Mediawan Eyes Acquisition of ON kids & family

Mediawan is in exclusive talks with the shareholders of ON kids & family (The Little Prince, Playmobil), with the former company looking to acquire a majority stake in the latter.

The agreement would see Mediawan acquire a portion of the shares held by minority shareholders, and simultaneously subscribe to a reserved capital increase in order to have a majority stake of between 51 and 55 percent in ON kids & family, obtained via the acquisition of the shares held by financial investors, for approximately €30 to 35 million, and a €15 million capital increase in order to enable ON kids & family to accelerate its development plan.

Mediawan and ON kids & family hope to establish a strong presence in the European and international markets. This pact would allow Mediawan to become one of the world’s top independent players in animated content.

The ON kids & family group’s co-founders, Aton Soumache and Dimitri Rassam, and the main shareholders, including Thierry Pasquet, will team up with Mediawan. Soumache will also continue as ON kids & family’s CEO.

Mediawan’s investment will be partly achieved through a capital increase allowing ON kids & family to accelerate its growth and its international positioning as a leading animation player in Europe with global recognition. ON kids & family will continue to develop high-end content via the creation of strong franchises and the management of world-renowned IP.

Pierre-Antoine Capton, Mediawan’s chairman, commented: “This operation is a milestone that will enable us to significantly accelerate our development strategy in the production of premium content while marking our arrival on the buoyant animated films and series market, which represent strategic avenues of expansion for Mediawan for the coming years. Aton, Dimitri and Thierry have accomplished remarkable work in making ON kids & family a globally acclaimed animated content player. We are eager to work with them to collectively pursue the development of a leading European group in premium content.”

Soumache, president, CEO and co-founder of the ON kids & family group, added: “We are delighted to be able to join forces with a company driven by its globally recognized founders, Pierre-Antoine Capton, Matthieu Pigasse and Xavier Niel, with whom we share a common dynamic of success, ambition and international reach. We firmly believe we have found a partner that shares our strategic vision. Mediawan will also be capable of best accompanying ON kids & family’s growth ambitions while preserving its entrepreneurial spirit geared towards innovation, creativity of its talented staff and very strong relationships it enjoys with all its partners. Teaming up with Mediawan opens a new chapter in our group’s history, accompanied by a new challenge that we fully intend to meet in order to pursue our ambition of strengthening our presence on the global kids’ and family entertainment market.”