Monday, July 27, 2015

Patrick drahi extends his empire BFM-TV and RMC – The World

Patrick Drahi, CEO of Altice, multiplies acquisitions in the telecom and media sectors.

Nothing stops plus acquisitions bulimia patrick drahi in the media. After Libération, L’Express or Strategies, the telecommunications tycoon launches storm is one of the largest independent media groups French, owner of RMC and BFM-TV. Monday, July 27, Altice, the holding company of billionaire, announced it has formed a strategic partnership with NextRadioTV, the group of Alain Weill, with a view to eventually buy it back.

Alain Weill and Altice Group will be involved in a company whose Alain Weill hold majority control of 51% of share capital and voting rights of which he will chair, which will transfer its stake in NextRadioTV, representing 37.77% of the capital and 48.59% of voting rights “, the statement

Read also:. Patrick Drahi, the new media tycoon

Clearly, this means that a new company will be created, in which all assets will be transferred NextRadioTV. It will be owned 51% by Mr. Weill and 49% by Altice Contents, a subsidiary created for the occasion by Altice Media, itself owned by the parent company Altice. A cascade of holding companies, including Mr Drahi is a specialty.



Alain Weill sold its 49% share

Alain Weill remains majority shareholder of the new structure sold its 49% share for 670 million euros to 37 euros per share, on average 30% higher than the average during the last six months NextRadioTV. The sum was immediately reinvested in Altice Contents, including Mr. Weill will own 24%.

He joined Moreover, the Executive Committee of the holding company of Patrick Drahi, where he will direct the activities of all media group. Including press materials written as Express and Liberation.

Meanwhile Mr Drahi has a call option on all the shares held by Mr. Weill from March 2019. In other words, this means qu’Altice end on aggregate redemption NextRadioTV in four years.

In 2014, achieved sales NextRadioTV sales of 195 million euros, up 12% year on year. The group also posted a net profit of 16.8 million, double what he had achieved the year before.



“I sometimes feel small in France “

Alain Weill, who has always boasted of being a new entrant facing the major historic groups like TF1 or M6 television, it’s a real change of direction. When questioned, the officer denies waive his “independence” as it retains at present 51% NextRadioTV. But he assumes to have ended up being persuaded to ally with bigger than him. “I sometimes feel small in France,” he explains to the World claiming a reasoning “Anglo-Saxon” “Instead of being hooked to the majority, I prefer to build something more ambitious. “

In the French audiovisual landscape, NextRadioTV joins the long list of media controlled by big bosses or industrial groups. Just like TF1, owned by Bouygues, the Voices that belong to LVMH or World , with Xavier Niel, founder of Free is an individual shareholder.

Alain Weill and Patrick Drahi know for twenty years. They had already raised the subject during one of their meetings in March. But sources close to the case, the redemption is he negotiated since June. It was Mr. Drahi who approached Alain Weill.



“A distribution guarantee”

The boss said NextRadioTV have elected to transfer to Mr. Drahi for two reasons: “He wants the same momentum to the media for telecom. The two go together: for an audiovisual group, a distribution guarantee, while the radio, for television and for radio, will decline. “ The other dimension is invoked International: ” It’s hard to go alone, “ says Weill

In the future looms for. Altice a much more powerful media division today: in addition to the new structure created above NextRadioTV, the group already has Altice Media Group ( Libération, L’Express …), two entities that could eventually merge. Altice Media Group is headed by former banker Mr. Drahi business at Morgan Stanley Bernard Mourad and Marc Laufer, became boss of a group of professional press, Mag & amp; Newsco. Alain Weill and Marc Laufer are old acquaintances. Laufer has long worked at NextRadioTV where he was Director General Delegate.

In the future, new partners like to talk about their desire not to stop there. They entered Friday, July 24 in exclusive negotiations with Intescia professional media group, owner including Strategies , media influence the communication and media. But they especially considering new acquisitions “important” in the months and years ahead

Read also:. Bulimia acquisitions Patrick Drahi

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