Bertelsmann may sell stake in AOL Europe

NEWS Bertelsmann is rumoured to be in the final stages of selling 50 per cent of its interests in AOL Europe. According to reports in the German paper, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, the company is discussing two possibilities. The first would see the sale of 50 per cent of the company for E7.67bn (£4.73bn) to AOL in conjunction with Time Warner. AOL would keep 35 to 40 per cent of the company leaving Bertelsmann free to sell the remaining 10-15 per cent on the stock exchange. But according to the unnamed source in the German paper, this deal would take too long and leave Bertelsmann with only a E10.23bn (£6.31bn) share. The second model involves selling the percentage to either Sony or Universal.