Industry Earthquake: Pnina Edri on the way to taking over Teddy Productions

Pnina Edri is preparing for the massive renewed IPO. After acquiring control of ADD (60%) and purchasing the veteran PR agency Ronit Arbel, as well as another well-known agency, Edri is going all-in with talks for an intriguing acquisition of the powerful Teddy Productions, owned by Tamiira Yardeni.

As recalled, United King, founded by the Edri brothers, plans to re-list NMC on the stock exchange, with estimates suggesting this is a planned move for the next two years. Meanwhile, the company is increasing its holdings and acquiring control at several levels to reach the IPO stages as a well-established and broad company.

Over the past year, Edri completed the increase of her holdings in ADD, owned by Yariv Lichtenstein and Hadas Mozes, at a massive valuation of 250 million shekels. This involves a 60% stake in an agency whose main strength lies not only in the country's top talents but primarily in the archive of many series produced by ADD, including 13 seasons of 'Goalstar', 'Ne'elamim', 'HaYechida', 'Ziggy', 'Mo'adon HaChanunim', and more. There is also the international department that was involved in selling 'Fauda' to Netflix and 'Euphoria' to HBO, as well as Gal Gadot's films and others.

Now she is aiming for her next target. Teddy Productions, owned by Tamiira Yardeni and Yoav Tzafir, has been on a path of growth and expansion for many years. The company's growth is based on its operational independence and close ties with all broadcasting bodies in the country. From acclaimed drama series to mega prime-time shows on Keshet 12, such as 'Rising Star' and 'Dancing with the Stars'.

Yoav Tzafir and Tamiira Yardeni. Instagram screenshot

For a long time, Teddy Productions was in ongoing negotiations with SIPUR, owned by Gideon Tadmor and Emilio Schenker. Teddy Productions has a turnover of 100 million shekels, but in practice, it has profits of only 5 million shekels. Yardeni then demanded a multiplier of 10 from Tadmor for the company with a valuation of 50 million shekels, while the gap in the deal stood at 10-20 million shekels.

Ultimately, two months ago, Tamiira Yardeni and Yoav Tzafir informed the company's employees of their decision to keep Teddy Productions under their ownership and not to complete the multi-million deal offered by Gideon Tadmor and Emilio Schenker's SIPUR company.

Yardeni and Tzafir informed the employees that this was not the first time they had refused a purchase offer, but they did not rule out a future deal if it suited the company's nature and best interests. Now it can be revealed that advanced negotiations are underway between Teddy Productions and Pnina Edri for the acquisition of the production company, with the amount Yardeni demanded likely to be met by NMC and Pnina Edri. That is: 50 million shekels.

If the deal comes to fruition, it is a strong statement by Pnina Edri — the CEO of NMC and the most powerful woman in Israel in the production world with names like Noa Kirel, Itay Levi, Ran Danker, Shahar Tavoch, and more — in preparation for the planned massive IPO, as she arrives with a very large archive from ADD as well as Teddy Productions, along with a talent agency that even acquired another well-known agency, and even Ronit Arbel's PR office. It is a strong company in the industry, multi-layered, with many arms in the fields of distribution, talent, archives, and production in Israel.

NMC stated: "We do not have a habit of commenting on rumors, whether they are true or not."