French broadcasting group TF1 is currently 'taking a look at' KirchMedia, the rights trading division of the collapsing Kirch empire, a TF1 representative told the French news service AFP.

KirchMedia filed for insolvency in April (TaurusHolding, which holds a 73% stake in KirchMedia also recently sought protection from creditors in a Munich court). Under a new management - Wolfgang van Betteray, Hans Joachim Ziems and insolvency administrator Michael Jaffe - the debt-ridden division is currently re-negotiating its output deals (it owes some Euros 500m to the US studios for film rights, along with Euros 1.4bn to the banks).

A consortium comprising the US' Columbia TriStar, Germany's Commerzbank, and Rhineland-based WAZ publishing group has also set its sights on the assets of KirchMedia (See Screendaily June 10). Other investors likely to be eager to become major players on the German scene also include Kirch minority partners, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset. French media group Lagardere denied it was considering an interest in KirchMedia.