Alvin and the Chipmunks owner seeks sale for $300 million: sources

Bagdasarian Productions, owner of the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise, is looking for a consumer, according to folks with information of the make any difference, as it seems to funds in on the top quality prices that media firms and non-public equity buyers have been prepared to spend for mental assets.

The corporation, owned and operated by Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and his wife, Janice Karman, has held talks with various possible consumers, including ViacomCBS, but has not come to an settlement on conditions, claimed the people, who asked not to be named since the negotiations are personal.

Bagdasarian Productions is working with a monetary advisor and has been hunting for a value of about $300 million, two of the persons claimed.

Streaming solutions these types of as ViacomCBS’ Paramount+, WarnerMedia’s HBO Max, and Netflix have been on the hunt for mental house to bulk up their membership offerings. Netflix said in September it obtained the catalog of Roald Dahl, creator of children’s publications which include “Charlie and the Chocolate Manufacturing unit,” “James and the Large Peach” and “Matilda.” Bloomberg claimed the offer price far more than $700 million.

Non-public equity companies which includes Carlyle, Providence Equity, Apollo Worldwide and Blackstone have also expressed fascination in getting content.

Alvin and the Chipmunks was made by Bagdasarian Jr.’s father, Ross Bagdasarian Sr., in 1958 as a children’s new music act. “The Alvin Show” began in 1961, that includes the a few animated singing chipmunks — Alvin, Simon and Theodore — with sped-up voices to give them their trademark higher-pitched audio. Quite a few iterations of Tv demonstrates and movies followed, including an “Alvin and the Chipmunks” movie in 2007 and 3 sequels.

Bagdasarian Jr. and Karman run the franchise from their household in Santa Barbara, California. They engaged fiscal companies to promote the enterprise about 4 many years ago, in accordance to a particular person common with the make any difference, but ultimately scrapped people discussions.

CNBC identified as the cell phone range on the Bagdasarian Productions Fb page to request comment. The human being who took the simply call stated, “There is certainly no a single here that can discuss to you about that” and then hung up.

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