warshaw

"The two Simons," as they're known in the City of London, are on the deal for Comcast. Sir Simon Robey and Simon Warshaw, founders of tiny London boutique firm Robey Warshaw, have an impressive reputation in European dealmaking, with Robey making his name at Morgan Stanley, and Warshaw making his at UBS.

Evercore

Evercore founder and senior chairman Roger Altman is advising Comcast, along with Eduardo Mestre, a veteran Evercore banker who until recently sat on the board of Comcast.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Adrian Mee, global cohead of mergers and acquisitions at Bank of America, is working with Comcast, alongside UK corporate advisory specialist Tim Waddell.