De Mol buys back Endemol

Media and Marketing Europe reports that Dutch media tycoon John de Mol has re-purchased Endemol, his previously owned Dutch-based European production company, along with equal partners Mediaset, owned by former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners.

The consortium is paying Spanish telecom group Telefónica €2.63bn for a 75% stake in the 'Big Brother' producer. It aims to acquire the remaining 25%, which was floated on the Dutch Stock Exchange in 2005.

Seven years ago Telefónica paid €5.5bn for Endemol, then owned by De Mol and Joop van den Ende. The trio outbid a rival offer by Stephane Courbit, the head of Endemol France, who is now expected to leave the company.

John de Mol indicated he considers the acquisition, through his investment vehicle Cirte, primarily as a strategic matter. But it is widely assumed he will try to become more actively involved.

De Mol’s spokesman stressed the Endemol purchase was "not connected" to the ongoing discussions about the future of De Mol’s ill-fated Dutch tv-channel Tien, part of Talpa Media.

Talpa is talking to RTL Nederland and SBS Broadcasting about some form of co-operation and might even sell off the channel. It is speculated that RTL has the better chance, since it is bigger in Europe than SBS, enabling De Mol to arrange more production deals for Endemol.