|
The
investment will allow NBC to reach out to 277 million new
households in 13 languages across Europe, Africa and the Middle
East.
If the deal goes ahead, NBC News - part of NBCUniversal - would
look to strengthen Euronews' offerings, while NBCUniversal could
use the transaction as a first step to expanding its operations
on the European continent.
The investment will be made through a reserved shares sale and
could amount to approximately $30 million, the source said. A
second capital increase is planned for all existing Euronews
shareholders.
The entire deal has yet to be approved by Euronews shareholders
by the end of this month, with completion expected by the end of
March or start of April, the source added.
Separately, NBCUNiversal named Noah Oppenheim as president of
NBC News, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters on
Tuesday.
Euronews was created in the wake of the 1990 Gulf War as a
"European CNN" and used to be owned by a consortium of
state-owned European channels before Egyptian billionaire Naguib
Sawiris took a 53 percent stake in the broadcaster.
Sawiris is expected to keep a controlling stake in Euronews,
following the two capital increases, the source said.
The memo said Oppenheim, the executive in charge of NBC's
morning show "Today", will replace Deborah Turness, president
since 2013.
Turness will be named as the first president of NBC News
International. Both Oppenheim and Turness will report to NBC
News Chairman Andy Lack.
(Reporting by Laharee Chatterjee in Bengaluru and Mathieu
Rosemain in Paris; Editing by Maju Samuel and Adrian Croft)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
