Broadcaster ITV - which announced disappointing half year results last week - has seen its shares bounce more than 6% to 47.6p on renewed takeover talk.
Last month Endemol, the Dutch producer of Big Brother, was tipped as one possible buyer of the UK broadcaster, and today the tale resurfaced after an interview in Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore.
The paper quoted Pier Silvio Berlusconi of Italian group Mediaset - which bought into Endemol last year - as saying: "Endemol has always grown through acquisitions: we are in an exploratory phase, we have many projects open. ITV is just one of many."
Rival broadcasters NBC and RTL, as well as Saban Capital, have all been recently suggested as possible bidders for ITV.
