Three of France’s leading media investors have taken their first step in an ambitious plan to invest €1bn-€2bn in European television production, as they seek to capitalise on the changing viewing habits of consumers.
Mediawan, an acquisition vehicle set up last year by Xavier Niel, Matthieu Pigasse and Pierre-Antoine Capton, announced on Monday it was in talks to acquire the whole of Groupe AB, a French broadcasting group that produces, distributes and aggregates TV content in French-speaking Europe. It is offering €270m for Groupe AB, which estimates it will have generated revenues of €158m in 2016.