Media magnate John de Mol’s Talpa Network acquires ANP news service

Talpa Network has agreed to acquire Dutch news service Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau from V-Ventures, the investment arm of the media holding group Vereniging Veronica, ANP said in a statement on Wednesday. Financial details were not released.

Talpa owner John de Mol said ANP is of great significance for all Dutch media. ‘Talpa Network is becoming the large, modern cross-media company on the Dutch market. With the acquisition of ANP we are adding another important link. And ANP is the strongest brand when it comes to speed and accuracy,’ De Mol said.

Talpa Network was set up last year as the holding company for De Mol’s media interests which include television (SBS Nederland), radio (538 en Sky), social media and e-commerce (Vakantieveilingen.nl).

ANP was started in 1934 by a number of daily newspapers which owned the news service before selling it to NPM Capital in 2010. Five years later ANP was acquired by Veronica, which itself started off in 1960 as a pirate radio station on a ship of the same name off the Dutch coast.

Today ANP employs about 250 people, including 160 journalists, and produces news for mobile phones and radio as well as newspapers. ANP’s works and editorial councils both fully support the takeover by Talpa.

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