| MUMBAI:
Telefonica, which has a majority stake in global television format creator and
distributor Endemol is looking to sell the firm. In India Endemol recently
completed one year of existence. Telefonica has a 75 per
cent stake in the firm. However US media conglomerate News Corp has said that
it has no interest in buying Endemol. There was a report that had said that News
Corp was circling around the firm.
A News Corp spokesman
described speculation of interest in Endemol as being nonsense. Executives from
the Spanish telecommunications firm Telefonica are believed to be arranging a
deal with Merrill Lynch to sell its majority stake in Endemol. Disney has also
said that it is not interested in buying the firm. Endemol, reports indicate,
has a market value of around $3.4 billion. The acquisition of Endemol makes
sense for global media firms. It allows them to put new formats and existing endemol
formats into their channels. Reports also state that Endemol's chief creative
content officer Peter Bazalgette has been touted as someone who might lead a management
buyout of the company. But a move to lead a buyout would require him to
leave Endemol's board, something he has not indicated any desire to do. | 
