The German Bertelsmann is reportedly considering selling his 48.26% stake in the French audiovisual group, which notably owns the M6 channel and RTL radio.
If potential candidates for this takeover have been approached, such as Altice and Vivendi, the German group has referred to an operation that is not exceptional.
Will the M6 group, which owns the M6 channel and RTL radio, among other things, be sold soon?
Its shareholder, the German Bertelsmann, would consider selling the 48.26% of the shares in the group that he owns today.
The operation could earn him 3 billion euros, according to information from Reuters published Friday.
The agency mentions several potential buyers for the French audiovisual group founded in 1987: Vivendi, Altice, TF1, Mediaset or even the Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky would thus be in the line to buy the shares of RTL Group (the subsidiary of Bertelsmann) in the group M6.
After the publication of this information, the German group assured that it regularly explored this type of operation.
"The group has repeatedly reiterated the interest that there would be in promoting consolidation of the European audiovisual sector. The RTL group regularly assesses such transactions likely to create value for its shareholders," he explains.
In short: it is not because he speaks to buyers that he will actually sell.
Tavernost is reassuring
For his part, the chairman of the board of the M6 group, Nicolas de Tavernost, indicated that the interest of other groups was proof of M6's success.
In an internal group email, revealed by Pure Médias, Nicolas de Tavernost also reassured the group's employees and shareholders: he will continue to fight for them even if his main shareholder were to change.
"You can count on the management board to continue to ensure the development of our group in the interest of all its employees and all of its shareholders," he wrote.
>> Find Culture-Médias in replay and podcast here
As Reuters recalls, the turnover of the M6 group amounted to 856.1 million euros in 2020, down 15.2% over the year.
A decline which is explained by the fall in revenue from publications, itself caused by the impact of the coronavirus health crisis.