Tellenbach Takes Top Post at TVN

WARSAW: Former SBS Broadcasting chief Markus Tellenbach has been named president and CEO of Poland’s TVN Group, which today also announced the creation of a four-person Management Board.

Tellenbach, who is currently chairman of the supervisory board at Sky Deutschland, takes up his post at TVN on September 1. His appointment comes as the Polish media group—which operates a portfolio of free-to-air and cable channels and Internet portals and owns a majority stake in the "n" digital platform—forms a Management Board as part of a new streamlined structure. The four person board is comprised of Tellenbach; Piotr Walter, VP and head of television; Lukasz Wejchert, VP and head of online; and Rafal Wyszomierski, incoming interim CFO. Piotr Walter will act as deputy CEO to Tellenbach.

Tellenbach was a member of the TVN Supervisory Board from 2001 to 2003 and rejoined in 2007. A European broadcasting veteran, he held a number of positions at SBS, including president, COO and CEO, following stints at KirchPayTV, Premiere World and Vox. At TVN, his mandate is to further build on the group’s media platforms and he is responsible for communications with shareholders and investors, relationships with major foreign clients and program suppliers, and TVN Group public relations. He will also act as temporary CEO of ITI Neovision and will be responsible for developing the “n” platform. 

Wojciech Kostrzewa, Chairman of the TVN Supervisory Board, commented: "The TVN Group has seen phenomenal growth over the past 12 years, from a family-founded business to the largest, publicly listed, integrated media group in Central Europe. Today the TVN Group is a leader in each of its business areas, operating the leading free-to-air and thematic channels in Poland, as well as Poland’s leading online business and the most advanced pay-TV platform in the market. The TVN Group Management Board has been created to help strengthen the operating performance and maximize the value of each of TVN Group’s businesses and efficiently address challenges and opportunities across TVN Group’s operating sectors. Furthermore, the TVN Group Management Board will seek to accelerate integration and convergence of TVN Group’s assets. The TVN Group is ideally positioned to leverage its assets through the development and exploitation of its content across all of its platforms, creating new experiences for its audience and offering novel audience targeting opportunities to its clients.”

In related news, Maciej Sojka has been named head of business development at the ITI Group, and Karen Burgess is stepping down as CFO for personal reasons.