MFE confirms that Paolo Vasile will continue to be CEO of Mediaset Spain although the executive himself denies it

Despite the information published by different national media outlets, MFE-MediaForEurope has denied that Paolo Vasile is going to be dismissed as CEO of Mediaset Spain. However, the executive confirms his departure in an interview with El Mundo.

The ownership group of Mediaset Italy and majority owner of Mediaset Spain has issued a brief but firm statement in which it is stated, in reaction to the information that emerged in “the Spanish online media”, that it is not going to dispense with Paolo Vasile como CEO, ya que los resultados que ha obtenido en sus 23 años de trayectoria son “únicos y extraordinarios” y “la relación con los accionistas es y seguirá siendo excelente”.

Los rumores de la despedida de Basil se sustentan, independientemente de la fuente obtenida por el periodista Eduardo Fernández, en la crisis de audiencias que afronta Telecinco, que a pesar de sus buenos resultados en términos de rendimiento sigue perdiendo puntos con respecto a su competidor más directo. Ante la incapacidad de Vasile de conducir a Mediaset a una nueva etapa, recoge El Mundo, el grupo planeaba celebrar el próximo October 26 una reunión extraordinaria en la que se “esbozaría” una complete remodeling of the management team of the corporation. Borja Prado, recently elected president of Mediaset España, could be his successor, according to La Vanguardia.

Regardless of the statement MediaForEurope, several state media allude to a consensual exit that has been brewing since the last months. Therefore, it could be expected that the Mediaset goal requires that this transition in leadership be undertaken natural way and is not linked to the performance of hearings of Mediaset Spain.

At the moment, Telecinco, Cuatro and the rest of the thematic channels cover the 26% of the audience, data that in terms of advertising amounts to 41,8% of the media's advertising distribution; an apparently insufficient result in the aggressive advertising market of the duopoly caused by the decision to eliminate the private advertising as a means of financing RTVE.

In response to what was stated in the statement by the Italian audiovisual group, Paolo Vasile in an interview with the newspaper The World ha confirmed his departure exempting the Berlusconi family from the decision. "At Mediaset they can't fire me. I'm like a son." The CEO of Mediaset España claims to have announced his goodbye “on the last Wednesday of July”.