Guillaume de Posch, Co-CEO of RTL Group, elected new President of the Association of Commercial Television in Europe
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BRUSSELS, 10 MAY 2017. The Association of Commercial Television in Europe (ACT) today announced that Guillaume de Posch, Co-CEO of RTL Group, has been unanimously elected President of the ACT by the General Assembly.
With almost 25 years of experience in the European TV industry, Guillaume de Posch brings unique expertise, leadership and a wide international network to the table. Since 1993 he has held top management positions in several European countries, including Co-CEO of Luxembourg-based RTL Group, a global leader across broadcast, content and digital (since 2012); Chairman and CEO of Germany’s ProSiebenSat1; and Deputy General Manager and Programming Director of the former French pay-TV company TPS. He also served as a consultant for several media groups, including Greek TV broadcaster Antenna and NBC Universal Global Networks in Europe. In addition, Guillaume is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Groupe M6, in which RTL Group holds a controlling shareholding, and of RTL Belgium. Link to CV.
As ACT’s new President, Guillaume de Posch will shape and communicate the vision of the ACT and play an important role on key discussions in Brussels. This in the context of the EU and the AV sector taking on major long-term political and economic transformations whilst continuing to reinvest millions into original European content on a daily basis.
ACT unites prominent stakeholder on copyright and audiovisual issues. Currently the top two concerns of the ACT are the update of Europe’s audiovisual rulebook (AVMS) and the proposed review of copyright legislation. In the former ACT emphasises a need for a leveling down of commercial communication rules to ensure fair competition and rules that are adapted to the current and future media landscape. In the latter we stress copyright as the pillar on which investment in original European content can continue to grow, namely through territorial licensing and by ensuring adequate protection of audiovisual works in the online value chain.
This allows Broadcasters to compete, reinvest and in so doing boost Europe’s unique audiovisual model. A model that relies on incentives to finance and the contractual freedom needed to employ one million Europeans and generate €97 billion annually for Europe’s economy.
Guillaume de Posch, RTL Group’s Co-CEO, stated: “RTL Group is a founding member of the ACT and is committed to commercial television having a strong voice at the heart of Europe, underlining our sector’s strong contribution to growth, jobs and democratic debate. ACT members are committed to continued investment in high-quality European content and making it available when and how consumers demand it. European commercial broadcasters are in good shape, adapting and growing in the digital media world but we call for fair competition with global businesses operating in the EU.”
Grégoire Polad, ACT Director General, stated: “ACT Members and team are delighted to welcome Guillaume de Posch as our new President. This is a strong signal of industry commitment to the EU dialogue as we hit the Digital Single Market Strategy midterm point. Europe is in the midst of vibrant legislative discussions that will shape the future of how content is financed, produced and distributed in Europe”.
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