M6 Set to Acquire Gulli, Tiji & Canal J from Lagardère

M6 Group has entered into exclusive negotiations with Lagardère Active to acquire, among other assets, the kids’ channels Gulli, Canal J and Tiji.

The deal would see M6 Group acquiring Lagardère Group’s television business, including Gulli, France’s leading free-to-air digital channel for children; Canal J, a pay-TV channel dedicated to viewers 6 to 12; and Tiji, targeted to kids aged 3 to 6. It would also have ownership of Lagardère’s other entertainment and music pay-TV channels Elle Girl TV, MCM, RFM TV and MCM Top. It does not include the Mezzo classical music channel.

Further assets involved in the deal include the catch-up TV platforms of the various channels, with a total of more than 300 million videos viewed in 2018, including Gulli Replay, the leading catch-up TV service in France for children, and Gulli Max, an SVOD service offering more than 4,000 TV episodes and films.

International distribution activities—which notably include the channels Gulli Africa, Gulli Bil Arabi, Gulli Girl and Tiji Russia, distributed in French-speaking Africa, the Middle East and within Russian-speaking countries, respectively—are part of the transaction. So is the TV sales house business.

Nicolas de Tavernost, chairman of the executive board of M6 Group, said, “Following the acquisition of the radio stations RTL, RTL2 and Fun Radio, and the disposal of non-strategic assets last year (Girondins de Bordeaux and MonAlbumPhoto.fr), this project marks another significant milestone for the Group. It will cement M6’s position in the audiovisual market, making it the leader among younger viewers, while bolstering its status in on-demand TV and providing it with international exposure.”