RTL Group today announced the combination of Divimove and UFA X, effective 1 January 2019, into one integrated powerhouse for the production, aggregation and monetisation of short-form video content in Europe. Going forward, UFA X with its offices in Berlin and Cologne will significantly enhance Divimove’s capabilities in digital storytelling and format development. The combination follows the recent announcement that RTL Group has stepped up its shareholding in Divimove, Europe’s leading multi-platform network (MPN), to 100 per cent as of 1 December 2018. Tobias Schiwek, currently Co-Managing Director of UFA X and Chief Digital Officer of UFA, will become the new CEO of Divimove, effective 1 January 2019.
Bert Habets, CEO of RTL Group, says: “The consumption of short-form video continues to grow rapidly – and so do advertising and branded content revenues in the social media ecosystem. As part of our Total Video 2.0 strategy, we will bundle our MPN businesses – StyleHaul, Divimove, United Screens – to build a strong and profitable digital video group led by Sean Atkins. This new group will operate on a global scale to reach and entertain young audiences. The combination of Divimove and UFA X is an important element of this strategy as it will significantly enhance the creative power of our MPN businesses and the variety of our offers to advertisers in the European markets.”
Tobias Schiwek, CEO of Divimove as of 1 January 2019, adds: “Through Brandboost, Divimove has recently and successfully built up storytelling for brands – a segment in which UFA X gained significant market share in the past. After the initial conversations with the team at Divimove, it became very clear that this combination makes us even stronger. We have everything we need to continue our success in the realm of online video: the reach and creative diversity of Divimove as well as UFA X’s exceptional expertise in storytelling. I am delighted that with both these extraordinary teams we can offer a unique value chain in production and marketing– not only to brands but also to TV channels, platforms and NGOs.”
As of 1 January 2019,the new management team of Divimove will consist of Tobias Schiwek (CEO), Nancy Julius (Chief Operating Officer), Olaf Herzig (Chief Sales Officer) and Christoph von Schwerin (Chief Financial Officer). Nancy Julius will join Divimove from UFA X where she is currently Co-Managing Director. As already announced in September 2018, RTL Group will combine StyleHaul, Divimove and United Screens to build a strong and profitable digital video group. Once this group has been established in the course of 2019, Tobias Schiwek will report to the CEO of this group of MPNs, Sean Atkins, who also serves as CEO of StyleHaul. UFA X is specialised in digital storytelling. The label develops relevant journalistic content,fictional and serialised stories and entertainment formats for young audiences.UFA X, with its labels UFA X Originals, Mesh Collective and Hooked by UFA, is a one-stop-shop, offering creation, strategy and production solutions to TV channels,platforms, brands and NGOs at the interface of TV and digital technology.
