SIMON FULLER, the media mogul behind the Spice Girls and the Pop Idol TV format, has put a £100m price on his production company, 19 Entertainment, writes Mark Kleinman.

Fuller, who paid himself nearly £4m last year, could be in line for a windfall of almost 20 times that sum if he completes negotiations to sell the company, which also represents the commercial interests of David and Victoria Beckham.

Sources close to 19 Entertainment said Fuller had been trying to sell the business for several months, and was close to securing a deal with an unnamed American company.

Fuller, who is being advised by Ingenious Media, the advisory boutique that owns a 25% stake in 19 Entertainment, is thought to have held talks with Germany’s Bertelsmann.

“A deal is close, it’s just a case of thrashing out a price along with the finer details,” said a source.

The company made a pre-tax profit of £10.1m in the year to June 30, up 6% on a year earlier.

Meanwhile, Kelvin MacKenzie, chairman and chief executive of the Wireless Group, owner of Talksport radio station, is in talks with CVC Capital Partners to back a fresh £100m offer for Wireless. MacKenzie has also held discussions with 3i, a rival private-equity firm, and is expected to secure backing imminently.

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