Sky Deutschland to acquire 100% of PLAZAMEDIA, and a minority stake in SPORT1/Constantin Sport Marketing

Unterföhring, 5 December 2013 - Sky Deutschland Fernsehen GmbH & Co. KG, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sky   Deutschland AG, today agreed with Constantin Sport Holding GmbH to acquire 100% of its production company   PLAZAMEDIA GmbH TV- und Film-Produktion as well as a 25.1% equity stake in Sport1 GmbH and Constantin Sport Marketing GmbH. The total purchase price will amount to around €57.5 million on a cash and debt free  basis.
Brian Sullivan, CEO of Sky Deutschland: "Plazamedia is one of our long-term and highly respected business  partners. Today's agreement marks the next step towards the full integration of key customer-facing operations.  Following the insourcing of Premiere Star, Creation Club, logistics provider Loxxess, and Premium  Media Solutions, Plazamedia will allow us to accelerate innovation on-screen, and leverage future technology  developments, such as Ultra HD. It also opens opportunities for synergies and supports us to further drive efficiencies."
PLAZAMEDIA is an established full-service provider for TV and new media as well as one of the leading producers  of sports TV in the German-speaking markets. The company provides production services for more than 1,000 football matches for Sky Deutschland each year as well as Sky's studio shows such as Sky90 and Samstag LIVE!.  It is also a production partner for the Sky football conferences as well as Formula 1. The acquisition of  PLAZAMEDIA significantly enhances Sky's production capacities, enabling greater flexibility and system continuity.
The acquisition of a minority stake in SPORT1/Constantin Sport Marketing allows for an investment in what will be an important business partner of PLAZAMEDIA. Beside its television channel business, SPORT1/Constantin Sport Marketing also operates the German online sports portal SPORT1.de, as well as an advertising sales business.
Sky Deutschland is in discussions with members of the existing bank syndicate to finance the purchase price with new credit facilities supported by a guarantee by its majority shareholder 21st Century Fox. Should the intended bank financing not be concluded, 21st Century Fox has committed to provide an unsecured shareholder loan.
The transaction, which is expected to be closed in H1 2014, is subject to certain conditions as well as regulatory approvals.
The transaction does not change Sky Deutschland's EBITDA guidance.
Contact for media:
Dr. Jörg E. Allgäuer
Vice President Corporate Communications
Tel.: +49 89/99 58-63 77
joerg.allgaeuer@sky.de
Contact for investors and analysts:
Christine Scheil
Senior Vice President Investor Relations
Tel.: +49 89/99 58-10 10
christine.scheil@sky.de
About Sky Deutschland
Sky Deutschland AG is the leading pay TV company in Germany and Austria with over 3.5 million subscribers. Sky offers live sports, current films, award-winning TV series, kids programs, and documentaries. Sky subscribers have access to up to 80 channels in unique HD quality and an exclusive 3D channel. The innovations Sky Go and Sky Anytime enable customers to view programming on the road as well as on demand.
About PLAZAMEDIA
PLAZAMEDIA GmbH TV- und Film-Produktion, a company of Constantin Medien AG, is an established fullservice provider for TV and new media as well as one of the leading producers of sports TV in the Germanspeaking region. The company produces, among other things, domestic and international football, basketball, boxing and  Formula 1 as well as European and World Championships in a variety of sports. Together with its subsidiaries  PLAZAMEDIA Austria Ges.m.b.H and PLAZAMEDIA Swiss AG, PLAZAMEDIA GmbH TV- und Film- Produktion offers comprehensive services in the fields of in-house production, outside broadcasting and technology from a single source.
About SPORT1
Sport1 GmbH is a company of Constantin Medien AG. The sports enterprise consolidates its TV, online, mobile and radio activities under the multimedia umbrella brand SPORT1. The free-TV channel SPORT1 provides premium live sport, quality reporting and proven sporting expertise. The pay-TV sports channel SPORT1+ went on air in October 2010 and is broadcast on various platforms in SD and HD. On August 1, 2013 Sport1 GmbH launched its new pay-TV channel, SPORT1 US, which shows US sport in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Furthermore SPORT1.de, one of Germany's leading sports portals, offers up-to-the-minute multimedia content as well as live streaming. In the online segment, SPORT1 offers a varied portfolio. In the mobile sector, the SPORT1 app is one of Germany's most successful sports apps. Furthermore, since July 19, 2013, the new sports radio SPORT1.fm is on air, which is can be received via Web, App and WLAN radios.
About Constantin Sport Marketing
The centralized marketer Constantin Sport Marketing GmbH is a company of Constantin Medien AG. Besides the  marketing of the Group-owned brands in the Sports Segment, Constantin Sport Marketing also acts as a third-party marketer for external providers and their platforms.
distributed by