Mediahuis NV, the six-year-old Benelux media group and owner of the Irish Independent, has acquired Saint-Paul Luxembourg, publisher of the Luxembourg Times, Luxemburger Wort and Télécran in a share deal under which Lafayette, the main shareholder of Saint-Paul Luxembourg, will become a Mediahuis shareholder.
Mediahuis publishes daily newspaper titles in Belgium, the Netherlands and Ireland as well as regional titles, and owns Dutch and French language TV and radio stations. Its €145m acquisition of the Irish Independent group last year has led to speculation that it would also seek to expand into the UK. As a result, it was speculatively linked to the Telegraph Media Group whose family owners were known to be considering a sale process – before the virus outbreak. In 2019, Mediahuis operating profit was €66m (19% up on 2018) on revenue of €857.9m (+39%). Net debt was €201m.
