The division operates a 35 channel portfolio, 21 of which are 100% owned and 14 of which are joint ventures with leading media companies such as MGM, CBS, AETN, Scripps Networks, HiT Entertainment, and Zon Multimedia. Chellomedia also provides a full range of TV services through its business to business operations At Media and the DMC (Digital Media Centre) to a range of international channels, including channel management, production, creative, sales & marketing, uplink, and playout. The portfolio of channels focus on 6 key genres: movies, entertainment, children’s, premium sports, documentary, and lifestyle. These brands are managed and distributed in 23 languages through 69 feeds and multiplexes and reach 225 million TV households worldwide, consisting of 132 million households from consolidated and 93 million households from non-consolidated channels, multiplexes, and feeds.
The thematic channel portfolio is delivered through a strong performance in rights aggregation, channel production, brand leadership, channel sales, marketing, and distribution. Chellomedia also develops and manages on-demand services, web, and interactive TV content.
The division has significantly developed its business and revenues through both M&A, as well as organic growth. Chellomedia operates its TV channel business globally through its business units Chello Zone, Chello Multicanal, Chello Benelux, and Chello Central Europe, each with a channel portfolio relevant to its region of operation. The channel genres include movies, sports, children’s, lifestyle, factual, music, and entertainment.
Chellomedia’s main operations are based in London, Amsterdam, Budapest, and Madrid. Chellomedia runs its operating businesses through five key business units and operating companies which deliver against three core business objectives: Global TV, Regional TV, and Digital Services.
Global TV:
Chello Zone is a leading international broadcaster, distributor, and representative of thematic television channels. Chello Zone produces and markets thematic channels in over 120 countries in 23 languages. It has offices and studios throughout Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Chello Zone owns and operates the thematic channels: Zone Reality and CBS Reality, Zone Romantica, Zone Club and CBS Drama, Zone Horror, Zone Fantasy, Extreme Sports Channel, CBS Action, Food Network, and pre-school channel, Jim Jam, an international joint venture with HIT Entertainment. It also runs a media division, Zone 360, to exploit content opportunities across multiple platforms. Chello Zone’s program distribution business continues to syndicate formats, series, and specials from the world’s top producers.
Regional TV:
Chello Benelux is a leading supplier of premium channels to the Dutch TV market, distributing its premium pay TV channels Film1 and Sport1, as well as Weer & Verkeer (weather & traffic channels), to cable networks and satellite operators. It also runs the Digital Media Centre (DMC) in Amsterdam, a technologically advanced production facility, which provides a full range of broadcast services for channel production, origination, and distribution, as well as playout and propagation for third party TV channels.
Chello Multicanal is a leading independent producer of thematic television channels in the Iberian market (Spain and Portugal), operating 11 channels, which reach 25 million households. Its TV brands include Panda, Canal Hollywood, Canal Cocina, Sol Musica, Odisea, and Decasa. It also operates a joint venture with AETN, which includes the History and Biography channels. (Chellomedia Iberia operates its business in Spain & Portugal as Multicanal Iberia S.L.U and Iberian Program Services CV)
Chello Central Europe focuses on content brands in Central Europe. Its current portfolio of eleven channels for the region includes Sport1 and Sport2, Minimax, TV Paprika, TV Deko, Filmmuzeum, Spektrum, Zone Europa CCE, Zone Romantica CCE, Zone Club, and a joint venture with MGM. It also operates AT Media, the region’s leading thematic channel advertising sales agency, and Mojo Productions, a full service production house catering to local as well as international channels in the region. In addition, Chello Central Europe has a successful channel representation business, including Sparrowhawk, BBC, Bloomberg, and MTV.
Digital Services:
Chello On Demand provides Video on Demand (VoD) services principally to UPC, leveraging its advanced infrastructure and economies of scale to deliver the best premium movie deals and on demand technology solutions for affiliates across the continent. The On Demand team provides digital customers with a wide range of Hollywood blockbusters and the best European films, as well as music, children’s, factual, and entertainment programming, tailored by market and distribution platforms.
LGI Ventures:
LGI Ventures is a global investment fund that focuses on making minority investments in high growth companies with a focus on content, emerging market distribution, and technology. LGI Ventures actively leverages operating resources from the Liberty Global group of companies through all aspects of the investment life cycle. The fund is managed by a dedicated team of professionals located in Denver, London, and Sydney.
Information above is presented as of December 31, 2009, unless otherwise stated.