Wed 15 Feb 2006
LONDON (
Reuters) - Dutch media mogul John de Mol, the creator of the "Big Brother" reality show, has raised his stake in RDF Media , the small British television production company behind hit shows "Wife Swap" and "Rock School".
De Mol, who owns the Netherlands free-to-air TV channel Talpa, now holds 6.4 percent of RDF, according to a Wednesday regulatory notice.
His initial 4.2 percent stake in the 78 million pounds market capitalisation company was first disclosed last Friday. De Mol's Talpa Beheer investment vehicle also owns 15.7 percent of another independent UK TV production company, Tinopolis .
De Mol became a billionaire after selling Endemol , the reality TV company he co-founded with Joop van den Ende, to Spanish telecoms group Telefonica in 2000.