Berlusconi's attempt at acquiring ProSiebenSat.1 has, as of now, met with an unsuccessful outcome
The Berlusconi family's MediaForEurope (MFE) has moved closer to acquiring a majority stake in ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE, but has not yet secured outright majority control. As of August 2025, MFE holds approximately 43.6% of ProSiebenSat.1 shares.
MFE's latest bid, valued at nearly 1.9 billion euros, has been recommended by ProSiebenSat.1's management to shareholders. The aim is to create a pan-European media group that can compete with major streaming services. The German government has expressed concerns about maintaining editorial independence, with discussions planned between German officials and Pier Silvio Berlusconi, MFE’s leader, in September.
The ProSiebenSat.1 works council has expressed concern about potential job losses related to the takeover, especially since MFE mentioned potential cost-saving synergies without explicitly ruling out layoffs.
The process continues with shareholder decisions, government oversight, and regulatory steps still pending. Shareholders can still tender their shares to MFE until September 1st. If MFE crosses ownership thresholds that enable consolidation or full integration, regulatory review and approvals will be necessary.
Meanwhile, the Czech financial investor PPF Group had also made a competing offer, but their bid has lapsed, leaving MFE as the principal suitor. The final outcome depends on the additional acceptance period of the shareholders, where crossing a 50% ownership threshold would allow MFE to consolidate ProSiebenSat.1 financially, and achieving 75% ownership would enable full integration.
In summary, the Berlusconi family's MFE is poised to gain majority control but has not completed the acquisition yet. The process continues with shareholder decisions, government oversight, and regulatory steps still pending.
EC countries may need to establish employment policies to address potential job losses at ProSiebenSat.1 if MFE's acquisition leads to cost-saving synergies. This could involve industry-wide discussions about investing in new business opportunities to create employment.
Regulatory bodies in finance should carefully review the acquisition, considering its potential impact on the media industry and maintaining editorial independence in the resulting pan-European media group.
