{"id":155426,"date":"2025-10-31T14:26:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T14:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/155426\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T14:26:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T14:26:09","slug":"prosiebensat-1s-henrik-pabst-on-european-tvs-streaming-era-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/155426\/","title":{"rendered":"ProSiebenSat.1’s Henrik Pabst On European TV’s Streaming Era Battle"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tOf all the European broadcasters trying to figure out the future for their businesses in the digital and streaming era, few have been on as much of a rollercoaster ride as Germany\u2019s ProSiebenSat.1 Media<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tBattered by the global TV advertising downturn and shareholder squabbles, the company has been attempting to pivot to a digital-first model centered around streamer Joyn, while at the same anchoring its overnight ratings and build sellable global formats. ProSieben\u2019s future ownership was recently decided when Italian shareholder MediaForEurope secured more than 75% of the voting shares and took control<\/a>, but that has led to more questions.<\/p>\n

\n\tGerman ministers and regional politicians quickly made clear their reservations<\/a> about far-reaching changes following the takeover of the Unterf\u00f6hring-based company, and MFE<\/a>\u2018s bosses offered them assurances. However, last week the Italian consolidator swung the axe and replaced the entire C-suite<\/a>, including CEO Bert Habets, and ported Nicola Lussana in to run ad sales biz Seven.One Media. The grip appears to be tightening.<\/p>\n

\n\tDespite the corporate wrangling, ProSieben has been quietly going about its day-to-day operations, which include broadcast networks such as Sat.1, known for its Joko and Klaas game shows; Joyn, home of buzzy upcoming reality series Die Abrechnung \u2013 Der Promi-Showdown (The Reckoning \u2013 Celebrity Showdown); a handful of production companies in Europe such as Red Seven Entertainment and the UK\u2019s CPL Productions; and program sales operation Seven.One Studios International, which was at MIPCOM<\/a> shopping the likes of dating format Match My Ex, competition show The Race, scripted series such as The Cooking Academy and Frier & 50 and perennial format hit Married at First Sight.<\/p>\n

\n\tAt the Cannes market, we caught up with ProSieben\u2019s Henrik Pabst, CEO of production and program sales arm Seven.One Studios\u00a0and Chief Content Officer for Entertainment at networks and streaming division Seven.One Entertainment, who addressed issues such as the company\u2019s journey to a digital-first entertainment giant and life under the new ownership.<\/p>\n

\n\tWe spoke before MFE had made its move to install its own CFO, Marco Giordani, as ProSieben CEO, but Pabst\u2019s insight still gives an idea of where the story is going next. Known as one of international TV\u2019s most colorful, insightful and uniquely-spoken programming execs, his turn of phrase and read on the global market are always worth attention.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe chat also spans the creator economy<\/a>, the concept behind streamer-for-all service Joyn and his views on market-changing deals such as Netflix<\/a> and TF1<\/a>\u2018s channels and streaming pact in France. \u201cWe\u2019re in a world where every kind of partnership needs to have been looked at very carefully,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\n\tBelow is a Q&A, which has been edited for clarity and length. <\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: Over the past few years, the narrative around ProSiebenSat.1 Media has been dominated by the corporate structure, which has now been decided. I\u2019m interested to hear what\u2019s been happening at the network level as this narrative played out?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tHenrik Pabst:<\/strong> This year, the channels grew market share. It is a non-sport year, but we\u2019ve done some things rights. Sat.1 is coming back pretty strong with a show called Villa der Versuchung, a reality show where people lose money that comes out of the prize pot as they spend it. What was interesting is it really smashed the ratings on linear, but also on Joyn. When you look at the total video view time on that, it was nearly 50-50. This is one of the rare examples of a linear hit that also has a large proportion of viewing in streaming. That is good. What is bad is the ad market. For the third year in a row, there is a recession in Germany, and this needs to change. German economics are really in the pits. It\u2019s a mess. On the other hand, Joyn is doing fantastic, with 30% growth for users and usage. That\u2019s a good number, better than the market. Clearly the big corporate topic has been dictating our lives. Now with MFE being on board, I am happy.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE:<\/strong> <\/strong>Why does that make you happy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tHP:<\/strong> I believe in times of market pressure, scale matters. We are in three big European [German-speaking] markets and five in total through this European broadcast and streaming giant. Let\u2019s see how we can hone that into a strategy that can cope with the things going on.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Villa der Versuchung\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJoyn\/Michael de Boer<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE:<\/strong> Are you speaking with the leaders at MFE at this moment?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tHP:<\/strong> Not right now, but I\u2019m sure we\u2019re starting soon. MFE is thinking about how to structure it all. What is the best tactic? What is the best data game? What\u2019s the best IP game? What\u2019s the best advertising approach in Europe and for European funds? How do we tackle the content game for acquisitions? How do we work together on AI? In my view, all of these things can be good if we do them together.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: Some of the German journalism unions were concerned about the MFE approach to ProSieben. What can you tell us about that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tHP: <\/strong>Of course, it was a big question mark. I can tell you I see no signs of influence \u2013 full stop, 100% guaranteed. MFE wants us to make more local content, and I\u2019m very confident there will be no interference in the content itself. Will they have questions about where we spend our money? Yes, I would have questions if I acquired a company of our size, and that\u2019s fair enough. After all the conversations with our shareholders, I am very happy to have them. Let\u2019s work together.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: <\/strong>What does the future look like then?<\/strong> You\u2019re looking at changing the story to focus on content.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tHP: <\/strong>Exactly. Will there be a European studio approach out of all of these countries? Maybe. Do we want to invest more by opening up our grids for IP launches? We would like to, but have to factor in market developments. We believe IP ownership is the way forward, and we now have three big commercial outlets to try that out. MFE\u2019s rationale is fair, so let\u2019s work it out.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Marco<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tNew ProSiebenSat.1 Media CEO Marco Giordani<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMFE<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: How does the Seven.One Studios business fit into this?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tHP:<\/strong> After we sold the U.S. part of the business three years ago<\/a>, Seven.One Studio has become a pretty agile, fast-moving production house of seven production businesses and a distribution arm launching IP year-on-year. Last year at MIPCOM, we had Stranded on Honeymoon Island and this year we present The Hunt, which will be on Channel 4 and ProSieben. It\u2019s a great example of how we work together \u2013 [Seven.One producers] CPL and RedSeven working on an idea, making it happen and retaining the rights so that we can monetize them all the way down the line. Besides that, we have grown into the area I think is the future of content: The creator world. We started in this world three years ago when we began acquiring rights from creators to preview their shows on Joyn. You don\u2019t find these audiences via TV channels. You approach them in the right place with the right topic for their communities.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: What is the volume like there?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tHP: <\/strong>We have 25 creator shows on Joyn each year. We\u2019ve got a very cost-efficient way of producing things. It\u2019s also about learning to look at the size of productions. In five years time, why would I fly in 140 people for a reality format to Thailand? The Race just won the Best Entertainment category at the Bavarian TV Awards, a very high-profile award in Germany. We acquired the rights and took it as a centerpiece of our new production company Studio Flitz, which is fully focused on creator content. Thomas Munzner, who runs it, has a very good economic understanding of what he needs to do, and why in times where cost efficiency is maybe the number one priority of all of us, we can deliver cases to ProSiebenSat.1 that are different to the old world. Those ideas do not look much worse than classical productions. They\u2019re buying rights to established IP, but then they do it their way.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u2018The Race\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJoyn<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: What do shareholders make of the creator economy? Is it a harder sell for them, when they\u2019re used to TV or film production?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tHP: <\/strong>It\u2019s not hard to sell. 7 Vs Wild was produced primarily for YouTube back in the day, and has now been sliced and diced down for Amazon. There is a real possible margin gain here. When you produce them right, and sell them on to streamers and possibly linear, then there is a good business. A few weeks ago at the studio, we showcased a couple of projects with Thomas, and everybody was listening. If there are a generation of people who can help them hit the price points broadcasters and streamers want, that helps their margins. It\u2019s a good thing and we should embrace that.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: There are still plenty of industry people I speak to who don\u2019t quite understand Joyn as a concept. It\u2019s been made the central part of your entertainment strategy, so how do you explain it to someone who doesn\u2019t get it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tHP:<\/strong> From a monetization perspective, we are the biggest AVOD service in Germany, and we have an SVOD tier, but it is small and not the priority. Joyn is a place where you find all the content you want, whether that\u2019s lifestyle channels, FAST channels of different genres, all the ProSiebenSat.1 brands and a high volume of Joyn originals, plus the creator base. We\u2019re there for every target group, and we cluster that down in different content verticals. We have to use the ecosystem of a strong linear broadcasting organization that is transforming into a super-streaming organization.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: That helps with the ad sale, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tHP:<\/strong> It does. What we have done quite successfully is change the grid towards really strong hybrid shows. When you limit yourself as a TV broadcaster, you miss out. That\u2019s Joyn.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tHenrik Pabst<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAmelie Niederbuchner<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: On the sales side, MD Tim Gerhartz left over the summer to rejoin ZDF. How have you restructured since then?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tHP:<\/strong> As a mid-sized distribution company, we are concentrating on harvesting IP across all value chains. I do not believe Seven.One Studios International, with the profile of our companies, will be a big scripted player going forward. Tobias Schulze, who is a very senior sales executive, is the one who is running it now and I give the directions. I love Tim\u2026 He is by far the most German person on the planet. He came from ZDF back in the day, and now he\u2019s gone back there, and I wish him all the best.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: What do you think about Netflix and Amazon doing deals with broadcasters like TF1? It seems with Joyn, you\u2019re already set up to do that, and if anything, you\u2019re the ones looking to add other linear channels \u2013 you had German pubcasters ZDF and ARD on the service at one point.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tHP:<\/strong> We\u2019re in a world where every kind of partnership needs to have been looked at very carefully, and this needs to be looked at very carefully. Are there audiences that we do not reach within our ecosystem that we want to be in contact with? If yes, we carefully look at them. Does it mean we\u2019ll do them straight away? No, but are we a closed shop that isn\u2019t open to partnerships? We are not. We have to be flexible as there is no one-size-fits-all. The TF1 deal with Netflix really caused some [anxiety] in the market. If TF1 brings new movies on to Netflix, does Netflix not have to acquire them anymore? I know my friends at Universal will have a hard time getting that. There are some unanswered elements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Of all the European broadcasters trying to figure out the future for their businesses in the digital and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":155427,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[265],"tags":[2086,18,117,19,17,32724,54440,127,90865,71940,128],"class_list":{"0":"post-155426","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-creator-economy","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-mfe","14":"tag-mipcom","15":"tag-netflix","16":"tag-prosiebensat-1-media","17":"tag-tf1","18":"tag-tv"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115469247321625192","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155426"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155426\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/155427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}