Mediawan moves to buy Apocalypse prodco
Emerging French content group Mediawan has entered into exclusive acquisition talks with the prodco behind the Apocalypse documentaries.
Having closed a deal for French channels operator and producer Groupe AB in March, Mediawan has now moved for Clarke Costelle & Co (CC&C).
Mediawan has ambitious plans to become “the leading premium content platform in Europe” following its establishment in December 2015, and has been staffing up to aid the process.
Sixteen-year-old CC&C produces historical documentaries and series, especially on World War II and other major 20th Century events, for the French and international markets.
Its Apocalypse-themed docs have been ratings winners for France 2, and a big seller for France Télévisions Distribution.
Company founders Daniel Costelle, Isabelle Clarke and Louis Vaudeville own the firm, and are now in the process of selling to Mediawan, which raised €250 million (US$tktktkt) from an initial public offering in Paris.
Meanwhile, Mediawan has appointed a trio of executives to its management team, with Guillaume Izabel appointed CFO to oversee M&A operations among other duties.
He had helped Mediawan with its acquisition of AB through his current position as M&A director at investment bank Lazard.
Maxime Guichot-Perere has been named his deputy, and Charlotte Margueritte has become legal director.
Elsewhere, Mediawan CEO Orla Noonan has joined the firm’s strategic committee, which also comprises chairman Pierre-Antoine Capton, and deputy CEOs Denis Bortot, Richard Maroko and Valérie Vleeschhouwer.