ProSiebenSat.1, TF1 Group & Mediaset in Digital Alliance

MUNICH: As part of a wide-ranging digital alliance, France’s TF1 Group and Italy’s Mediaset are investing in ProSiebenSat.1’s MCN Studio71, putting up a combined €53 million ($56.5 million).

Mediaset will hold 5.5 percent and TF1 6.1 percent, while ProSiebenSat.1 retains about 70 percent of the shares in Studio71. The MCN reaches about 6 billion video views a month and joined the world’s top five players with a focus on premium channels. Studio71 is represented in five countries. 

As part of the transaction, the Munich-based media group has agreed to acquire a strategic minority interest in Finder Studios, a French premium MCN co-founded by TF1. The investment in Finder Studios is subject to approval by the German Federal Cartel Office and the Austrian Federal Competition Authority.

ProSiebenSat.1 and Mediaset have agreed to found a joint venture, which will roll out the Studio71 business model in the Italian market.

Christof Wahl, a member of the executive board for digital and COO of ProSiebenSat.1 Group, said: “The partnership with TF1 Group and Mediaset gives us access to key European markets where the online video market is just now really picking up momentum and promising significant potential. With the united marketing power of our media companies, we have an attractive ecosystem with which we can generate additional income and continue Studio71’s digital success story.”

Olivier Abecassis, the VP of innovation and digital at the TF1 Group, added: “This deal is absolutely in line with the strategy being driven by TF1’s CEO Gilles Pélisson, and with the Group’s new ambitions in digital. By taking a stake in Studio71, the TF1 Group is positioning itself in the global digital ecosystem alongside two of Europe’s leading media groups. And by becoming the operator of Studio71 France, we are bolstering our presence in multiplatform premium online video, and our status as a key partner for emerging web creatives.”

Pierpaolo Cervi, the chief digital officer of Mediaset, commented: “We join a digital global partner like Studio71—with a deep broadcaster DNA—in order to build a leading player in the Italian market for the editorial management and monetization of digital talents, to maximize the distribution of Mediaset TV contents on the internet and to boost synergies between TV and web.”