Harri-Pekka Kaukonen, CEO of Sanoma, has rebuffed John de Mol’s criticism of the company’s handling of affairs at SBS Broadcasting.
In a telephone interview with Dutch business news channel RTL-Z, Kaukonen said that John de Mol himself is to blame for the lack of success of the broadcaster, as he is responsible for programming.
If De Mol wants to sell his shares in SBS, Sanoma is willing to listen to his offer, but the Finnish publisher is not willing to sell its stake. TV is part of Sanoma’s strategy for the future.
Kaukonen also denied there is an ‘unworkable’ situation at SBS. On the contrary, “there are no obstacles to continue to work together.”
It is to Sanoma’s advantage to improve the situation at SBS, with or without Talpa.
