Marco Giordani, the CEO of ProSiebenSat.1, stated that the media conglomerate currently has no defined plans for delisting. While he acknowledged that the controlling majority shareholder, Media for Europe (MFE), retained the option of going private, he added that nothing of this nature is currently scheduled.
MFE holds a substantial 75.61% stake in ProSiebenSat.1, solidifying its position as the majority owner of the Italian media group. Interestingly, Giordani had previously worked as a manager within MFE before taking the leadership role at ProSiebenSat.1.
Regarding corporate control, Giordani strongly dismissed any notion that the company is being operated from Italy. He asserted that operational control rests entirely with the ProSiebenSat.1 management team, which, he stressed, operates with full autonomy and makes all strategic decisions. Furthermore, he assured that the company’s journalistic output is not subject to influence or directives from MFE, and neither he nor the ownership group interfere-authority belongs solely to the chief editorial staff.
Turning to the company’s structure, Giordani outlined plans for further asset sales as part of the overall corporate reorganization, noting that “all other holdings can potentially be sold”. However, he cautioned that this process would be gradual due to the current volatile market.
Since the majority acquisition by Media for Europe, several assets have already been divested, including holdings such as “wetter.com” “billiger-mietwagen.de” and “Camper Days”. Giordani explained that the online perfumery, Flaconi, is an exception; it is expected to remain in the portfolio because it performs well and offers continued growth potential, regardless of whether it constitutes the core business.
Strategically, the CEO aims to refocus ProSiebenSat.1 heavily on its entertainment core. He stated the company is prepared to evolve into “a smaller company, but one with higher profitability”. While the divestiture strategy is in progress, Giordani confirmed that no company-wide layoffs are planned.