Markus Breitenecker Joins Executive Board of ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE as COO, Christine Scheffler Departs

Naman Ramachandran
·2 min read

Markus Breitenecker, currently CEO of ProSiebenSat.1 PULS4, has been appointed to the group’s executive board, with effect from April 1.

Together with CEO Bert Habets, Breitenecker will take over the management of the German giant’s entertainment segment as chief operating officer. His focus will be on the areas of streaming and digital platforms. He will also be responsible for country activities in Switzerland and Austria.

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Andreas Wiele, chair of the supervisory board of ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE, said: “Markus Breitenecker is a proven TV and streaming expert and has been extremely successful in the company for 25 years. He built up the broadcasting group in Austria and most recently developed Joyn Austria into the market leader within just one year. Under the leadership of Bert Habets, the two will now work together to implement the successfully introduced entertainment strategy even more consistently and quickly.”

Breitenecker added: “Streaming – and Joyn in particular – is at the heart of our entertainment business. I look forward to working more closely with Bert Habets and to further expanding Joyn with this great team and developing it into one of the leading streaming players in the DACH region.”

Habets said: “I know and appreciate Markus Breitenecker as a very committed and experienced media manager with a passion for entertainment. I look forward to driving and developing the business together with him.”

Meanwhile, after more than five years with the company, Christine Scheffler has asked the supervisory board to terminate her contract as of March 31, due to “differing positions on the next steps in the company’s set-up.” She started in January 2019 as chief human resources officer and in March 2020, she was appointed to the group executive board, where she is responsible for sustainability, shared services and real estate and procurement in addition to HR.

The ProSiebenSat.1 Group recently reported revenues of $4.2 billion in the 2023 financial year, down 7% on the previous year. Adjusted EBITDA decreased to $629 million from the previous year’s $739 million.

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