Mergers and acquisitions, co-producing and co-financing: The trend towards ever greater globalisation strive sin the media industries. More and more international media companies get involved in the German market - with rather mixed results. And it is not only small-scale investors who are experiencing considerable difficulties in the world's second largest TV market, US industry majors are also having a rough time with its cultural as well as mental specialities, its complex federal regulatory systems and highly competitive market conditions. In addition to a strong public service segment, there are six private networks, while the number of pay-TV and special interest channels is consequently rather low. Even before recent regulatory rulings preventing the Bertelsmann-Kirch alliance, digital television had a very slow start. Where long-term output deals used to guarantee top sales revenues largely for American fare, there has been an undeniable towards in-house productions: from daily soaps to made-for-TV movies, the trend is "Made in Germany". After private channels were introduced in the mid-1980s, new media centres have emerged, too. North Rhine-Westphalia made its way to the top in TV production, overtaking traditional industry strongholds such as Hamburg, Berlin or Munich. But media politics in Germany is heavily influenced by federal rivalry. Regions and cities are fierce competitors, leaving little room for nationwide strategies.
In addition to audience pressure, shareholders have arrived at the scene: Media companies have to satisfy the city as well as the traditional couchpotatoe. ProSieben was the first German broadcaster to go public in 1997. Some argue that Shareholder Value soon is going to be a decisive factor for success in the media world. Until now, the term was used by and large as a synonym for short term profit maximisation and job losses through rationalisation. Quite wrongly, as international consultancy Price Waterhouse has set out to prove: In their view, management driven by shareholder value strategies will not only boast share prices, but can even create new jobs within the media industries. What is generally agreed is that content providers in media have to work on a unique, attractive profile while at the same time need to keep costs as low as possible. How such strategies will influence programme quality and what impact there is on the diversity of programmes and channels, remains to be seen. Germany's public sector broadcasters have already joined the battle.
The seminar in co-operation with Price Waterhouse provides an in-depth survey of the German TV market, especially for international media professionals. ______________________________________________________________________________________
9.00 hrs - 10.00 hrs
International Trends: Think Local, Act Global
Opening lecture
Claudio Wieland, Partner, Price Waterhouse, Berlin ______________________________________________________________________________________
10.00 hrs - 11.15 hrs
Survey: The German TV Market. Facts, Figures, Mentalities
Short lectures
Prof. Dr. Georg Feil, Managing Director, Colonia Media, Cologne
Programming Needs
Markus Schächter, Head of Programming, ZDF, Mainz
Volker Szezinski, Head of Programme Planning, SAT.1, Berlin
German Media Capitals
Frank Thomsen, Media Editor, Stern, Hamburg ______________________________________________________________________________________
11.15 hrs - 11.30 hrs Coffee Break ______________________________________________________________________________________
11.30 hrs - 12.30 hrs
An International View of the German TV Market
Short inputs and panel discussion
hosted by Sharon Swart, European Editor Special Reports, Variety, London
Jean-Michel Ciszewski, President, Alliance Television International, London
Sandra Kresch, Partner, EMC, Price Waterhouse, New York
Olivier-René Veillon, General Manager, TV France International, Paris
Andrea Wonfor, Joint Managing Director, Granada Productions, Manchester
Christiane zu Salm, Managing Director, MTV Networks, Hamburg
Christian Rottmann, Managing Director, Endemol Entertainment, Köln ______________________________________________________________________________________
12.30 hrs - 14.00 hrs Lunch Break ______________________________________________________________________________________
14.00 hrs - 14.30 hrs
»Survival of the Fittest?« -Shareholder Value and Media Companies
Keynote
Greg Dyke, CEO, Pearson Television, London ______________________________________________________________________________________
14.30 hrs - 15.30 hrs
Shareholder Value in Entertainment and Media in Germany
Keynote
Andreas Hanitsch, Managing Partner EMC, Price Waterhouse, Düsseldorf ______________________________________________________________________________________
15.00 hrs - 15.30 hrs Coffee Break ______________________________________________________________________________________
15.30 hrs - 16.00 hrs
Between Stock Price and Ratings
Lothar Lanz, Member of the Board, ProSieben Media AG, Unterföhring ______________________________________________________________________________________
16.00 hrs - 17.00 hrs
Shareholder Value vs. Programme
Panel discussion
Jan Körbelin, Head of Programming, ProSieben Media AG, Unterföhring
Prof. Dr. Hansjürgen Rosenbauer, Intendant, ORB, Potsdam
Hans Mahr, Head of News and Information, RTL Television, Cologne
Andreas Hanitsch, Managing Partner EMC, Price Waterhouse, Düsseldorf
Wolf Bauer, Managing Director UFA Film & Fernsehproduktion, Potsdam