| Chris Forrester, on 07-09-2008 |
It isn’t the first time Italy’s Mediaset has been mentioned in regard to a take-over or investment into ITV, the UK’s much-beleaguered commercial broadcaster. But on Friday Mediaset confirmed it might well be interested.
The comments came from a Mediaset board director, Gina Nieri
(responsible for Mediaset’s Legal and Institutional Affairs and
Strategic Analysis). "We are looking at a bunch of dossiers, including
ITV, but there is no real negotiation," said Nieri. A colleague later
confirmed that, in particular, Mediaset was looking at the 17.9% stake
in ITV held by BSkyB – and subject to a Competition Commission ruling.
Mediaset is ultimately controlled by the Berlusconi family, and managed
by Silvio Berlusconi’s son Piersilvio. Piersilvio told Italian business
daily Il Sole 24 Ore that the company had many projects on the table,
and that ITV was just one of them.
Indeed, Mediaset might well end up having a couple of options as far as
ITV is concerned. Mediaset has a major stake in Endemol, which has also
been reported as a potential buyer.
© Rapid TV News 2008
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