German Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer fears the loss of journalistic independence at ProSiebenSat.1 should the media company come under the full control of the Italian holding company MFE-MediaForEurope, in which Pier Silvio Berlusconi holds a significant stake.
“A takeover battle has begun, the outcome of which concerns me,” Weimer told news magazine Der Spiegel. “My concern revolves around the question of whether journalistic and economic independence will be preserved after a change in ownership.”
MFE, in which Pier Silvio Berlusconi holds a significant stake, already owns around 30% of ProSiebenSat.1. It is currently engaged in a bidding battle with Czech investment group PPF for control of the German media company. Their purchase offers to shareholders are running in parallel until 13 August 2025. Weimer has now invited Berlusconi to the Chancellery for talks. The meeting is scheduled to take place in September.
“I expect transparency in this process, and we are carrying out an open impact assessment,” said Weimer. “We need to know what kind of political influence new foreign owners might exert. How will journalistic quality and independence be safeguarded? What does this mean for Germany as a television location? These questions are of great relevance to the preservation of media freedom in Germany. That is why I am taking care of this.”
Berlusconi’s father, the former Italian Prime Minister and media entrepreneur Silvio Berlusconi, was considered a close buddy of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “If a foreign investor were to take over and potentially control such an important institution of opinion-forming in Germany,” Weimer told the magazine, “then we should take a very close look at who is behind it and what connections may have influence. That will be the subject of my conversation with Mr Berlusconi.”
