Vienna-based High View holding has acquired 100% of the shares in German music channel Gute Laune TV effective January 1, 2018.
The media company did not disclose the purchase price or the sellers. According to German anti-media concentration commission KEK, which approved the transaction, Holtzbrinck Ventures GmbH & Co. KG has been the largest shareholder of the pay-TV channel with a stake of 40.34%. The other shareholders were Victoria and Hermann Jahrreiss (22.65%), Michael Karthal (20.84%), Erich Ließmann (11.40%) and the channel’s managing director Marko Tomazin (4.77%).
High View wants to include the pay-TV channel in its music portfolio and take over the entire team under the direction of Tomazin. The independent editorial team and the brand Gute Laune TV will be retained, according to the company.
The channel will be relocated from Munich to the premises of High View in Landshut where the other music channels operated by the company are located: free-to-air channel Deluxe Music and the two pay-TV channels Jukebox and RCK.TV.
“With Gute Laune TV, we can sensibly expand our music portfolio with another music colour and an established brand,” said Alexander Trauttmansdorff, managing director of High View. “We are delighted to have won such an experienced and professional team for our broadcasting group with Marko Tomazin and his staff. German Schlager music has a wide fan base and perfectly complements our current music genres rock and pop. With Deluxe Music, Jukebox and RCK.TV we have proven in recent years that an independent and successful music offering for classic as well as digital use is possible from within the German market.”
Tomazin added: “The merger is an important step for the further growth of Gute Laune TV. High View has an excellent network and in-depth knowledge of the market. My team and I are looking forward to working together and we are sure that Gute Laune TV and the fans will benefit from it in the long run.”
The channel launched in October 2005 shows traditional and modern German-language music 24 hours per day – from the 1960s to the current day. Gute Laune TV can be received in Germany, Austria and Switzerland via cable, satellite and IPTV on platforms such as Vodafone Kabel Deutschland, Unitymedia, M7, 1&1 Digital-TV, Diveo, Cablecom, UPC, Salt and Suissedigital.
