In August 2011, BBC Worldwide agreed to sell or license its magazines to Exponent, a private equity firm that owned Magicalia, for £121m and offload its joint venture in India. The BBC titles and Magicalia were then folded into Immediate Media. Essentials of the deals included:
- Exponent buys all non-BBC-branded magazines – including Radio Times;
- Exponent to publish BBC titles under licence or as contract magazines;
- Exponent to take subscriptions and distribution businesses, Dovetail and Frontline;
- BBC stake in Bath-based Origin also to go to Exponent;
- Bennett, Coleman & Co, owner of Times of India, buys BBC’s half stake in Worldwide Media, a joint venture in India.
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