Mediaset


Vivendi-Mediaset rapprochement expected ‘within days’

Vivendi could strike a deal in the next few days to end its legal dispute with Mediaset and forge a new content partnership involving Telecom Italia, according to press reports. According to Agefi-Dow Jones, citing an unnamed source, a three-way agreement involving Mediaset, Telecom Italia and either Vivendi or Canal+ is on the cards. A […]

Vivendi keeps its cool as police raid Paris offices

Vivendi has maintained that it will find a way out of its current impasse with Mediaset after police raided its Paris offices yesterday following a request by Italy. French police accompanied by representatives of Italy’s financial police, the Guardia di Finanza, searched Vivendi’s HQ in Paris for evidence pertaining to the Milan-based investigation into possible […]

Mediaset demands additional €3bn from Vivendi

Vivendi has revealed that Mediaset and leading shareholder Fininvest filed a fresh lawsuit against it in June, claiming an additional €3 billion (US$3.6 billion) in damages. Mediaset filed a complaint on June 9, claiming damages totaling €2 billion, while Fininvest claimed €1 billion. The complaint related to Vivendi’s acquisition of Mediaset shares at the end […]

Mediaset-Telecom deal ‘desirable’ – Italy official

An agreement between Mediaset and Telecom Italia (TIM) to combine the former’s content with the latter’s distribution network and customer base is “desirable” provided Italy retains influence over development, according a leading government official. Interviewed by La Stampa newspaper, the country’s undersecretary of state for telecommunications, Antonello Giacomelli, said that “an industrial agreement” between the […]

New UK & scripted chiefs for Studio71

Multichannel operator Studio71 has expanded its UK business by hiring a local managing director and had added a US-based scripted chief. Former StyleHaul executive James Stafford will lead a new UK-based studio as MD, while Broken Road Productions’ Jeremy Stein is joining as senior VP of scripted content. Part of Stafford’s duties will be working […]

Diana, Our Mother gains raft of int’l sales

Drive, the distributor for Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, has announced a range of international sales for the Oxford Film-produced documentary. NDR in Germany, TV4 in Sweden, Mediaset in Italy and RTL in French-speaking Belgium have all acquired the doc that is built around interviews with The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry. […]

Vivendi ‘set to launch’ Italian version of Canal+

Locked in an epic legal battle with its original preferred partner in the Italian market, Vivendi is set to launch a parallel TV initiative in partnership with Telecom Italia (TIM), according to French financial daily Les Echos. The report, which cites unnamed sources, claims Vivendi has decided to launch a premium channel, named Canale+, with […]

Mediaset to strengthen on-demand offering

Mediaset is to strengthen its on-demand offering, Mediaset Play, with new content and will launch targeted advertising this year. Mediaset has also said that it expects its pay TV unit, Mediaset Premium, to continue to lose subscribers and revenues this year, but that margins will improve as the platform shifts towards an on-demand offering. Mediaset […]

ProSieben’s Studio71 set for France launch

Multichannel network (MCN) Studio71 is to launch in France in September. The move follows the deal signed in January this year between Studio71’s owner ProSiebenSat.1, leading French broadcaster TF1 and Italy’s Mediaset to collaborate in developing MCNs. TF1 said the French version of Studio71 would lean heavily on the programming inventory of Finder Studios, the […]

Mediaset returns to profit

Mediaset has bounced back into the black in the first quarter following its €294.5 million loss last year, which the company blamed squarely on “the turbulence” caused by French media giant Vivendi reneging on its deal with the Italian broadcaster. Mediaset’s success in clawing its way back to profit is due to its campaign of […]