John de Mol is believed to be discussing with Disney the possibility of placing a joint bid for Endemol, the company he co-founded.
According to reports in the trade press, de Mol and Disney are looking for a private equity firm to join their partnership and help finance the deal.
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.
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