French buyout house PAI Partners has brought in additional muscle to its bid to acquire Dutch television producer Endemol, producer of reality television show Big Brother, in an estimated €3bn ($4.1bn) auction.

The consortium which includes luxury goods purveyor LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuittonas well as PAI Partners, has been joined by Italian book publisher De Agostini. The consortium's bid is being led by Stephane Courbit, the chief executive of Endemol France,