What is Acun Ilıcalı’s Net Worth?
Acun Ilıcalı is a Turkish broadcaster and media mogul who has a net worth of $200 million. Acun Ilıcalı founded the television production company Acun Medya. Through the company, he owns the television channels TV8 and TV8.5 and the subscription streaming service Exxen. Acun Medya is known for producing reality competition shows, including international versions of “Survivor,” “The Voice,” “MasterChef,” and “Exatlon.”
Early Life and Education
Ali Acun Ilıcalı was born on May 29, 1969 in Uzunköprü, Turkey. He is of Azerbaijani ancestry on his father’s side. After completing his primary education in Edirne, Ilıcalı went to middle school and high school in Istanbul. He went on to attend Istanbul University, but dropped out to pursue his business career.
Career Beginnings
Ilıcalı began his media career in the early 1990s as a sports reporter. He worked for the Turkish television channel Show TV. Ilıcalı later moved into television producing for various channels in Turkey.
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Acun Medya
In 2003, Ilıcalı founded the media company Acun Medya. The company’s first big success was the travel/lifestyle show “Acun Firarda,” in which Ilıcalı traveled to over 100 countries. Acun Medya found further success by purchasing the broadcasting rights to popular American competition shows and adapting them for Turkish audiences. The company did this with “Survivor,” “Fear Factor,” “Deal or No Deal,” “The Voice,” “MasterChef,” and “Dancing with the Stars,” among other series. Acun Medya expanded in 2013 with its acquisition of the television channel TV8, which soon became the most-viewed channel in Turkey. A few years later, the company launched the entertainment and sports channel TV8.5, which also became highly viewed.
In 2016, Ilıcalı and Acun Medya made their first foray into international media when they began producing television shows in Greece. For Skai TV, the company created Greek versions of “Survivor,” “The Voice,” “Got Talent,” and “The Masked Singer.” Continuing to expand around the world, Acun Medya launched a new reality competition series, “Exatlon,” in Brazil in 2017. The show features two teams of contestants, one composed of celebrities and the other of ordinary people, who compete against each other on specially designed parkour courses. Since premiering in Brazil, “Exatlon” has been launched in such countries as Mexico, the United States, Romania, Colombia, Hungary, and Turkey.
In early 2021, Ilıcalı and Acun Medya launched the subscription streaming service Exxen. Later that year, the company purchased the streaming rights to the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. In early 2022, Acun Medya purchased the English football club Hull City, with Ilıcalı becoming the club’s president. The next year, he purchased a majority stake in the Irish football club Shelbourne, but ceded his control by the end of the year. Ilıcalı and Acun Medya went on to purchase a 50% stake in the German channel Sport1 in 2024. Overall, the company produces content in over ten countries spanning four continents.
Personal Life
Ilıcalı has been married and divorced multiple times. His first wife was Seda Başbuğ, to whom he was wed from 1988 until their divorce in 1993. A decade later, he married Zeynep Yılmaz; he eventually divorced her in 2016. Ilıcalı was married to his third wife, Şeyma Subaşı, from 2017 until their divorce the following year. He went on to wed Ayça Çağla Altunkaya in 2024. From his relationships, Ilıcalı has four daughters.
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