Lagardère News
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media |
| Predecessor | Europe 1 Communication, Lagardère Net, Hachette Filipacchi Médias |
| Founded | October 2000 |
| Headquarters | France |
Area served | International |
Key people | Arnaud Lagardère (CEO, until 2018) |
| Products | Radio broadcasting, television production, magazine publishing, advertising management |
| Parent | Lagardère Group |
Lagardère News, previously known as Lagardère Active, represents the media branch of the French Lagardère Group. It manages radio broadcasters such as Europe 1, Europe 2, and RFM, as well as print publications including Le Journal du Dimanche and the magazine Paris Match.
The division's subsidiaries encompass Lagardère's ventures in radio, television networks, and publishing sectors.
History
In October 2000, the Lagardère Group streamlined its media operations by merging Europe 1 Communication—which covered radio, advertising, and audiovisual activities—with Lagardère Net under the unified brand Lagardère Active. This entity was organized into two segments: Lagardère Active Broadcast and Lagardère Active Broadband.
By December 2006, Lagardère combined Lagardère Active with Hachette Filipacchi Médias, forming a global media unit retaining the Lagardère Active name. Their advertising branches were consolidated into France’s largest advertising firm, Lagardère Publicité (known internationally as Lagardère Global Advertising). The day after this merger, Lagardère Active proceeded to acquire Newshub to broaden its media portfolio.
In January 2011, Lagardère Active divested its international magazine assets, which included British titles like Inside Soap, selling them to Hearst Communications based in the United States.
Two years later, in January 2013, the company expanded into online ticketing by acquiring BilletRèduc.com.
In 2018, CEO Arnaud Lagardère declared a strategic withdrawal from certain media holdings, finalizing the process within that year. This involved offloading shares in Marie Claire, radio stations in Eastern Europe and Africa, as well as French press brands such as Elle.
Activities
Lagardère News is engaged in radio broadcasting, content programming, television production, magazine publishing, and advertising management. Its film, television, and entertainment segment was sold to Mediawan in 2020.
Internet
- Newsweb (fully owned)
- Europe 1 Sports
- LeJdd.fr
- Parismatch.fr
- Europe1.fr
- Selma (fully owned)
- Mood.fr
Television channels
The television channels previously held by Lagardère Active were acquired by M6 Group.
Lagardère Studios
Lagardère Studios—formerly called Lagardère Entertainment—served as the television production division of Lagardère Active.
In 2009, Lagardère Entertainment purchased a majority 51% interest in French unscripted content producer Electron Libre Productions.
In 2012, their distribution branch Europe Images International was renamed Lagardère Entertainment Rights to better align with their production operations.
Lagardère exited the animation sector in 2013 by selling Genao Productions to the founders of OuiDo! Entertainment while retaining distribution rights to its existing catalog.
In 2015, they acquired The Box Distribution, an international distributor, integrating it into their distribution network under Lagardère Entertainment Rights.
That same year marked their initial international expansion with an 82% acquisition of Spanish drama producer Grupo Boomerang TV; founders Pepe Abril and Pedro Ricote continued managing the company.
September 2015 saw a rebranding of the entertainment division from Lagardère Entertainment to Lagardère Studios to highlight global ambitions and a restructuring into four specialized divisions.
In 2017, Lagardère Studios continued international growth by purchasing a controlling stake in Finland’s Alto Media Group—its second overseas acquisition—adding its catalog to their distribution portfolio.
The following year they further extended their reach by acquiring a majority share in Dutch factual producer Skyhigh TV to reinforce their global TV production capabilities.
In 2019, they launched Cameron's, a new label dedicated to international programming projects led by Jean-Charles Felli and Christophe Tomas.
By June 2020, as part of a strategic shift focusing on publishing and travel retail sectors, Lagardère Group announced the sale of Lagardère Studios and affiliated companies to French audiovisual firm Mediawan for €100 million. This deal enhanced Mediawan’s production catalog and expanded its international presence.
The transaction was finalized in November 2020, integrating Lagardère Studios within Mediawan and establishing it as a prominent European production leader.