A deal to bring John de Mol’s channel Tien into the fold of RTL Nederland is imminent, according to Dutch newspaper reports. RTL CEO Fons van Westerloo said he expects to make an announcement “one of these days.” John de Mol confirmed talks are ongoing with various parties, but said a possible deal with RTL had not been closed.
Tien has exclusive Dutch soccer highlights until the summer of 2008 and a number of successful series and formats, but failed to attract a sizeable market share to become profitable in between fierce competition with three RTL and three SBS channels. Bringing Tien into the RTL fold would make sense and strengthen both parties.
