ProSiebenSat.1 is strengthening its own information offerings. The editor-in-chief of the Seven.One Entertainment Group, which belongs to the listed media group, Sven Pietsch, told the German Press Agency: “From January 1st we will be producing and broadcasting the news from our own editorial team.”
Prospectively, the programs of the channels ProSieben, Sat.1 and Kabel eins are to be produced in a large studio that is currently being built at the media group’s main location in Unterföhring near Munich.
There should be no uniform news broadcast for all three stations, Offers are individually tailored to the respective broadcaster audience. “We also want to become more local, closer to the people,” said Pietsch. At the same time, the digital presence is to be significantly expanded.
Until now, ProSiebenSat.1 had the news broadcasts produced externally by the Welt TV station, which belongs to the Axel Springer media company. The contract expires. With this, the private TV company sets a remarkable accent in Unterföhring. Competitor RTL has also increased its news offerings in the past. Both houses hired well-known news presenters from public broadcasters. The image of the private broadcasters, which has been heavily influenced by entertainment shows for decades, should also become more diversified.
A Both media houses focused on offerings with so-called public value – that is, with social added value. The federal states, which are responsible for media policy, had given the area more importance by state treaty. Such offers must be easy to find on Smart TV homepages, for example.
More digital offers
When viewers tune in to news on ProSieben, Sat.1 or Kabel eins at the beginning of January, the change will not be particularly noticeable at first. Editor-in-chief Pietsch said in a dpa interview: “On January 1st, viewers will not see any major changes because the visual design and appearance of the programs will not change yet. But there will be three new moderators.” Among them is the journalist Claudia von Brauchitsch, who already works for the group.
Pietsch further announced: “A completely new look for all news programs and formats will follow in May 2023 under a uniform brand.” ProSiebenSat.1 has not yet announced the name of the brand.
“We will significantly expand our digital presence. Our digital colleagues work hand in hand with the TV editorial team. In the medium term, it is conceivable that we will further strengthen our information offerings from the news department.” A separate news channel is currently not planned.
The media group did not provide any detailed information on the costs for its own news area. Pietsch said: “Compared to our previous news production, this is not a savings model. We see it as a long-term investment.”
He added to the strategy: “A long time ago we decided with the Management Board that we want to take on more social responsibility, because the world is in very uncertain times.” At the same time, there is the strategic consideration that in times of streaming services, one is increasingly dependent on offering local content oneself. This includes sports, events and information broadcasts.
The company ProSiebenSat.1, which was recently again in the media interest because of the largest shareholder – that is the Italian media group MFE around the family of Silvio Berlusconi – also increased its number of employees in the news area. “For our new newsroom, we hired more than 60 people at the Unterfoehring and Berlin locations. Our political department works in the new capital city office,” explained the editor-in-chief. From the beginning of the year there will also be a correspondent’s office in Washington, USA. We also work with freelancers worldwide, i.e. freelance employees.
