Telegraaf Media Group enters alliance with major shareholder Dasym – Financieele Dagblad (Registration)

TMG, publisher of the daily newspaper De Telegraaf, announced a strategic partnership with major shareholder Dasym investor Frank Botman. Dasym holds an interest of approximately 20% in the media group from Amsterdam and has now for the first substantive involvement in TMG.

That TMG reports in its quarterly report, which is a drop in revenue of 5.7% to publish in the first three months of the year.

The alliance is intended to strengthen the position of TMG in the digital domain. The rapid rise of services such as video streaming, online television and digital radio calls according to the company to enter into cooperative arrangements.

TMG and Dasym go together establish a fund from which investments can be financed in new media. One of the initiatives is the development of an online streaming service for ‘strong areas such as sport, “said TMG in the trading post. also new areas to be developed, such as e-gaming, e-gambling and e-health.

TMG has a difficult history with the trust in the digital publishing. The company put out tens of millions in the purchase of social networking site Hyves, who not long after quickly lost its popularity.

Operating stable

Facing falling sales in the first quarter TMG reports a stable gross operating profit (EBITDA) of € 7, 6 million in the months of January to March.

The decline in sales the media group attributes to the discontinuation of less profitable activities such as the free newspaper Spits. In addition to declining advertising revenues (almost 15%) circulation

revenue was 1.2% lower than in the first quarter of 2014. The profit was maintained due to budget cuts, especially on personnel

Outlook: yet possible setbacks on the way

For whole 2015 TMG provides a further decline in revenue from both advertising and circulation. This also applies to the national media, including newspaper De Telegraaf is the flagship. This newspaper last fall was given a new, more compact jacket to bring about the decrease in circulation.

Earlier this week it was announced that is at De Telegraaf unrest. The editorial is concerned that the management of the parent company will divide the newspaper in a number of separate entities that are no longer covered by the editors, as DFT (financial news), Autovisie, Wife, Telesport and Private.

The last year appointed directors led by Geert-Jan van der Snoek has previously announced to look at the future of the printing and other activities that in his opinion no longer belong to the core of the group, such as website GeenStijl.

For those non-core activities, the company is now developing ‘future scenarios’. “These scenarios can lead to exceptional charges in 2015 with clear implications for the expected annual result ‘, says TMG.