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Time Warner, Comcast, News Corp. Could Bid For Stake In Germany’s ProSieben: Reports

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Monday February 4, 2013 @ 12:33am PSTTags: Comcast, News Corp, ProSieben, Time Warner

Private equity firms Permira and KKR are said to be working with JPMorgan Chase on options for their 53% stake in German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 Media. The firms could sell to another company or on the open market, Bloomberg reports, and potential bidders could include Time Warner, Comcast and News Corp., The Financial Times said. News of a potential sale comes amid increased movement in the German broadcast sector as companies compete in a contracted ad sales market. In December, Discovery Communications said it was acquiring ProSieben’s SBS Nordics operations for $1.7B and last week, media giant Bertelsmann said it was considering reducing its stake in FremantleMedia owner the RTL Group. KKR and Permira acquired their ProSieben stake for 3.1B euros ($4.2B) in 2006, at the peak of the buyout market, but have had to write down their investments since. ProSieben’s stock has jumped by more than 20% since the beginning of 2013, giving the company a market value of 5.6B euros ($7.6B), according to the FT.

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Discovery To Acquire ProSieben’s SBS Nordic Ops For $1.7B, Adds $1B To Stock Buyback Scheme, Outlines TF1 Alliance

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Friday December 14, 2012 @ 4:33am PSTTags: Big Deals TV, Discovery Communications, ProSieben, TF1

Discovery Communications is widely expanding its footprint in Europe with the purchase of 12 TV networks and 19 radio stations in the Nordic countries. The company is also working on a strategic alliance with France’s TF1, as Deadline reported yesterday. The combined deals mark a roughly $2B investment by Discovery to increase its international reach. The deal for the SBS Nordic operations with Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1 brings general entertainment, scripted and sports programming to Discovery’s suite of services for the first time. Via the TF1 deal, Discovery would take an initial 20% stake in pan-European sports network Eurosport as well as buying into some of TF1′s branded channels. Below are two press releases, the first outlining the SBS Nordic deal and the second on the TF1 alliance:

(Silver Spring, Md.) – Discovery Communications today announced a definitive agreement with ProSiebenSat.1 Group to purchase the company’s SBS Nordic operations for a total enterprise value of approximately $1.7 billion (€1.325 billion). The acquisition of SBS Nordic includes 12 television networks in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, among other assets, and further solidifies Discovery’s long-term growth in the strong Nordic TV markets. The deal also expands Discovery’s brand portfolio by adding general entertainment, scripted and sports programming to the company’s suite of services for the first time. The transaction is subject to regulatory review and is expected to close in early 2013. Additionally, Discovery also announced that its Board of Directors has approved a $1.0 billion increase to its existing stock repurchase program.

“SBS Nordic has a fully distributed portfolio of dual revenue stream networks with a terrific management team that will expand Discovery’s footprint across the Nordic region, which includes some of the most well-penetrated and stable TV markets in the world,” said David Zaslav, president and CEO of Discovery Communications. “Individually, and taken together, the acquisition of SBS Nordic, our pending strategic partnership with TF1 through the acquisition of a minority stake in Eurosport, and the increase in our share repurchase program are all complementary to our long-term growth strategy of delivering sustained operating results, creating strong organic growth through investment in content, brands and talent, and returning capital to shareholders.”

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