ITV said Friday that it was “actively exploring” a potential acquisition of All3Media.
Entertainment conglomerates Warner Bros. Discovery and John Malone’s cable and telecom giant Liberty Global have been considering alternatives for their production joint venture All3Media, the largest TV production firm in Britain. Its titles also include the likes of The Traitors and The Tourist, as well as the 2019 film 1917.
Potential buyers previously mentioned by industry sources and analysts included ITV, but also the likes of production giants Fremantle and Banijay, as well as private equity firms.
In a Friday statement, ITV, led by CEO Carolyn McCall, noted “the recent media speculation and confirms that it is actively exploring the possible acquisition of All3Media.” It added: “There can be no certainty as to whether any transaction will take place, nor as to the terms of any such transaction. A further announcement will be made if and when appropriate.”
In 2014, what was then Discovery and Liberty Global agreed to jointly buy All3Media in a deal that put an enterprise value of about $930 million on the company. For Discovery, at the time, the transaction was a way to tip its toe into the water of the production business. With the 2022 merger of Discovery with AT&T’s WarnerMedia to form Warner Bros. Discovery, led by CEO David Zaslav, the company now owns a big Hollywood TV studio in addition to HBO, making the ownership of half of All3Media less appealing to the conglomerate.
Sources previously said that the current owners were looking at a potential sale of All3Media, led by CEO Jane Turton, to a third party, but could also decide to have one of them buying out the other’s 50 percent stake.
A deal for All3Media, which owns more than 50 production banners, including The Tinder Swindler and other documentaries maker Raw, could fetch 1 billion to 1.5 billion pounds ($1.25 billion to $1.87 billion), according to observers.
