South African media group invests into Germanys first mobile TV provider
Cologne/Cape Town, 13 June 2007 – he mobile television provider MFD Mobiles Fernsehen Deutschland GmbH announced today that the South African media and technology group, Naspers Limited would be making a strategic investment in Germany’s pioneering mobile television company. MFD’s original shareholders, Grazia Equity, J2 and Ammax, who have been partners in the company since its inception, will retain minority holdings. With this new partnership MFD Mobiles Fernsehen Deutschland stands to benefit from Naspers’ considerable media, technology and specifically Mobile-TV expertise. Naspers is listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange; last year the group generated a profit (EBITDA) of US $ 530 million, with turnover of US $ 2.2 billion and a current market capitalization of around US $ 9 billion. The MIH Group, a subsidiary of Naspers, manages a number of media subsidiaries and interests in pay TV channels, internet services, the Group’s own television channels and mobile TV.
The new stakeholder’s investment puts MFD Mobiles Fernsehen Deutschland in an ideal position to continue expanding its mobile television services. Germany’s mobile television pioneers are currently building a nationwide DMB broadcast network (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) and have applied for further DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting for Handhelds) licenses which are currently under bid. The executive team of MFD Mobiles Fernsehen Deutschland, Dr. Jens Stender and Henrik Rinnert, remains unchanged.
“We are delighted to have found in Naspers an investor whose strategic alignment and international experience we feel will greatly benefit our company as well as the development of the mobile TV market in Germany,” stated Dr. Jens Stender, Managing Director of MFD Mobiles Fernsehen Deutschland.
“We are enormously impressed by the excellent job MFD has done in building the market for mobile television in Germany” stated Kim Reid, CEO Mobile Television Platforms MIH Group at Naspers. “This is a promising market, and cooperating with MFD gives us the opportunity to contribute our expertise in setting up and operating mobile television platforms and to participate in their growth.”
MFD Mobiles Fernsehen Deutschland has been working with Naspers subsidiary Irdeto since the launch of its watcha service in June 2006. Irdeto is a proven expert in content security and provides comprehensive solutions for content protection in digital TV, IPTV and mobile environments and is actively involved in numerous mobile TV projects in South Africa, Asia, Europe and Australia.
As Germany’s first mobile TV provider MFD Mobiles Fernsehen Deutschland has established a broadcasting network in 16 metropolitan areas across the country. The technology neutral provider holds broadcasting licences for the DMB standard (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) for the entire country. Germany’s first mobile television provider together with its partners in the market is currently developing structure for the DVB-H deployment in Germany and is willing and able to invest the necessary funds.
About MFD - Founded in September 2005, MFD Mobiles Fernsehen Deutschland GmbH is Germany’s first mobile TV provider. At the beginning of June of 2006 the independent company launched the commercial mobile television service watcha which enables television and radio content to be received on mobile devices such as telephones. The company, with offices in Düsseldorf and Cologne, has DMB broadcasting licenses for all of Germany. As a technology neutral provider the company has also applied for DVB-H broadcast licenses from ocal Federal State Media Authorities.
About Naspers - Naspers is a multinational media company with principal operations in electronic media (including pay-television, internet and instant-messaging subscriber platforms and the provision of related technologies) and print media (including the publishing, distribution and printing of magazines, newspapers and books, and the provision of private education services). The company is dual-listed on the JSE Limited (ticker: NPN) and on the NASDAQ (ticker: NPSN). Naspers’ operations are located in South Africa, elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa, Greece, Cyprus, the Netherlands, the United States, Russia, Thailand and China. Naspers creates media content, builds brand names around it, and manages the platforms distributing the content. Many of Naspers’ businesses hold leading market positions, and Naspers capitalises on these strong positions when expanding into new markets. Naspers focuses on media businesses in growing markets in which it has attained or expects to attain sustainable market positions.
About Grazia Equity - Grazia Equity is a private venture capital company which provides its experience and comprehensive network of contacts to help leading multinational businesses develop and expand. Grazia’s main focus is on the segments New Media / IT, Energy / Environment, High Tech and Life Sciences. The company’s strong entrepreneurial background gives it an excellent understanding of the challenges businesses face in all stages of their development. The company’s portfolio currently comprises 13 businesses, ranging from a seed project through to a profitable company with a turnover of ˆ800 million. Grazia’s involvement in the setting up and building Conergy AG, the world’s largest supplier of solar systems, marks the greatest success of a venture capital company in Germany to date.
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Further information:
MFD Mobiles Fernsehen Deutschland GmbH
www.mfd.tv
Katharina Nebeling
Bonner Straße 172-176
50968 Köln
Germany
Mail: katharina.nebeling@tv-mfd.de
Fon: +49-(0)221-788 79 110
Fax: +49-(0)221-788 79 199
HOSCHKE & CONSORTEN Public Relations
Peter Jefimiec
Mail: p.jefimiec@hoschke.de / Fon: 040 369050 53
Alexandra Jordans
Mail a.jordans@hoschke.de / Fon:040 369050 30
Fax: +49-(0)40 369050 -10
