Star quality: The Traitors is presented by Claudia Winkleman (pictured)
Telegraph bidder Redbird IMI has agreed to buy the film and TV production company behind The Traitors for £1.15billion.
The investment giant – a joint venture between Abu Dhabi’s ruling elite and Gerry Cardinale’s private equity firm RedBird Capital Partners – will buy the London-based All3Media from its joint owners Warner Bros Discovery and Liberty Global.
The move comes just months after Redbird IMI, which is run by US media executive Jeff Zucker, agreed to take over The Telegraph and The Spectator.
All3Media is one of the UK’s leading production houses, making shows such as Call The Midwife, Gogglebox, Midsomer Murders and the BBC One hit, The Traitors, presented by Claudia Winkleman.
The production company was put up for sale last year, attracting interest from the likes of French TV production group Banijay, Sony and Goldman Sachs.
ITV, which like All3Media counts Liberty Global as a shareholder, had also been in talks to scoop up the production firm. But the discussions were called off after they failed to agree on financial terms.
In an announcement yesterday, it was confirmed that Redbird IMI had come out on top in this bidding war.
Under the agreement, Zucker, the former head of CNN who serves as chief executive of RedBird IMI, will become chairman of the All3Media board.
Jane Turton, All3Media chief executive, and Sara Geater, chief operating officer, will continue to lead the company. Zucker said: ‘All3Media is one of the world’s great content companies and this gives us an incredible platform to continue to grow our expanding portfolio. The demand for new shows and ongoing existing series, both scripted and unscripted, makes All3 a perfect fit for us.’
But Redbird IMI is still facing government scrutiny over its bid for The Telegraph late last year. It is being investigated amid concerns the newspaper would be under the control of Abu Dhabi, which has a dubious record on press freedom.
The firm – RedBird IMI – is backed by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is deputy prime minister of the UAE and owner of Abu Dhabi United Group which owns Manchester City Football Club.
