The PPF Group believes in a multi-platform future and the digital transformation of ProSieben, following the example of CME. Incoming co-CEO Didier Stoessel spoke about these plans in foreign media.
In recent days, incoming co-CEO of the PPF Group, Didier Stoessel, has given interviews to foreign audiovisual media, in which he outlined PPF's view of developments in the television industry and PPF's strategy in the media sector. According to him, PPF is focusing on long-term investments and strong operational expertise. Media remains one of the group's key areas, and it sees a future not only in streaming but also in an innovative form of traditional linear broadcasting.
"Linear television has been considered a dying medium for years. However, in the Czech Republic, for example, we have shown that it can be transformed and digitised. Content is king, and it's just a matter of finding the right medium to deliver it to viewers," Stoessel said in an interview with CNBC.
According to him, viewership across platforms is actually growing. ‘Yes, viewers are moving away from linear television, but they are watching the same content elsewhere – on cable, OTT services or streams,’ he explained. According to him, PPF is building on the fact that it owns or co-owns both traditional broadcasters and modern streaming platforms. The company relies on strong local content and digital transformation.
The Oneplay platform is expected to be a success, which, according to Stoessel, is surpassing even global players in the Czech Republic. ‘We are 50% larger than Netflix and roughly two to three times larger than Disney+ or HBO Max,’ he said. Given that PPF claims to have 1.4 million subscribers to the Oneplay service in the Czech Republic, this statement would mean that the number of Netflix subscribers in the Czech Republic is around one million (according to Didier Stoessel, it would be approximately 933,000).
Stoessel then commented to Bloomberg on the current offer to increase his stake in the German media group ProSiebenSat.1. This week, PPF increased its offer to buy shares in German television company ProSiebenSat.1 to €7 (approximately CZK 174) per share. The offer will remain open until 13 August. The offered price is approximately 17% higher than the company's share price at the beginning of May and 21% above the price offered by another shareholder, MFE. PPF's goal is to double its current stake (16%) to 29.99%.
According to Stoessel, the goal is to strengthen PPF's influence in the company and accelerate its digital transformation. "ProSieben has potential, but digitisation is slow so far. We want to bring our know-how and support the changes,‘ he explained.
He did not rule out possible future cooperation with MFE, which already holds a 30% stake, but said it was too early to discuss. ’It will be in the company's interest to cooperate with all shareholders, including MFE," he added.
In the interview, Didier Stoessel also commented on the possible emergence of a pan-European media player. According to him, such a project only makes sense in the areas of technology and talent recruitment. However, he sees limits in the area of content. ‘Content is local. People want local content,’ he explained.
Source: mediaguru.cz
