Just over a week after it emerged that CMA CGA was closing in on buying a major French broadcaster, Mediterranean Shipping Company is said to be involved in a take-over bid of Il Secolo XIX, one of the oldest newspapers in Italy.
The acquisition includes several shipping industry publications from the same stable for an undisclosed amount.
News of the move into media of another top capacity container line comes after it was reported on March 18 that the billionaire Saadé family's carrier conglomerate and automotive parts manufacturers, Merit France, were in exclusive talks to purchase business broadcaster Altice Media.
The acquisition apparently includes the renowned French news channel BFM TV, in a deal valued at €1.55 billion.
Like Altice Media and BFM TV, Il Secolo XIX is said to be one of the most influential media titles in Italy.
The Genoa-based paper was founded in March 1886 and became one of the first Italian newspapers to be printed in colour.
In 2008, it had a circulation of 103,223 copies, a position it has sustained despite the trend of growing reader numbers shifting towards consuming news digitally.
Additionally, Il Secolo XIX has an online presence, providing local, national, and international news through multimedia formats like videos, photos, and audio.
Overall, Il Secolo XIX is a well-established media outlet with a strong presence in both print and digital formats, contributing significantly to the dissemination of news in Italy.
SEP S.p.A., the owners of Il Secolo XIX, also own various shipping titles: The MediTelegraph, L’Avvisatore Marittimo, Il Giornale del Ponente Ligure and TTM – Tecnologie Trasporti Mare.
