Egmont acquires the rest of Norwegian TV 2
09 january, 2012
Egmont increases its ownership from 50 to 100 % of Norway’s largest commercial electronic media house. The price is 2.1 billion NOK (274 million EUR). Egmont makes a strategic leap towards more TV in its business.
”As co-founder and part-owner of TV 2 through more than 20 years, Egmont has always been concerned with the long-term development of TV 2. As TV is a key element in our strategy, it was an obvious choice for us to purchase. Today, Egmont makes a significant strategic leap towards more TV and more live pictures in our business. TV 2 is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Egmont,” says Steffen Kragh, CEO of Egmont.
In 2010 TV 2 had the most profitable annual result so far, and the goal is to continue the positive development for TV 2The acquisition does not in itself cause changes for TV 2.
”We wish that TV 2 continues its focus on news, sports and entertainment. This is a natural consequence of the fact that 7 in Norwegians choose TV2 as their media outlet for these types of content on TV and online every day. Egmont guarantees that TV 2 still is an independent media house with a local Norwegian profile and that TV 2 continues to build good and close relations to the Norwegian people,” says Steffen Kragh.
Chairman of the board in TV 2 and Egmont CFO, Hans J. Carstensen, adds:
”TV 2 is not only a TV channel but a media house that brings content to numerous platforms. Egmont will – as always – support all the big focus areas and investments in TV 2. We are committed to local, Norwegian management. As owners, we are 100 % behind TV 2’s agreement with the Norwegian state, which means that TV 2 is a public service media house with its head office in Bergen.”
Egmont pays a cash amount of 2.1 billion NOK (274 million EUR) for the 50% of TV 2 previously owned by A-pressen. Egmont now owns 100 % of Norway’s largest commercial electronic media house. Egmont was co-founder of TV 2 in 1991.
”As we now sell our part of TV 2, we are content to sell to a company, which has a comprehensive knowledge of TV 2, and which has shown over the years that they are a solid and long-term co-owner, who respects editorial freedom and publicistic principles,” says Thor Gjermund Eriksen, CEO of A-pressen.
There will be a press conference at TV 2 headquarters in Bergen at 10:00 a.m. today with the presence of Egmont CEO Steffen Kragh, Egmont CFO and chairman of the board of TV 2 Hans J. Carstensen along with managing director and editor-in-chief of TV 2 Alf Hildrum.
The Danish press is offered phone interviews briefly after the press conference. For an appointment, please contact Media Relations Manager Mikkel Løndahl, mobile + 45 21 15 49 25.
About Egmont
Egmont is a leading media group in the Nordic region. Our media world spans magazines, books, films, cinemas, interactive games and TV. Egmont publishes media in more than 30 countries, has 6,500 employees and generates revenue amounting to EUR 1.4 billion. Egmont encompasses Scandinavia’s largest film company, Norway’s largest magazine publisher, book publisher and commercial TV broadcaster as well as the largest children’s publishers in Scandinavia, Germany, Poland and Russia. Egmont is a commercial foundation which invests a portion of its profits to help give children and young people a good life. Every year, Egmont invests about EUR 6.5 million in the charitable activities.
Egmont in Norway
Egmont established its first business, A/S Hjemmet, in Norway 100 years ago - in 1911. Since then the activities have grown and today, Egmont’s presence in Norway is comprised by its ownership of the magazine publisher Hjemmet Morten, of Nettavisen (50 % ownership), of book publishing house Cappelen Damm (50% ownership), and finally, Egmont Serieforlaget and Nordisk Film Norway.
Milestones for Egmont’s activities in Norway:
1911: A/S Hjemmet was founded in Oslo, and the weekly magazine Hjemmet was published in a Norwegian edition for the first time.
1948: Egmont starts out as a children’s’ publisher with Donald Duck & Co.
1969: Hjemmet’s book publisher was founded. It later changed name to Damm and is today part of Norway’s largest publishing house, Cappelen Damm.
1991: A/S Hjemmet merges with Okla.’s Ernst G. Mortensen Publishing House. Hjemmet Mortensen becomes Norway’s biggest publisher of weeklies and magazines.
1991: Egmont establishes TV 2 together with among others Vital Forsikring and Schibsted.
1995: Nordisk Film Norway is established with a focus on production of TV-series and movies. It later expands with businesses for film distribution and interactive gaming (via its Nordic distributions rights to Sony PlayStation).
2006: Egmont increases its ownership of TV 2 from 33% to 50%.
2006: Egmont takes over 50% of Nettavisen from TV 2 – A-pressen takes over the remaining 50%. Nettavisen is Norway’s first online newspaper and the only one established without connection to a printed newspaper.
2007: Norway’s largest book publisher, Cappelen Damm, emerges as a fusion between the publisher N. W. Damm & Sønn and J.W. Cappelens Forlag. Cappelen Damm is owned in equal parts by Egmont and Bonnier.
2008: Egmont acquires the remaining 40 % of Hjemmet Mortensen from Orkla and becomes sole owner.
2011: Hjemmet Mortensen changes its name to Egmont Hjemmet Mortensen.
In 2010 TV 2 had the most profitable annual result so far, and the goal is to continue the positive development for TV 2The acquisition does not in itself cause changes for TV 2.
”We wish that TV 2 continues its focus on news, sports and entertainment. This is a natural consequence of the fact that 7 in Norwegians choose TV2 as their media outlet for these types of content on TV and online every day. Egmont guarantees that TV 2 still is an independent media house with a local Norwegian profile and that TV 2 continues to build good and close relations to the Norwegian people,” says Steffen Kragh.
Chairman of the board in TV 2 and Egmont CFO, Hans J. Carstensen, adds:
”TV 2 is not only a TV channel but a media house that brings content to numerous platforms. Egmont will – as always – support all the big focus areas and investments in TV 2. We are committed to local, Norwegian management. As owners, we are 100 % behind TV 2’s agreement with the Norwegian state, which means that TV 2 is a public service media house with its head office in Bergen.”
Egmont pays a cash amount of 2.1 billion NOK (274 million EUR) for the 50% of TV 2 previously owned by A-pressen. Egmont now owns 100 % of Norway’s largest commercial electronic media house. Egmont was co-founder of TV 2 in 1991.
”As we now sell our part of TV 2, we are content to sell to a company, which has a comprehensive knowledge of TV 2, and which has shown over the years that they are a solid and long-term co-owner, who respects editorial freedom and publicistic principles,” says Thor Gjermund Eriksen, CEO of A-pressen.
There will be a press conference at TV 2 headquarters in Bergen at 10:00 a.m. today with the presence of Egmont CEO Steffen Kragh, Egmont CFO and chairman of the board of TV 2 Hans J. Carstensen along with managing director and editor-in-chief of TV 2 Alf Hildrum.
The Danish press is offered phone interviews briefly after the press conference. For an appointment, please contact Media Relations Manager Mikkel Løndahl, mobile + 45 21 15 49 25.
About Egmont
Egmont is a leading media group in the Nordic region. Our media world spans magazines, books, films, cinemas, interactive games and TV. Egmont publishes media in more than 30 countries, has 6,500 employees and generates revenue amounting to EUR 1.4 billion. Egmont encompasses Scandinavia’s largest film company, Norway’s largest magazine publisher, book publisher and commercial TV broadcaster as well as the largest children’s publishers in Scandinavia, Germany, Poland and Russia. Egmont is a commercial foundation which invests a portion of its profits to help give children and young people a good life. Every year, Egmont invests about EUR 6.5 million in the charitable activities.
Egmont in Norway
Egmont established its first business, A/S Hjemmet, in Norway 100 years ago - in 1911. Since then the activities have grown and today, Egmont’s presence in Norway is comprised by its ownership of the magazine publisher Hjemmet Morten, of Nettavisen (50 % ownership), of book publishing house Cappelen Damm (50% ownership), and finally, Egmont Serieforlaget and Nordisk Film Norway.
Milestones for Egmont’s activities in Norway:
1911: A/S Hjemmet was founded in Oslo, and the weekly magazine Hjemmet was published in a Norwegian edition for the first time.
1948: Egmont starts out as a children’s’ publisher with Donald Duck & Co.
1969: Hjemmet’s book publisher was founded. It later changed name to Damm and is today part of Norway’s largest publishing house, Cappelen Damm.
1991: A/S Hjemmet merges with Okla.’s Ernst G. Mortensen Publishing House. Hjemmet Mortensen becomes Norway’s biggest publisher of weeklies and magazines.
1991: Egmont establishes TV 2 together with among others Vital Forsikring and Schibsted.
1995: Nordisk Film Norway is established with a focus on production of TV-series and movies. It later expands with businesses for film distribution and interactive gaming (via its Nordic distributions rights to Sony PlayStation).
2006: Egmont increases its ownership of TV 2 from 33% to 50%.
2006: Egmont takes over 50% of Nettavisen from TV 2 – A-pressen takes over the remaining 50%. Nettavisen is Norway’s first online newspaper and the only one established without connection to a printed newspaper.
2007: Norway’s largest book publisher, Cappelen Damm, emerges as a fusion between the publisher N. W. Damm & Sønn and J.W. Cappelens Forlag. Cappelen Damm is owned in equal parts by Egmont and Bonnier.
2008: Egmont acquires the remaining 40 % of Hjemmet Mortensen from Orkla and becomes sole owner.
2011: Hjemmet Mortensen changes its name to Egmont Hjemmet Mortensen.
TV2 Norge
Information about the TV 2 Group
TV 2’s vision is to be Norway’s leading supplier of news, sport and entertainment on electronic media platforms. Through live pictures, TV 2 wants to create unique experiences and engagement. TV 2 is Norway’s largest commercial media house, measured by media consumption. 7 in 10 Norwegians uses one or more TV 2-products daily, and TV 2 is one of Norway’s strongest brands.
TV 2 is by far Norway’s largest commercial TV businesses. The main channel TV 2 is the country’s only commercial public service broadcaster. There are other channels in the portfolio, such as the sports- and entertainment channel TV 2 Zebra, the entertainment channel TV 2 Bliss, TV 2 Movie Channel, TV 2 Science Fiction and TV 2 Nyhetskanalen – Norway’s only national news channel. In 2010, the TV 2 channels had a 26.7 % share of the Norwegian TV viewing.
With TV 2 Sport and TV 2 Barclay’s Premier League, TV 2 has taken a strong position on the market for premium channels. TV 2 Barclay’s Premier League has over 150.000 subscribers after just one year.
TV 2’s web-TV, TV 2 Sumo, and tv2.no are at the centre of TV 2’s online strategy. Measured by the number of subscribers, TV 2 Sumo is the largest in Scandinavia.
TV 2 has the subsidiaries OB-Team, TV 2 Torget, Vimond, TV 2 Invest, and Mosart Medialab, along with ownerships in TV 2 Zebra (55 %), RiksTV (33.33 %) and Norges Televisjon (33.33 %).
The history of TV 2
1990
• Stortinget (the Norwegian parliament) opens up for national commercial TV in Norway.
1991
• TV 2, owned by among others Vital Forsikring, Egmont and Schibsted, gets a concession for the period 1992-2001.
• Bjørn Atle Holter-Hovind becomes TV 2’s first manager.
1992
• TV 2 is on the air from 5 September.
1993
• Arne A. Jensen becomes new head of TV 2.
1994
• The advertising market in Norway is booming significantly, and TV 2 reaches its first positive result.
1995
• A-pressen is now a part-owner.
• TV 2 gets a market share of over 30% of the total viewing in Norway.
• The channel strengthens its focus on news with nine daily news broadcasts.
1996
• TV 2 gets it first soap-opera success with family saga “Seven sisters”.
1997
• TV 2 acquires 49.33% of the shares in TVNorge.
• The subsidiaries Storm, TV 2 Invest and the front runner for Vizrt are established.
1998
• TV 2 writes TV-history with Norway’s first daily soap-opera – “Hotel Cæsar”.
1999
• Kåre Valebrokk becomes new head of TV 2.
• TV 2 starts daily children’s broadcast and strengthens its focus on news.
2000
• For the first time at the European Championships in football, TV 2 has the rights to a large, international football championship.
• The board of trustees agrees on a significant, digital strategy for TV 2.
• Sales of shares in the distributor Canal Digital contributes to a record result.
2001
• TV 2 gets a new concession from 2003-2010.
2002
• TV 2 gets its highest market share of TV viewing with 32.2%.
2003
• TV 2’s online focus is gathered in TV 2 Nettavisen.
• ”Idol” becomes the TV sensation of the year in Norway.
2004
• SBS takes over TV 2’s shares in TVNorge.
2005
• TV 2 gains the rights for all Norwegian top football for the next three years.
• Sports- and entertainment channel TV 2 Zebra is launched.
2006
• Schibsted sells its shares in TV 2. Egmont and A-pressen now own 50% each.
• Norges Televisjon, of which TV 2 owns 33%, gets a concession for a digitally, earth based broadcasting net.
• TV 2 Film channel is launched.
2007
• TV 2 launches Norway’s first national news channel – TV 2 Nyhetskanalen – and TV 2 Sport.
• Alf Hildrum becomes the new head of TV 2.
2008
• TV 2 carries out a complete integration of the TV and web editorial departments.
• For the first time, TV 2 becomes available with both Norwegian satellite operators.
• TV 2 carries out a cost efficiency programme for 150 million NOK (20 million EUR).
2009
• TV 2 carries out another cost efficiency programme for 150 million NOK (20 million EUR).
• TV 2 starts to send in HD – and tests mobile TV broadcasting along with NRK and MTG.
• A new channel, TV 2 Science Fiction, is launched on TV 2 Sumo.
2010
• TV 2 acquires the rights for Barclay’s Premier League and launches three Premier League-channels in HD.
• A new entertainments channel, TV 2 Bliss, is established.
• TV 2 makes a new five-year public service agreement with the Norwegian state.
• Historically best annual result for TV 2.
2011
• TV 2 Sumo is launched on iPad.
• The Norwegian cable TV board establishes that the cable distributors have to pay market price in order to distribute TV 2.
• The world championship final in women’s handball between Norway and France becomes the all-time most viewed TV 2-programme with more than 1.6 million viewers.
