Alex Webb, Columnist

Berlusconi Battles Billionaire to Build Netflix Rival

Two tycoons are fighting over Mediaset again. The outcome could determine the prospects for a southern European challenger to Netflix.

August 22, 2019 at 9:54 AM UTC

By Alex Webb

Alex Webb is a correspondent for Bloomberg Quicktake. He previously covered the technology, telecoms and media industries in London, San Francisco and Munich.

Taking on Netflix.
Photographer: MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP

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Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and French billionaire Vincent Bollore are locking horns again in a battle to lead the southern European charge against Netflix Inc.

Bollore, who controls media conglomerate Vivendi SA, lost the first round against Berlusconi in 2017. He’s well positioned to do better in the second. Think of it as a European version of HBO’s hit show “Succession,” where a rival takes on an aging but still powerful media baron.