RCS MediaGroup: landmarks

Landmarks

This chronology is indicative only. It covers -

• antecedents
• beginnings (1927)
• Corriere acquisition (1974)
• HdP spin-off (1997)
• RCS MediaGroup established (2003)

Context is provided by the broader communications and media timeline.

Antecedents

1875 Flammarion publishing house founded in Paris

1876 Corriere della Sera founded

1896 La Gazzetta dello Sport founded

1899 Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (FIAT) founded by Giovanni Agnelli

1909 Angelo Rizzoli founds A. Rizzoli & Compagnia printing and publishing house in Milan

1921 birth of Giovanni Agnelli's grandson Gianni (Giovanni, d 2003)

1923 Giovanni Sr appointed as Senator

Rizzoli

1927 Rizzoli buys Novella, Il Secolo Illustrato, La Donna and Commedia magazines

1933 establishes film production operation with La signora di tutti

1935 Giovanni's son Edoardo Agnelli killed in plane crash

1945 death of Giovanni Agnelli

1949 Rizzoli launches Biblioteca Universale Rizzoli (BUR)

1951 Rizzoli founds Istituto Grafico Rizzoli for teaching graphic arts

1960 produces Fellini's La dolce vita

1974 Gianni Agnelli becomes president of Confindustria employers' organisation

Corriere acquisition

1974 Rizzoli buys Corriere della Sera

1976 Libyan government takes 10% stake in FIAT

1984 Rizzoli bought by Generale Mobiliare Interessenze Azionarie (Gemina) investment group

1987 Rizzoli buys Sansoni publishing house

1990 buys Fabbri Bompiani Sonzogno Etas publishing group

1995 forms joint venture with Burda

Hdp spin-off

1997 Gemina spins off Rizzoli as centrepiece of Holding di Partecipazioni Industriali (Hdp) in which Agnelli interests have controlling stake

1998 HdP buys Valentino for US$300m

2000 buys Flammarion

2000 buys Marsilio

2000 buys publishing and direct marketing activities of Sfera Editore

2001 launches City free metro in Milan, Bari, Bologna, Florence, Rome and Naples

2001 RCS forms partnership with JCDecaux, integrating JCDecaux Comunicazione Esterna Italia S.p.A. and IGP S.p.A

2001 FIAT buys Montedison agro-energy conglomerate for US$4.3bn

2002 Hdp sells Valentino for €36.5m

2002 FIAT sells stake in General Motors for US$1.6bn

2003 death of Gianni Agnelli

2003 FIAT Avio (aerospace arm) sold to Carlyle Group for US$1.7bn

RCS MediaGroup established

2003 RCS MediaGroup established through restructuring process of the Rizzoli - Corriere della Sera Group and parent HdP

2004 RCS sells JA Apparel, Riverside Manufacturing and Nashawena Mills (the Joseph Abboud Group) to JA Holding for US$73m

2004 RCS foreshadows purchase of 40% interest in RCS Periodici held by German publisher (which will buy back 20% stake in Burda Verlag Osteuropa and 50% stake in Burda Rizzoli International joint venture)

2004 announces plan to absorb all business entities that are entirely controlled (AGR, CNR, RCS Radio e TV, Immobiliare Solferino 28, HdP Sviluppo Immobiliare and RCS Internal Auditing)

2004 RCS sells 2.5% stake in Pirelli

2005 Stefano Ricucci's Magiste property development group builds up 21% stake in RCS, largely through loan from Banca Popolare

2006 Magiste collapses, Ricucci imprisoned, Banco Popolare sells stake

2006 Benetton family's Edizione Holding buys 5% stake in RCS

2006 FIAT sells Telexis Brasil and Telexis Polska to BT Group

2006 Agnelli family's Ifil pays US$563m for Mitsubishi's 67.5% stake in Cushman & Wakefield