The Spanish Media and the financial turmoil The case of PRISA Juan Luis Manfredi Sánchez, Ph.D. IE School of Communication Mechelen University April 2009 Juan Luis Manfredi Sánchez, Ph.D. IE School of Communication Email: [email protected]http://ciberdemocracia.blogspot.com
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The Spanish Media and the financial turmoilThe case of PRISA
Juan Luis Manfredi Sánchez, Ph.D.IE School of Communication
Mechelen UniversityApril 2009
Juan Luis Manfredi Sánchez, Ph.D.IE School of Communication
Main characteristics of the Spanish Media Companies
(1) There are public and private audiovisual operatorsThere is no more State-owned press, but the weight of the institutional and political advertisement makes it determinant in the growth and decline of media
(2) The multimedia groups are consolidatedThere is an increasing trend into the mergers and acquisitionsLower players, the same marketThe market moves every 2-3 years in the search of stabilityThe market is dynamicE.g. Telefónica comes in and takes out several times without a clear strategy
•Grupo Correo + Prensa Española → Vocento•Vía Digital + Canal Satélite Digital → Digital Plus•Planeta buys Antena 3 and Onda Cero Radio•Unedisa mergers Recoletos•PRISA launches Cuatro TV•Mediapro launches La Sexta
(3) The audiovisual divisions are the heart of the companies and the content providersPrint media were the kings, and now they are more reference press than influence press
(4) New players are changing the face of the Spanish marketThe lack of transparencyScoop! No limits to IPO and exchangesThe DDT challenge
(5) The lack of financial strength in comparison to banking, energy or services
• Most of the print media are family business• TV and radio are guided by state-boundaries and indications (licenses, authorizations and certifies)• These companies lack of industrial liasons, corporate strategy or marketing (CRM)• It means dependency on national financial health (GDP) and certain political friendships (political parties)
(1) Less incomes from advertisement (it is related to GDP and real economy)(2) The financial crisis is affecting especially to media companies(3) The inflationary spiral: soccer and F1 racing(4) Less promotional issues but more investments in marketing and promotion(5) Some companies adapt to new times(6) The lack of management: tangible assets, audiovisual rights, and new investments
It is the reference radio stations in SpainShareholders: PRISA + Godó (family business) + Grupo Latino de Radio1,235 stations and 28M audience Where? Spain, USA, Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Argentina and ChileThe current strategy is trying to expand to Portugal and more Latin-American countries
Cuatro TVAnalogical TVAudience: urban, young peopleNational Spanish team and Euro 2008
Localia100 local stations in 43 big cities20M audience annuallyAgreements with NBC, Disney, National Geographic, BBC and Discovery
Digital PlusMature market50% of the market and about 2M subscribersThe thematic TV reachs the 12% of the total audience
How to get finance? Monthly subscription (EUR)
Why did I choose this case?PRISA is (was?) the most important private media group in SpainIt has been created from family business (Polanco) and it has become the leader in audiovisual, print, radio and educationIndeed, a very good example of multimedia integrationThe audiovisual division leads the business
From 2000 to 2008, it was the “wonderful decade”:• 2000 Sogecable, the audiovisual division, goes public• 2003 Digital Plus appears after the merger of Vía Digital and Canal Satélite Digital• 2005 Cuatro, new analogical TV license• 2004-2008 International expansion: 15% of Le Monde, 35% of Media Capital (Pt), and Grupo Latino Radio
(1) The decrease influence and the lower sales of the print media, especially El País
(2) The mature market of Digital Plus
(3) The shareholders would like to sell the audiovisual division to avoid the total devaluation of the stockThe stock loses about the 80% after the launch
More problems: The initial price of Digital Plus is 3,800M EURThe price is based on book value (accounting method), but not on the market value (economic creation value)
The market knows that Digital Plus will be sold after the crisisTelefónica’s and Vivendi’s offers are now about 1,900M EUR
The price should never be under 2,500M EURWhy? Otherwise, the opportunity cost and the EBITDA will not resolve the financial crisisThe current price is not real and it will decrease because they are losing premium contents (soccer)
Who will be the new financial partner?We have seen the structural weakness of the media companiesThe print division would like industrial companies to support the debt and to add new economical sources, far from media industryThe current crisis and the hurry could encourage other players to send offers
Here appears another problem: accepting newcomers far from media companies, PRISA would lose the identity and Polanco’s family business will not survive, but the company!
Please, remember the NYT’s caseJuan Luis Manfredi, Ph.D.
The most serious candidates to buy assets are the following***:• Carlos Slim: recently, he purchases the 6,4% of The New York Times• Rupert Murdoch: he buys the The Times and The Wall Street Journal, so why not?• Telefónica: to develop a more competitive triple play offer
***Do you remember the political friendship?Carlos Slim’s and Rupert Murdoch’s offers has been supported and intermediated by past prime ministers
Other mid-term measures to reduce the debt will be the put up for sale of other non strategic assets like the following:
• The print industrial plants• Localia (indeed it is closed)
What about the net present future?• 39 banks give credit long term credit: 1,950M EUR to be paid in 2013• To sell assets• To sell stock to industrial companies or to riskier capital funds • To confirm the debt and to let banks to own the company
(1) The Spanish audiovisual market is not transparent and there are not clear strategies
Nobody knows what will happen to historical family business media groups: PRISA and ZETA
Telefónica (golden share!) is still the national champion thanks to its financial power
(2) About the contentsThe pay-per-view is sustainable only thanks to soccerThe current systems has been broken due to newcomers and digital technology (it is cheaper)
(3) The digital challengeCurrently, the digital income add up an average of 5-10%PRISA’s recognized incomes were only 1%
Could the digital kill the PRISA star?It is well-known that Juan Luis Cebrián, CEO, misunderstood the digital challengeElpais.com is not the leader at the digital world, despite its analogical leadershipWhere are the readers? Reading the competitors newspapers, blogs, tv, radio and others newcomers
PRISA didn’t develop a strategic plan for the digital lifeDo they have time now?
(4) New economies of scalePRISA has been reorganized in January 2008Two general managers: operations and business unitsEl País will merger the digital and the print newsroomsDo you think this is a good decision?And, what about the other business units?
(5) Specialization and niche strategyIs it possible to apply long tail strategies in the media groups?How can mass media and micro media live together?