The owner of Big Brother creates a bookmaker giant. CVC sells another company

Banijay, an international media group from France that owns the rights to the Big Brother television show, announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Tipico from CVC, which it wants to merge with Betclic, which it already owns. As a result, the largest bookmaker in terms of revenues in continental Europe will be created.

Banijay is a French international company engaged in the production and distribution of television and entertainment content and betting games. It is part of Banijay Group NV listed on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. As the owner of the Betclic bookmaker, he announced on October 28 that he would buy a majority stake in the Tipico bookmaker from the CVC Capital Partners fund, known to Polish investors, among others. acquisition, development and listing on the Żabka stock exchange. This supported the Banijay Group's price on the stock exchange, increasing its capitalization to EUR 4.5 billion.

Bookmaker tycoon

Bencji will buy a majority stake in Tipico for EUR 3 billion ($3.5 billion), valuing the entire acquired company at approximately EUR 4.6 billion (approx. $5.4 billion) and taking into account Tipico's liabilities. According to Reuters, CVC Capital Partners bought a majority stake in Tipico in 2016 for EUR 1.4 billion. The transaction involves the merger of Betclic and Tipico into a new entity, Banijay Gaming, which is expected to be the largest bookmaker by revenue in continental Europe.

It is worth adding that in September, Tipico, which is the leader of the bookmaking market in Germany, took over Admiral Austria, but operates bookmaking and online casino operations in Croatia, Gibraltar, the United States and Colombia. The company develops its own technology and software department and provides IT solutions for the sports betting industry.

Banijay said it expects to complete the transaction in mid-2026 after obtaining the required regulatory approvals. The company expects that the acquisition will generate EUR 100 million in annual synergies within three years of the transaction. This is the next stage of development carried out mainly through aggressive acquisitions.

The owner of Big Brother

Five years ago, Banijay purchased Endemol Shine and has since pursued expansion into areas such as gaming, sports betting and live events. Since 2022, it has been listed on the stock exchange, which it entered through a merger with a SPAC company, financially supported by the Arnault family, which controls the LVMH concern.

Banijay has the rights to well-known television formats, including Big Brother, which it is the current owner and producer of in many world markets, except, for example, the USA, where CBS has the rights. Big Brother is one of Banijay's flagship formats, but its portfolio also includes other popular TV formats such as “The Voice”, “Black Mirror”, “The Kardashians” and “MasterChef”.

The new entity on the sports betting market will compete with the largest bookmaker and online gaming operator in Europe, which is the Irish company Flutter Entertainment, owner of such global brands as Betfair, Paddy Power and PokerStars. Among the large competitors is also Entain, which owns, among others, Polish STS.

Michal Kubicki

Source: