EM-TV CEO Thomas Haffa spoke exclusively about his plans for Formula 1, in which his company has taken a 50 per cent stake, to Interspace at last week’s MIPtv.

“We don’t see us competing with either the basic TV signal, or the pay-TV signals for F1, or plan on putting it on the Internet as a web-streamed product, said Haffa. “But there is much more we can provide by way of background, adding in our immense digital resources to the Web. It will be an extremely attractive offering, and it could even include static web-cams on the build up to the race.” Munich-based EM-TV has been called Germany’s most acquisitive media company. In the past month or so it has bought the Jim Henson Company for $680 million and the 50 per cent stake (for $1.6 billion) of Bernie Ecclestone’s Formula One company SLEC.

“Bernie and I believe we can build on the brand, adding in our merchandising expertise, and also consult on the TV deals,” said Haffa. “You know, there is huge potential for F1. We are more than just passive investors in this deal, although he likes the cash we bring, but he has a desire, a strong desire, to see F1 get bigger, even more successful. I love the sport too, and he and I just share the same vision.”

One-time car salesman Haffa runs EM-TV, which has at its core its ‘Junior’ brand of animated content. Formed in 1989, it initially concentrated on licensing and merchandising opportunities in Germany, acting for such well-known brands as The Flintstones and Bugs Bunny. Today it is much bigger, with some 30,000 half-hour episodes of kids and young people’s programming, and is using this archive to create branded blocks of programming for broadcasters throughout Europe.

“Formula 1 is simply the most successful world-wide entertainment event. They had last season a total of 57 billion…TV viewers all around the world,” said Haffa. “Last week, in Germany, the San Marino Grand Prix on a bright, sunny Sunday afternoon, attracted 11.6 million viewers, a 65 per cent share, on RTL. It’s unreal. Everything about Formula 1 suits us. It’s well run, excellently managed, with a TV organisation to match. But what we can definitely do is build the brand, and this is where we come in, improving the brand, working closely with Bernie [Ecclestone] to build the internet strategy for Formula 1.”

As regards The Jim Henson Company , Haffa said EM-TV would act as its sales and marketing tool. “It is amazing what can be achieved, and there are real possibilities, for example in North America where the Henson characters are so well loved,” he said. “There we can use some of our Junior products. It is no secret that I believe the only winner in the future is the company with the best brands…If the Henson brand is big, and we are big [with Junior] we have two powerful brands to take forward in children’s entertainment worldwide.”

Haffa said Junior, as a brand, will be established all over Europe by the end of this year with the exception of the UK. “As far as the UK is concerned we know ITV’s new kids channel plans are a perfect home for our material, and we would be more than delighted to be in co-operation with them. We are prepared and we are waiting.”