The Kirch Group (Research discontinued June 2003)

Synopsis

The Kirch Group is a significant company in the international film and television business. It is involved in licence trading, free-to-air TV, pay TV, programme production, multimedia, film technology and software development. It consists of three business groups. KirchMedia bundles the Group’s activities in the fields of free-to-air TV, multimedia, rights trading, sport, production and film technology. Premiere Meridien co-ordinates the pay TV business. TaurusBeteiligung holds shares in Axel Springer Verlag and in companies engaged in film and music production, as well as software development. In 2002, most of the pay TV operations and TaurusBeteiligung filed for bankruptcy due to lack of liquidity, and the company started to sell its media assets. A company analysis is given.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
• 2. Company information
  • 2.1 Company history
  • 2.2 Company analysis – Updated March 2003
    • 2.2.1 Kirch disintegration begins
    • 2.2.2 Insolvency due to pay TV content
    • 2.2.3 Fire sales
• 3. Business divisions
  • 3.1 KirchMedia (sold)
    • 3.1.1 European television network
  • 3.2 Premiere Meridien (in bankruptcy)
  • 3.3 TaurusBeteiligung (Taurus Production – in bankruptcy)
• 4. Contact details

• Exhibit 1 – The Kirch Group at a glance
• Exhibit 2 – Kirchmedia structure – March 2003