Křetínský’s CMI France takes 45% stake in social video outfit Loopsider

Czech media investor Daniel Křetínský has taken a 45% stake in French social video media outfit Loopsider via his CMI France publishing group.

Loopsider’s founders, Giuseppe de Martino, Arnaud Maillard and Johan Hufnagel jointly retain the remaining 55% of the company.

CMI France said that it was investing in a profitable and growing company with a proven business model mixing editorial and sponsored content.

Loopsider has developed two offerings – the eponymous Loopsider and female-focused Period – that are distributed via social media.

Some seven million users tune in to Loopsider’s videos daily, amounting to 150 million views per month.

CMI France is a major publishing group, with properties including Art & Décoration, City Magazine, Elle, Elle à table, Elle Décoration, Franc-Tireur, France Dimanche, Ici Paris, Le Journal d’Ines, Le Routard Magazine, Marianne, Public, S, Le Magazine de Sophie Davant, Télé 7 jours, Télé 7 jours jeux, Télé 7 jeux, Usbek & Rica and Version Femina.

The group said it was investing in Loopsider at a time when the latter was seeking opportunities for further growth and CMI France was looking to further develop its involvement in video production.

“Following forward looking media Usbek & Rica and high-end podcast producer Louie Media, CMI France is continuing to develop in the field of video content production. This diversification is part of our drive to deploy new areas of expression for our brands and we are delighted to open a new chapter with Loopsider,” said Valérie Salomon, president of CMI France.

“We are delighted with the entry of CMI France in the capital of Loopsider, which marks an important stage in the development of our company. This move will see numerous complementarities emerge, which will contribute to and reinforce the relevance of the editorial line, the power of our media and the economic foundations of the enterprise,” said De Martino, Maillard and Hufnagel in a statement.

Křetínský’s Czech Media Invest recently sold down a stake in ProSiebenSat.1 shortly before a closely allied investor, Renáta Kellnerová’s PPF Group, took a stake in the German broadcaster.

Last year Křetínský was also named as a possible buyer for French broadcaster M6 Group following the abandonment of if its merger with TF1.