All3Media owner RedBird IMI among suitors for Coulthard-owned TV firm

The proprietor of the tv shaper down Squid Game: The Challenge and Call The Midwife is among the suitors circling Whisper Group, the steadfast founded by broadcaster Jake Humphrey and erstwhile racing operator David Coulthard.

Sky News has learnt that RedBird IMI has tabled an connection for Whisper Group, which has been exploring a merchantability for respective months.

Sources said the auction process was astatine a captious signifier with a purchaser perchance being selected wrong days.

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RedBird IMI, which had hoped to instrumentality afloat power of The Daily Telegraph earlier a alteration of media ownership instrumentality meant that its Abu Dhabi authorities engagement had to beryllium curtailed, already owns All3Media, the TV accumulation elephantine down a drawstring of deed shows.

However, its involvement successful Whisper is said to person been expressed done RedBird IMI alternatively than being conducted utilizing All3Media arsenic the acquirer.

RedBird is present successful the precocious stages of taking power of the Telegraph paper titles, with IMI restricted to owning a maximum 15% stake.

The identities of the different bidders for Whisper were unclear connected Thursday evening.

Whisper Group was established successful 2010 and won a BAFTA for its sum of the Women's Euros successful 2022.

It is moving with advisers astatine KPMG connected a deal.

Whisper is already 30%-owned by Sony Pictures Television, which acquired the involvement successful 2020.

Sony replaced Channel 4's Indie Growth Fund arsenic an capitalist successful the business.

A bulk of the shares successful Whisper are owned by its founders and absorption team.

The institution is best-known for its sports productions, and is liable for Channel 4's Formula One sum arsenic good arsenic planetary cricket, boxing and the Paralympics.

Whisper employs astir 300 people, and has operations successful London, Cardiff, Manchester and Riyadh.

Its main executive, Sunil Patel, co-founded the shaper alongside Mr Coulthard and Mr Humphrey.

It is said to beryllium plotting further enlargement successful athletics successful the signifier of bigger events and rightsholders, arsenic good arsenic successful events, wherever its clients see Red Bull.

Whisper is besides focused connected increasing its beingness successful the US, wherever it presently works with Tom Brady's Religion of Sport, and the Middle East, wherever it is partnered with Neom and Saudi Pro League teams.

Outside of sports rights, it has produced documentaries astir Ben Stokes, the England Test cricket captain, and Sven-Goran Ericsson, the precocious England shot manager.

It has besides diversified into amusement programming, producing the Wheel of Fortune gameshow hosted by Graham Norton.

Its astir caller accounts disclosed a £4.3m pre-tax nett for the twelvemonth to March 31, 2024.

Both RedBird IMI and Whisper declined to comment.