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| Mediaset Premium | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mediaset Premium |
| Country | Italy |
| Owner | Fininvest |
| Launched | 2005 |
| Closed | 2019 |
| Headquarters | Milan |
| Picture format | DVB-T, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, SD, HD |
Mediaset Premium Mediaset Premium was an Italian pay television service operated by a Fininvest group company based in Milan. Launched in 2005 during the era of digital terrestrial transition, it offered subscription packages for films, sports, entertainment and children’s programming, competing with platforms such as Sky Italia, Netflix (service), Amazon Prime Video. The service blended linear channels, video-on-demand, and pay-per-view offerings, interacting with broadcasters like Mediaset, technology partners like TI Media, and telecom operators such as Telecom Italia. Mediaset Premium’s operations intersected with regulatory bodies like AGCOM and financial institutions including Banca Intesa Sanpaolo.
Mediaset Premium’s corporate lineage traces to Fininvest restructuring episodes involving Silvio Berlusconi, Maurizio Costanzo, and board members linked to Mondadori. Early strategic moves referenced partnerships with device manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics and content deals with studios represented by Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, and Universal Pictures. Regulatory milestones included interactions with European Commission competition policy and Italian jurisprudence in courts like the Tribunale di Milano. Significant commercial events involved rights negotiations with sports bodies like Serie A (football) and international events such as the UEFA Champions League. Management changes featured executives with ties to Rai, Vivendi, and RTL Group networks. Investment rounds and balance-sheet pressures prompted talks with investors including Elliott Management Corporation and CVC Capital Partners.
Packages evolved to include film bundles with content from Mediaset, Paramount Pictures, and Lionsgate, sport packages featuring Serie A (football), boxing events connected to promoters like Matchroom Sport, and children’s line-ups with shows from Nickelodeon, The Walt Disney Company. Subscription modalities encompassed monthly plans, seasonal passes, and micropayments via platforms like PayPal and Italian bank gateways such as UniCredit. Hardware-tied offers involved set-top boxes produced by Ferguson, conditional access systems from Nagravision, and smartcard solutions implemented in partnership with Microtec. Bundles were sometimes cross-promoted with telecom bundles from Fastweb and retail promotions through chains like Esselunga.
The channel roster featured movie channels, entertainment channels sourced from Gruppo Mondadori affiliates, sports channels carrying Serie A (football) matches, and niche channels similar to those from Discovery, Inc. and National Geographic Partners. Premium commissioned original productions referencing talent associated with Roberto Benigni and series adapted from formats popularized by Endemol and Fremantle. It aired licensed formats akin to adaptations of shows distributed by Banijay Group and imported series from HBO, BBC and Netflix (service). Promotional line-ups leveraged personalities linked to Maria De Filippi and presenters known from Rai 1 and Canale 5.
Technologies used included DVB-T standard infrastructure, MPEG encoding technologies from vendors like H.264/MPEG-4 AVC implementers, and conditional access modules from NDS Group. Distribution relied on terrestrial transmitters coordinated with entities such as Rai, multiplex arrangements governed by AGCOM allocations, and satellite uplinks comparable to operations by Eutelsat. Device ecosystems integrated smart TVs from LG Electronics and set-top boxes using middleware similar to OpenTV. Streaming efforts involved content delivery techniques practiced by Akamai Technologies and cloud services resembling those of Microsoft Azure and AWS (service). Electronic program guide services interfaced with metadata standards akin to those used by Gracenote.
Mediaset Premium competed directly with Sky Italia, while facing disruption from global OTT entrants Netflix (service), Amazon Prime Video, and niche players like DAZN. Market share discussions referenced reports from Ernst & Young and KPMG and audience metrics published by Auditel. Corporate strategy was influenced by trends among broadcasters including Rai and pan-European groups such as Vivendi and ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE. Partnerships and disputes involved rights holders like FIGC and negotiation counterparts including sports agencies such as IMG and advertisers represented by Publicis Groupe.
Legal disputes included antitrust considerations examined by the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato and litigation in Italian courts over content exclusivity with entities like Sky Italia and rights holders such as Serie A (football). Copyright enforcement incidents referenced interactions with collecting societies similar to SIAE and claims from film distributors like Paramount Pictures. Financial scrutiny engaged auditors linked to firms like PricewaterhouseCoopers and shareholder disputes involved Fininvest-related stakeholders including members of the Berlusconi family. Regulatory interventions concerned carriage obligations overseen by AGCOM and European rulings from the European Court of Justice on digital broadcasting.
Facing financial losses, rights-cost pressures, and competition from OTT platforms such as Netflix (service) and sports distributors like DAZN, Mediaset Premium wound down linear operations in 2019, affecting carriage agreements with partners like Sky Italia and asset reallocations within Mediaset. The closure prompted labor discussions with unions like UIL and CGIL and spurred consolidation dynamics observed across European pay-TV markets involving Vivendi and private equity actors such as CVC Capital Partners. Legacy effects include precedent cases cited in Italian media law debates involving AGCOM and reallocation of sports rights influencing later deals with DAZN and Sky Italia. Former subscribers migrated to services offered by Netflix (service), Amazon Prime Video, and cable/satellite providers such as Sky Italia and regional multiplex operators tied to Rai.
Category:Television networks in Italy