London/Munich/Cologne - The global media company Discovery has taken over the German fictional Free TV station TELE 5 from the previous owner LEONINE. In addition, a long-term program license agreement was concluded with the Munich-based previous owner. This gives Discovery access to LEONINE's extensive range of licenses. With the takeover, Discovery plans to further expand its position in the German free TV market as well as to develop new target groups and marketing potential. The transaction is still subject to regulatory approval. All parties involved have agreed not to disclose the details.
In close cooperation, an international CMS team led by Klaus Jäger (CMS Germany) and Client Relationship Partners Victoria Gaskell and Paul Guite (both CMS UK) provided comprehensive legal advice to Discovery on the transaction. CMS UK advised with a focus on the content deal while CMS Germany primarily advised on the acquisition of the entertainment channel TELE 5.
Discovery Germany hosts the free-TV channels DMAX, TLC, Eurosport 1 and HOME & GARDEN TV, as well as the pay-TV channels DISCOVERY CHANNEL, ANIMAL PLANET and Eurosport 2 and Eurosport2 HDXTRA. The channel network, which was founded in 1996, is based in Munich and, according to its own information, reaches a total of 45 million households, twelve million Pay TV subscribers and a further four million users in the digital sector. Discovery Germany is backed by Discovery, Inc., a worldwide leading non-fiction media company with a reach of three billion viewers in over 220 countries.
Leonine, headquartered in Munich, is an independent German media company that resulted from the merger of Tele München Gruppe, Universum Film, i&u TV, Wiedemann & Berg Film and W&B TV.
CMS Germany
Klaus Jäger, Lead Partner
Stephan Weling, Counsel
Philipp Kunick, Senior Associate
Ramon Weistroffer, Associate
Christoph Schröer, Associate, all Corporate/M&A
Michael Kamps, Partner
Thorsten Hemme, Counsel
Dr Patrick Ehinger, Senior Associate
Martin-Lukas Landmann, Senior Associate, all TMC
Kai Neuhaus, Partner
Nadine Herda, Associate
Moritz Pottek, Associate, all Competition & EU
Dr Angela Emmert, Partner
Lennard Martin Lürwer, Senior Associate, both Labor, Employment & Pensions
Dr Dirk Smielick, Counsel, Intellectual Property
Phillip Bubinger, Senior Associate
Philipp Rohdenburg, Senior Associate, both Commercial Law
Dr Martin Friedberg, Counsel, Tax law
Birgit Wagner, Senior Legal Consultant
Shae Lynn Washington, Legal Consultant, both Smart Operations
CMS UK
Paul Guite, Partner
Victoria Gaskell, Partner
Matthew Hanson
Jennifer Lloyd
CMS Austria
Dr Dieter Zandler, Partner
Vanessa Horaceck
Discovery Inhouse
Julian Pitcher, VP Legal M&A, London
Stephanie Struppler, VP Legal & Regulatory GSA Benelux, München
Tom Savage, Senior Director Legal& Business Affairs, London
Nadine Eickhorst, Legal Counsel, München
Sarah Neubauer, Legal Counsel, München
Press Contact
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