BB FANS

Friday March 9, 2007

Spanish telecoms group Telefonica finally launched the £2bn sale of Big Brother producer Endemol today.

The formal announcement, which had been hotly anticipated for many weeks, is set to trigger a fiercely contested auction between the likes of Endemol co-founder John de Mol and recently departed chief operating officer Tom Barnicoat.

Telefonica has hired Lehman Brothers to advise on the process, which could see it sell part or all of its 75% shareholding.

A minority stake in the company, which Telefonica acquired from its founders in 2000, was floated on the Dutch stock exchange in November 2005.

MediaGuardian.co.uk

Billionaire To Close In On Big Brother TV Company

Spain's biggest phone company once thought it could make a boatload of money from Endemol Entertainment Holding, owner of the Big Brother reality-TV format. But the reality has been that after buying the company in 2000 for 5.5 billion euros ($7.2 billion), Telefonica (nyse: TEF - news - people ) has never been able to really make the business fit, and has since written it down.

Now Telefonica has confirmed that it is considering selling all or part of its 75% stake in the Dutch television company, along with the 25% that it listed on the Amsterdam market in November 2005 at 9 euros ($12) a share.

Telefonica shares were up 0.7% at 16.20 euros ($21.22) in Friday afternoon trading in Madrid. The apparent lack of enthusiasm among investors is likely because the market has known for some time that Telefonica would divest what it called its "non-core business," if and when it received an attractive offer.

Forbes

Mediaset says plans to bid for Endemol with de Mol

MILAN, March 14 (Reuters) - Italy's biggest private broadcaster Mediaset wants to bid for Endemol with the TV production company's founder John de Mol, but has not put a consortium together yet, executives said on Wednesday.

Mediaset, owned by the family of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, is also talking to its Spanish broadcasting unit Telecinco about a possible offer for TV content provider Endemol, which is worth about 2.7 billion euros, they told a presentation.

Reuters

Three bidders for Endemol in second round - paper

AMSTERDAM, April 4 (Reuters) - Three bidders for television production company Endemol majority-owned by Telefonica , have advanced to the second round in an auction, the Times reported on Wednesday.

Spanish telecoms group Telefonica plans to sell its remaining 75 percent stake in the company, behind such worldwide TV hits as "Big Brother" and "Fear Factor".

The Times said on its Web site that one bid was led by Endemol co-founder John de Mol and included Goldman Sachs and Italy's Mediaset .

A second bid was led by former chief operating officer Tom Barnicoat, who stepped down last month, and backed by Apax Partners , the paper said. The third group was led by the head of Endemol's French operations, Stephane Courbit.

Management presentations are due to be held shortly after Easter, with a result most likely in early May, the Times said.

Endemol shares fell 0.7 percent to 23.32 euros by 0744 GMT. The shares have more than doubled from the November 2005 issue price of 9 euros to give Endemol a market capitalisation of about 2.9 billion euros. Telefonica bought Endemol in 2000 for 5.5 billion euros.

Reuters

[/i]