Banijay On Brink Of $2.2BN Deal To Buy Endemol Shine Group From Disney & Apollo Global Management
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French production giant Banijay is on the verge of completing a €2BN ($2.2BN) takeover of Endemol Shine Group, with a source telling Deadline that the deal should be wrapped up within days.
Endemol Shine Group, which is jointly owned by Disney and private equity group Apollo Global Management, has been trying to find new ownership for 18 months, after Deadline broke the news that the company was in line for a sale.
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But the prospect of a deal has gathered pace in recent days, with Banijay, which owns Keeping Up With The Kardashians producer Bunim/Murray Productions, ready to swoop following an Endemol Shine Group beauty parade over the summer, during which it courted interest from more than 10 prospective buyers, including All3Media and Fremantle, according to a source.
A source with knowledge of the matter told Deadline a deal will be done in days and will spark a “bloodbath” of job cuts at the Dutch-British production company behind shows like Peaky Blinders.
Endemol Shine Group has a significant debt pile, which has been a significant big point in negotiations and played a part in its sale tag falling to €2BN. It was originally targeting up to €4BN for the sale.
Banijay will become the biggest independent production company in the world if it gets the Endemol Shine Group over the line. Based in France, it is controlled by LOV Group and De Agostini Group, with Vivendi owning a minority stake.
British newspaper The Daily Telegraph first reported on the imminent Banijay takeover.
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