Kirch Group
KirchGruppe (KirchGroup) was a German media group founded by Leo Kirch in the 1950s. It was the dominant buyer and seller of TV programming rights in Germany.[1] By 2000, it controlled a 52.5 percent stake in what became the country's biggest broadcaster, ProSiebenSat.1 Media.[2]
Native name
KirchGruppe
2002
Bankrupt; assets sold; ProSiebenSat.1 Media's majority stake acquired by Mediaset
MFE - MediaForEurope (via ProSiebenSat.1 Media)
The group collapsed in 2002 largely due to the debts associated with the purchase of sports rights for its television channels and the launch of pay-TV services. It was Germany's biggest corporate collapse since World War II.[3]
KirchMedia declared bankruptcy on 8 April 2002, followed by KirchPayTV on 8 May 2002 and finally KirchBeteiligung on 12 June 2002 along with the holding company for the group, Taurus Holding.
Kirch archives[edit]
Kirch's archives were one of the largest film libraries in the world with over 15,000 films and 50,000 hours of television programmes and the biggest supplier of German language films.[21] It included 1,000 films from Howard Hughes' RKO Pictures library and 1,200 titles from the Hal Roach library.[4]