Theatre impresario Joop van den Ende and his business partner Huib Deitmers have taken a substantial stake in the popular social network website Hyves through their company Van den Ende & Deitmers.

According to ANP news agency, the stake amounts to between 20% and 30%. Van den Ende & |Deitmers did not disclose figures. The company is funding the acquisition via its Crossmedia Fund which has access to €100m, reports ANP.
According to the investment fund, 5% of Dutch internet use takes place via Hyves and it is the most visited site in the country with 150 million page views a day.
‘Hyves reach in the Netherlands is bigger than the biggest TV channel, the biggest radio station and the biggest newspaper,’ Van den Ende & Deitmers said.
Hyves has over six million members in Holland, including prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende and well known artists such as DJ Tiësto and TV personality Paul de Leeuw. Some 300.000 new members register with the site every month.