John de Mol is believed to be discussing with Disney the possibility of placing a joint bid for Endemol, the company he co-founded.
Last week Dutch regulators announced that de Mol’s investment vehicle, Cyrte, had taken its stake in Endemol to above 5%, the level at which a shareholding must be declared in the Netherlands (see Co-Founder Buys 5.15% Stake In Endemol).
De Mol and Joop van den Ende sold their stakes in Endemol to Telefonica in 2000 in a deal which made both men billionaires. De Mol remained as Endemol’s creative director until 2004.
It is believed that there will also be a bid for Endemol from the company’s current chief creative officer, Peter Bazalgette.