ITV “Actively Exploring” Acquisition of All3Media From Warner Bros. Discovery, Liberty Global
On Friday, ITV announced that they are currently investigating the possibility of acquiring All3Media.
The massive entertainment companies Warner Bros. Discovery and Liberty Global, which deals in cable and telecommunications, are weighing different options for their shared production venture called All3Media. All3Media is the biggest TV production company operating in the United Kingdom and boasts hit shows such as The Traitors and The Tourist. It also produced the acclaimed movie 1917 in 2019.
According to experts and insiders in the industry, there were some potential purchasers that were brought up such as ITV. Also, there were some large production companies like Fremantle and Banijay, as well as private investment firms.
ITV, under the leadership of CEO Carolyn McCall, announced on Friday that it is exploring the option of acquiring All3Media after recent media rumors. However, there is no guarantee that a transaction will occur or what the terms would be. ITV will release more information as necessary.
Back in 2014, Discovery and Liberty Global made a deal and bought out All3Media together. The value of the company was estimated to be around $930 million. This was an opportunity for Discovery to venture into the production business. Fast forward to 2022, Discovery merged with AT&T's WarnerMedia to form Warner Bros. Discovery. David Zaslav is the CEO leading the company, which now owns a big Hollywood TV studio and HBO. This takeover makes owning half of All3Media less attractive to the giant corporation.
Earlier reports indicated that the present proprietors were considering selling All3Media, which is managed by CEO Jane Turton, to a third-party purchaser. However, they might also opt to have one of them buying the entire 50% proprietorship.
Observers suggest that All3Media, a company that possesses over 50 production banners such as Raw and The Tinder Swindler, might be able to sell for an amount within the range of 1 to 1.5 billion pounds ($1.25 to $1.87 billion).
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