Advanced Television

Samples takes over at TVN

July 13, 2016

Markus Tellenbach is leaving as president and CEO of Poland’s TVN group, with Scripps’ international chief Jim Samples taking over until a permanent replacement is found.

Tellenbach is stepping down a year after Scripps completed its takeover of TVN. The US company said Samples, president of SNI, will take over as the Warsaw based president of TVN until ‘until a new senior executive for TVN is appointed in due course’.

Scripps Networks Interactive bought a majority stake in TVN last year from ITI and Canal+ for $615 million. It subsequently moved for full ownership of TVN, and completed that process in September.

Scripps chairman and president Kenneth W Lowe said: “Markus Tellenbach is an accomplished media executive who has positioned TVN for sustained growth in both the linear and digital businesses. We thank him for his leadership and collaboration since the acquisition by Scripps Networks, and for his service to TVN over the last seven years…..Jim Samples has been instrumental in the success of our international business over the last year, and his deeper involvement in Poland will enable continued integration between TVN and ourwider global operations.”

TVN’s operations span free and pay TV and include the core TVN channel as well as digital offerings TVN 7, TVN Style, TTV and TVN24. It also owns a chunk of pay TV operator nc+. It also has the Player.pl OTT service in Poland.

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