2023-09-23 18:03:17
At the end of this operation, worth almost 50 million euros, according to the Financial Times, the Le Monde group (the newspaper Le Monde, Télérama, Courrier International, etc.) will be mainly owned by the telecoms billionaire, via the Fund for the independence of the press which it created in 2021 and which makes its capital statutorily non-transferable, and by the “independence pole”, which notably brings together the society of editors and the society of readers of Le Monde.
The operation was approved by this independence center, as provided for in the group’s statutes intended to separate capital and editorial control.
The green light was even given “unanimously”: the editorial staff of Le Monde are all the more satisfied as “trust had never been established” with Mr. Kretinsky, 48 years old, explained a source close to the pole of independence. The Czech businessman entered the capital in 2018 without seeking approval, by purchasing shares from another businessman, Matthieu Pigasse.
This episode followed the stormy recapitalization of the group in 2010 by a trio formed by Xavier Niel, Matthieu Pigasse and Pierre Bergé. Ultimately, Xavier Niel, 56 years old, should “logically” recover the remaining shares of Pierre Bergé (over which a dispute is underway with his heir), those of Matthieu Pigasse, who plans to continue to withdraw, as well as the part of the Spanish media group Prisa, according to this source.
“Help the media”
In addition to the Le Monde group, Xavier Niel (worth $6.3 billion, or 5.9 billion euros) is a shareholder in Nice-Matin, France-Antilles and Paris-Turf. He financed the creation of the online investigative economic media “L’Informé”. The businessman thus strengthens his place in a French media landscape marked in recent years by numerous merger operations.
Their succession has raised concerns about the independence of the press, one of the subjects that should be addressed by the States General of Information, which will be launched at the beginning of October. For his part, Daniel Kretinsky has no intention of withdrawing from the French media game, where he has increased his investments.
His holding company specified that he “will continue to support French titles and guarantee their independence as a shareholder” for example at Elle, Marianne or the Franc-Tireur magazine, “or as a lender” for the daily Libération, which he bailed out to the tune of 15 million euros.
“At a time of major capital changes in the French press, we wish to provide the necessary resources to the titles which need them and which we support in their development projects, while absolutely and fully respecting their editorial freedom,” he said. -she emphasized.
“Daniel Kretinsky’s vocation is to help the media who need it and who want it,” explained one of his close friends, emphasizing that the editorial staff of Libération, unlike that of Le Monde, had “not of hostility” towards him.
Daniel Kretinsky, 48 years old and whose fortune amounts to 9.2 billion dollars (around 8.6 billion euros) according to Forbes, began investing in France in 2018. In addition to the media, he holds stakes in distribution (Fnac Darty) and industry (mainly in energy).
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