Axel Springer hasn’t formally started bid for UK’s Telegraph, sources say
German publisher Axel Springer has not formally started a process to bid for British broadsheets the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, sources close to the matter told Reuters on Saturday, after a media report said it had registered an interest.
The process to possibly bid for the two Telegraph titles, in an auction which comes after the group fell into the hands of receivers this summer, is at an early stage, people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Saturday, declining further comment.
Axel Springer declined to comment on the Sky News report, which cited unnamed insiders familiar with the matter as saying it had notified Goldman Sachs of its desire to participate in the auction of the Telegraph group titles.
Several groups have already registered their interest in bidding for the Telegraph group, including British publisher National World, Reuters reported earlier this month, citing people familiar with the matter.
Axel Springer owns top-selling German tabloids Bild and Welt, as well as US political news website Politico and the jobs advertising portal StepStone.
The Telegraph group also includes British political weekly The Spectator. Sky said it was not clear if Axel Springer was also potentially interested in this title too.
Reuters – Maria Martinez and Gursimran Kaur