Mediaset

Company: Mediaset SpA

Brand value: US$1,485 million

Headquarter city: Milan

Category: Entertainment

Year formed: 1987

Mediaset is a television-broadcasting brand founded in 1987 by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. Now the largest commercial broadcaster in the country, it still controlled by Berlusconi’s family's holding company Fininvest, the group competes primarily against the public broadcaster RAI, the privately owned La7 and Sky Plc's Sky Italia. There are 11 free-to-air TV channels, including the general entertainment channel Canale 5, the youth-oriented Italia 1, and Retequattro, which targets a more mature viewer. In 2005, the group launched Mediaset Premium, a pay digital terrestrial television service offering live Serie A football, with a pre-paid card and without a subscription. Mediaset Premium also has a pay-per-view offer including films, theatre and live events. In 2006, Mediaset launched Europe's first digital terrestrial mobile TV network using DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcast Handheld) technology. One-third of Mediaset programming is internally produced, and Mediaset channels on average generate 30 to 35 percent of daily TV viewing. Mediaset advertising promotes new content and its pay TV offer. French media group Vivendi has been buying Mediaset shares in the past year and there has been talk of a hostile takeover. Shares are listed on the Milan Stock Exchange, and are a component stock of the FTSE MIB index.