AMC Networks Buys Liberty Global’s Chellomedia for $1 Billion

NEW YORK: AMC Networks has reached an agreement to acquire Chellomedia, the international content division of Liberty Global, for around 750 million euros ($1.035 billion), adding to its bouquet an array of TV channels that are distributed in more than 390 million homes globally.

The agreement includes Chello Central Europe, Chello Latin America, Chello Multicanal, Chello Zone, the ad-sales unit Atmedia and the broadcast solutions arm Chello DMC. The channels included in the pact span multiple genres, including entertainment, with Buzz, Canal A and Horror Channel; movies, with Canal Hollywood, Europa Europa and Film Mania; sports, featuring America Sports, Extreme Sports and Sport1; and lifestyle, including Canal Cocina, Casa, Decasa and TV Paprika. Also part of the agreement are the kids' channels BIGGS, Jim Jam, Megamax, Minimax and Panda.

“Chellomedia has developed a remarkable portfolio of popular channels that reach hundreds of millions around the world,” said Josh Sapan, the president and CEO of AMC Networks. “Together, we can grow these assets and make them even more popular and valuable around the world.” As AMC Networks has expanded internationally, we have had a great desire to do something we consider fundamentally strategic, which is to take our content and put it on channels we own. This acquisition allows us to secure a large, global platform on which to distribute our increasingly successful original programming through a collection of strong, well-established and well-managed assets worldwide.”

Niall Curran, Chellomedia's president, said, “AMC Networks are content professionals with an excellent creative and business track record. They are highly enthusiastic about the business we have built at Chellomedia and are ambitious to develop it further, making AMC Networks a great owner and partner for Chello’s next phase of growth.”