Discovery Communications is looking to buy SBS Broadcasting, according to De Telegraaf quoting ‘well-informed sources’.
SBS Broadcasting is currently owned by Sanoma Publishing (for two-thirds) and John de Mol’s Talpa (one-third) and owns and operates three channels, SBS 6, Net5 and Veronica.
Late last year. De Mol made a bid of €373 million for Sanoma’s shares in SBS, but the publisher said it was not interested in selling.
According to the Telegraaf, the situation has not changed. “Our strategy is aimed at consumer media in Finland and the Netherlands and that has not changed,” a spokesman told the newspaper. Talpa, too, said “ou shares are not for sale.”
Discovery Communications is on a buying spree, having acquired the Nordic SBS channels from ProSiebenSat.1 as well as taking control of Eurosport International. Last year, Discovery also acquired four DTT channels in Italy.
SBS Broadcasting is the second biggest private broadcaster in the country, with its audience share trailing behind RTL Nederland and Dutch public broadcaster NPO.
Should Discovery Communication acquire the SBS channels, this would raise questions with the regulators. US media tycoon John Malone is a large shareholder in the broadcaster, while Malone also controls cable operator Liberty Global, that currently owns Holland’s second largest cable operator, UPC Nederland, and is in the midst of getting regulatory approval for acquiring the country’s largest cabler, Ziggo.
In Belgium a similar situation is arising with Liberty Global’s Telenet acquiring a controlling interest in production houses and broadcasters. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has written to the European Commission warning of the consequences of the planned merger of Liberty Global, the majority owner of Belgian cable operator Telenet, and media groups Corelio, W&W and De Vijver Media.
