Closing Marca TV: the end of an era

Last update 31 July, 2013 por Alberto Llopis

Televisions were divided almost 3.500 millions on advertising in the year 2007. Five years after crisis, just they aspire to collect 2.000, a debacle that only allows the larger breathing. To the point that the next victim among smaller channels emerged with DTT it seems to have name and expiration date. As they say sources close to the company, Editorial unit includes closing next 31 July Marca TV, it was impossible to monetize. "Negotiations were held for lease to QVC, British giant teleshopping ", riveted these sources.

It explains the movement decision recently made by Mediapro to heal health and place of Second Division football open, so far one of the main attractions of Marca TV. According to published last week by the newspaper El Mundo, producer Jaume Roures and Benet Tatxo last an agreement with RTVE to retransmit football Teledeporte silver. During this season could be games on both strands. Editorial unit and Mediapro are partners to 50% Marca TV, after the summer 2010 reached an agreement for the launch of the channel and its exploitation.

The latest accounts published by Unidad Editorial, for the year 2011, and they revealed that the cost of a television is unsustainable for a group of small size, with the press as core business. In fact, the main audiovisual bet the company, I watch Tv, ballasted the results of the firm 6,89 millions of euros. And it only issue involves payment to the Ministry of Industry of a fee of five million euros. En este escenario, Editorial unit leased channel to Discovery Networks, that initiated its emissions in early 2012. Vocento took a similar decision soon after and trusted frequency 10 the multinational Paramount. TV brand could suffer the same fate in the coming months.

Reflection on the future of Marca TV is produced in full battle stations in RCS MediaGroup, Italian matrix Publishing Unit. The company confirmed yesterday that it plans an adjustment template 800 personas, 600 of them in the transalpine country. A breakdown pointing to the other output 200 professionals in the Spanish subsidiary, after Editorial Unit has already undertaken two dossiers of employment regulation in their general journal and different job cuts in other headers as a mark or Expansion. The company also aims selling 10 journals, that would close if there is buyer.

This battery of measures would be included in the new strategic plan for the period 2013-2015 the editor of the Corriere della Sera approved last 19 from December, after posting losses 380,5 million until September. The new roadmap, which will require an investment of 300 million euros to give a technological twist to the company, It looked exactly like pillars containing costs and selling non-strategic assets. According to published newspaper Il Sole financial 24 Pray in mid-January, the company a capital increase arises 400 millions. The operation, advised by Credit Suisse, It would be done through a syndicated loan and would already have been contacted to close with leading Italian banks, see Mediobanca, Intesa Sanpaolo and Unicredit.

Regarding Spain, Angelo Provasoli, society president, It already suggested in October that the parent company is firmly committed to mergers between Spanish newspapers as the main solution to the economic hardships suffered by the national media. "We are well aware of the dynamics of the Spanish economy and that is why it is appropriate to imagine consolidation initiatives together with local partners", Provasoli exposed openly. The statements of the Italian capo were produced in full effort of Borja Prado, representative of Mediobanca in Spain, to weave a fusion El Mundo-ABC. Four months later, sin embargo, the operation is in stand-by.