German commercial broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 has linked up with media and entertainment company Discovery Communications to launch an OTT 50:50 joint venture in the country.
The service will bring together the seven channels included in ProSiebenSat.1’s current 7TV mobile offering: ProSieben, SAT.1, kabel eins, sixx, ProSieben MAXX, SAT.1 Gold and kabel eins Doku, along with Discovery’s free-to-air German channels DMAX and TLC.
ProSiebenSat.1 is a major sports broadcaster in Germany, while Discovery operates international sports broadcaster Eurosport.
The partners are pursuing strategies to deepen their sports content through the joint venture, including packaging the 7TV service with the Eurosport Player app. Eurosport recently secured rights in Germany to the top-tier football league, the Bundesliga, and the Pyeongchang 2018 winter Olympic Games.
The streaming service, which is expected to launch later this year, will serve as the “first step” in the creation of a broader OTT platform, including other channels and content from Discovery and eventually other content partners, according to the two parties.
ProSiebenSat.1’s media house, SevenOne Media, will take an active role in selling the venture’s digital ad inventory.