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Media Mergers and Acquisitions ITV

ITV acquires The Voice producer Talpa Media for £355m

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By Natalie Mortimer, N/A

March 12, 2015 | 2 min read

ITV has bought the entertainment show producer behind The Voice, Talpa Media, in a deal thought to be worth around £355m as it looks to accelerate its plans to build a global content business.

Established by Big Brother creator John de Mol, Netherlands-based Talpa has created 75 shows airing in more than 180 countries over the last six years.

Flagship show The Voice, which currently airs on the BBC, recently launched its eighth series in the US on NBC to ratings of almost 14 million. Spin-off show The Voice Kids has sold to 28 countries.

Other programmes produced by Talpa include game show I Love My Country, which has been sold to 26 countries; Dating in the Dark, which aired in 24 countries; game shows Divided and Battle of the Sexes as well as Utopia, a social television experiment, which launched last year.

ITV will pay an initial cash amount of approximately £355m for 100 per cent of Talpa’s share capital with further payments dependent on Talpa’s future performance.

Adam Crozier, chief executive of ITV, said: “Great content is at the heart of ITV’s growth strategy and the acquisition of Talpa builds on the success of our international content business and is absolutely in line with our desire to create and own formats that travel.

"This is a great opportunity for ITV to accelerate its progress in building a global content business of scale.”

As part of the deal de Mol will continue to play a key role in format creation and development and will work alongside ITV Studios managing director Kevin Lygo and his team.

The transaction will be financed through existing cash resources and new debt facilities, and is expected to close during the second quarter of 2015 subject to regulatory approval.

Media Mergers and Acquisitions ITV

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