Antenna Group is preparing the Italian video company
Jamie Angus (formerly of the BBC and Al Arabiya Network) and Gianluca Foschi (formerly of La7) are working on the new venture. The group is aiming to reach an agreement with Warner Bros Discovery for an Italian CNN
Antenna Group is stepping up its efforts in the Italian market and is preparing to set up a company in Italia. Not just any company, but the legal entity under which the Greek group’s video activities are expected to fall, owner of La Repubblica, the radio stations and other Gedi businesses, excluding La Stampa, which went to Alberto Leonardis’s Sae.
According to Il Sole 24 Ore, the deal is reportedly at an advanced stage. Antenna is working with professional firms in Milan to finalise the remaining corporate and tax matters. This is a sign that the project is no longer merely a media rumour, but an active undertaking.
Jamie Angus, a British consultant with a background at the BBC and Al Arabiya Network, has been working on that project for months. Joining Angus is the Italian Gianluca Foschi, a former manager at La7, where he was deputy director and was responsible for programming and acquisitions.
The first piece of the puzzle should fall into place soon: on 8 June, before the kick-off to the World Cup on 11 June, an announcement could be made regarding the deal with DAZN Italia to create an integrated news offering on the sports platform led in Italia by Stefano Azzi: a daily news bulletin produced by Antenna, with direct editorial responsibility resting with the Greek group and a tone consistent with DAZN’s digital consumption. Short news items, an app-style pace, and a focus on a young audience. For DAZN, this would be a way to increase the time users spend within the app, transforming the platform from a place for watching matches into an information hub. For Antenna, it would be the first Italian test case: a product light in form but heavy in significance.
The most ambitious project, however, is another: the Italian CNN. As reported by Il Sole 24 Ore on 21 May, Antenna’s aim is to build an all-news channel under the CNN brand for Italy. Negotiations are underway with Warner Bros Discovery, led in the country by Alessandro Araimo. The model would have an immediate impact: a global brand, an Italian editorial team.
