ProSiebenSat.1 deepens ties with MFE
September 25, 2023
ProSiebenSat.1 is upping ties with MediaForEurope as it faces an advertising downturn and competition from SVoDs.
Bert Habets, CEO of the German TV network, told the FT that “meaningful co-operation” on advertising, technology and even content was underway with MFE, which is ProSieben’s largest shareholder. A pan-European broadcast group is the longstanding ambition of Pier Silvio Berlusconi, MFE’s chief executive, who last month reiterated his commitment to “a combination of European broadcasters”.
Habets, a former head of RTL Group who took to the helm of the embattled German broadcaster in November last year, said that the company was now in “a much more constructive dialogue to really seek co-operation models” with MFE. The Italian company gained two places on ProSieben’s supervisory board in June.
“I think our industry is changing really at a very fast pace,” said Habets, adding that the rise of streaming giants such as Netflix had altered how advertisers assigned their budgets. “We, as a local player, need to seek solutions on how to continue to get access to these global budgets being allocated on a more pan-European basis.”