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ProSieben seeks potential suitors for e-units Verivox, Flaconi, sources say
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ProSieben seeks potential suitors for e-units Verivox, Flaconi, sources say
Jul 26, 2024 3:20 AM

LONDON/BERLIN, July 26 (Reuters) - German media group

ProSiebenSat.1 has reached out to potential buyers of

its online businesses Verivox and Flaconi, sources said, as it

seeks to respond to investor calls for it to focus on its core

operations.

In recent weeks advisory firm PJT Partners ( PJT ), which is

handling the sale of Verivox, has sent out information about the

price comparison website to potential bidders, according to two

sources with knowledge of the matter.

One of the sources said Verivox, which last year reported

sales of 162 million euros ($176 million), could be valued at

around 400-500 million euros. The second person quantified the

unit's core profit in 40 million euros.

A third person familiar with the process said ProSieben

had also opened a dataroom for its online perfume retailer

Flaconi, which had 2023 revenue of 389 million euros.

"We said ... that we would start the sale process for

Verivox and Flaconi. And that is exactly what we have done and

we are on track with the process," ProSieben said in statement.

PJT declined to comment.

Leading ProSieben investors MFE-MediaForEurope and

Czech investment firm PPF have both called on ProSieben CEO Bert

Habets to focus on the TV business and ditch non-core assets.

A motion put forward by MFE to force ProSieben to spin off

its e-commerce and online dating businesses fell just short of

the required majority at the company's April general meeting,

but ProSieben management said it would press ahead with the

disposal of Verivox and Flaconi.

According to a fourth source close to the matter, ProSieben

plans to complete at least one of the sales within the first

quarter of 2025, ahead of its annual general meeting.

JPMorgan analysts this month calculated the disposals of

Verivox and Flaconi could raise 670 million euros which

ProSieben could use to cut its net debt.

Both MFE and PPF tightened their grip on ProSieben's

supervisory board at this year's annual general meeting, with

their candidates prevailing over those put forward by the

company.

MFE, controlled by Italy's Berlusconi family, holds nearly

30% of ProSieben and has ambitions to create a European TV

champion. It operates in Italy and Spain.

PPF, which is ProSieben's No.2 investor with a 15% stake,

owns the CME television business with stations in six central

and eastern European countries and 49 million viewers.

($1 = 0.9215 euros)

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