Peaky Blinders maker Endemol Shine nears takeover deal
Endemol Shine, the TV company that makes British TV hits such as Masterchef and Peaky Blinders, is reportedly close to a takeover by French firm Banijay.
Disney and US private equity company Apollo Global Management, which jointly own Endemol Shine, are expected to close the deal with Banijay in the next few days.
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The deal, reported by the Telegraph, would bring an 18-month period of uncertainty for the production firm to an end.
ITV ruled itself out of the running to buy the Dutch production house after it was reported to be mulling a bid for the firm last year.
Endeavour, Sony, All 3 Media and Lionsgate have all previously been rumoured to be considering putting an offer in for Endemol Shine.
Endemol was founded in 1994 by John de Mol and Joop van den Ende before it was snapped up by Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica in 2000.
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The firm floated in 2005 before it was later taken private by a consortium led by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Apollo picked up the company in 2012 and two years later it merged with Fox’s Core Media and Shine group.
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