ITV Buys Talpa Media for $530 Million

LONDON: ITV plc is set to acquire John de Mol's Talpa Media for an initial cash consideration of approximately £355 million ($528.4 million).

ITV will pay an initial cash consideration of £355 million for 100 percent of Talpa’s fully diluted share capital with further payments dependent on Talpa’s future performance. The total maximum consideration, including the initial payment, is up to £781 million ($1.16 billion). This amount is contingent on Talpa continuing to deliver significant profit growth over an eight-year period as well as de Mol’s continued commitment to the business during this time.

Talpa is home to the blockbuster entertainment format The Voice, which since its 2010 Dutch debut has been broadcast in 180 countries. Its spin-off, The Voice Kids, has sold to 28 countries. Other worldwide Talpa hits include the game show I Love My Country, which has been sold to 26 countries; Dating in the Dark, aired in 24 countries; Divided; Battle of the Sexes; and Utopia, which launched last year and has already sold to seven countries.

Adam Crozier, the 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. John de Mol and his team have an incredible track record of doing that consistently over many years and I’m delighted to welcome them to the ITV family. This is a great opportunity for ITV to accelerate its progress in building a global content business of scale.”

Added de Mol: "Of all the potential partners for Talpa, there’s no doubt ITV is the best fit. When it comes to the importance of content, the strategy of both successful companies is exactly the same and for Talpa this represents a fantastic opportunity for strong further growth. It also enables me personally to concentrate and focus even more on creating new, groundbreaking content."