By Elvira Pollina, Amy-Jo Crowley and Alexander Hübner LONDON/MILAN, March 10 (Reuters) - ProSiebenSat.1, the German broadcaster controlled by Italy's Berlusconi family, will keep online units
ProSieben to Retain ParshipMeet, Flaconi Amid Wider Digital Portfolio Sale
ProSiebenSat.1's Strategic Digital Portfolio Review
By Elvira Pollina, Amy-Jo Crowley and Alexander Hübner
LONDON/MILAN, March 10 (Reuters) - ProSiebenSat.1, the German broadcaster controlled by Italy's Berlusconi family, will keep online units ParshipMeet and Flaconi for now, while looking to sell the rest of its digital portfolio, three sources with knowledge of the matter said.
The review is part of a wider revamp driven by Marco Giordani, a veteran of Berlusconi-backed MFE-MediaForEurope, aimed at refocusing ProSieben on its core broadcasting business and reducing debt.
ProSieben, which came under MFE's control last year, had previously expanded into a broad range of digital assets.
Retaining Key Online Units
MAXIMISING VALUATIONS
Short-Term Retention of ParshipMeet and Flaconi
Online-dating platform ParshipMeet and beauty retailer Flaconi - both cash-generating - will stay in the group for now, though a sale remains a longer-term goal, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity as the talks are private.
Valuation Concerns
One of the people cited ParshipMeet's depressed valuation as a reason to wait.
Digital Portfolio Divestment Plans
Assets Targeted for Sale
ProSieben has instead begun reaching out to potential bidders for other parts of its digital portfolio, which includes shopping-deals app Marktguru, car-rental comparison site billiger-mietwagen.de and experience-gift provider Jochen Schweizer mydays, the people said.
Potential Buyers
Potential buyers include venture capital firms and trade players, one of them added.
ProSieben and MFE declined to comment.
Leadership and Strategic Direction
Approach to Asset Sales
At an event at ProSieben's headquarters near Munich last month, Giordani told reporters he would take a cautious approach to selling the group's online assets to maximise valuations.
MFE's Influence and Takeover
MFE, which runs TV businesses in Italy and in Spain, built a stake in ProSieben from 2019 and launched a takeover bid last year, lifting its holding to more than 75%. It has long urged ProSieben to sell its digital assets.
Financial Performance and Market Conditions
ProSieben has made repeated cuts to its 2025 profit guidance, citing a weak advertising market and a sluggish German economy.
(Reporting by Alexander Hübner in Munich, Elvira Pollina in Milan, Amy-Jo Crowley in London. Editing by Mark Potter)
