Recommended expert

Christian Heinkele

Senior Advisor and Independent Management Consultant

Christian Heinkele
Bonn, Germany

Experience

May 2021 - Present
4 years 9 months

Senior Advisor and Independent Management Consultant

Self-employed

  • Senior Advisor for the management consultancy Arthur D. Little and the media analytics software company Nice People At Work – NPAW, advising on platform strategies, content license procurement, product management for TV products, ARPU increases, B2B excellence, and marketing strategies
  • Host of the TV industry podcast TV-Helden since June 2021
  • Clients: a top-4 TV platform in Germany; the largest FTTH network operator; software companies; an industry association; a media startup; a leading news channel
  • Projects in areas such as: strategic planning of a TV platform; negotiating and closing licensing agreements with media groups; procurement optimization; leading partnership negotiations; realigning the product portfolio and TV offerings; building sales and marketing in the DACH region; creating and implementing a distribution strategy; designing and marketing a trade show for media companies
Apr 2016 - Oct 2020
4 years 7 months
Cologne, Germany

Managing Director

Eviso Germany GmbH (Canal+ Luxemburg S. à r.l.)

  • Responsible for the B2B division of Canal+ Luxembourg in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Luxembourg
  • Shareholder and part of the management team that sold M7 Group SA to Canal+ International in 2019 for EUR 1.1 billion
  • Responsible for over EUR 20 million in revenue per year and leading a team of 25 employees
  • Exceeded targets in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019; gained numerous new clients such as Deutsche Telekom (2016) and Salt (2017)
  • Successful expansion into Austria and Switzerland, achieving market leadership
  • New contract and extension of the highest-grossing agreement with Tele Columbus AG for three years on unchanged terms
  • Multi-year renewal of contracts with over 40 partners, each worth three times the annual revenue
  • Initiated and established the M7 Partner Awards as a customer loyalty initiative with annual award ceremonies
  • Restructured the entire company to improve efficiency and effectiveness, and cut costs by introducing key account management, standardizing all customer contracts, automating processes, renewing service provider contracts, redesigning processes, reducing headcount, and implementing new IT systems
  • Successful change management by introducing a new organization and culture, new methods, and agile project management; doubled employee satisfaction within 12 months
  • Launched a new brand and corporate design and fully redesigned marketing support for B2B clients in 2017
  • Expanded the product portfolio by introducing new content and technical products; built the largest licensing portfolio for IPTV platforms and cable networks in the German-speaking region
  • Changed business models by introducing minimum revenue commitment products (2017) and reducing dependence on variable revenue
  • Redefined the service portfolio and introduced a new base fee, significantly increasing fixed monthly revenues above budget
  • Sought-after expert with numerous publications in trade press and at international conferences and trade shows
Mar 2015 - Mar 2016
1 year 1 month
Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Head of Portfolio Management

M7 Group SA

  • Led product management and content license procurement for Free TV, Pay TV, and VOD for HD Austria (Austria) and M7 Germany B2B
  • Spokesperson for M7 Group in Germany, responsible for association work and public policy matters
  • Responsible for licensing key content providers and negotiating multi-year licensing agreements with RTL Group, ProSiebenSat.1, Disney, Fox, Universal, Discovery, Sony, Turner, TVN, Mediaset, and Viacom
  • Launched the hybrid SAT & OTT platform HD Austria in 2015 as product and content manager
  • Initiated and designed the product and project to launch the B2C DTH platform Diveo for the German market on the M7 Group Management Board and for investors
Dec 2009 - Feb 2015
5 years 3 months
Cologne, Germany

Director TV & Regulatory Affairs

Eutelsat visAvision GmbH

  • Led and managed TV product management for Free TV, Pay TV, International TV, VOD, and value-added services for all German-speaking countries (186 TV channels, over EUR 12 million in annual revenue)
  • Managed licensing and content procurement for around 150 Free TV, Pay TV, and international TV channels, as well as VOD and collecting societies for the German-speaking region
  • Led regulation and media policy in Germany; association work at ANGA, Deutsche TV-Plattform, VAUNET, and Buglas; coordinated activities and interests with media authorities, collecting societies, and Federal Cartel Office proceedings
  • Revenue and cost accountability for all satellite capacity of the cable platform on Eutelsat 9A; concluded long-term satellite capacity agreements with Mediaset Italia, TVN SA, BBC, Discovery, Viacom, Bloomberg, Russia Today, TV5, and Bibel TV
  • Responsible for negotiations and contract finalizations with VG Media, GEMA, FFA, VFF, and the Munich Round
  • Key account management for the three highest-revenue clients: Tele Columbus, primacom, and NetCologne
  • Initiator and responsible for innovations and projects:
  • Launch of the first private HDTV channels in the German cable network (2010)
  • Launch of the first pay TV channels in HDTV (2011)
  • Expanded the foreign-language portfolio to the largest offering in cable and IPTV in Germany and Austria (2011)
  • Expanded the IPTV portfolio to the largest in Germany (2012)
  • Expanded the SAT platform to the largest German HD platform (2013)
  • Market launch of the first encrypted HD free-to-air product in Austrian cable (2013)
  • Designed and developed the TV of the future based on a proprietary IPTV and OTT platform; awarded the Best TV Everywhere Award at IBC 2014
  • Responsible for linear and non-linear content procurement of 120 TV channels, including public broadcasters ARD and ZDF for the launch of the IPTV & OTT platform meinFernsehen (2014)
Dec 2006 - Nov 2009
3 years
Cologne, Germany

Product Manager International TV

Unitymedia GmbH

  • Responsible for international TV product marketing with 12 pay TV products (customer base, revenue, marketing budget, marketing campaigns, inbound and online sales channels)
  • Led cross-company digital TV projects such as churn prevention and migration of 150,000 Arena Bundesliga football customers to alternative products; achieved results significantly above budget
  • Responsible for budget planning, controlling, and management reporting for the digital TV division; set up controlling for digital TV
Dec 2003 - Nov 2006
3 years
Munich, Germany

Senior Consultant

Deloitte Consulting GmbH

  • Senior Consultant in Corporate Strategy specializing in Technology, Media & Telecommunication
  • Designing marketing strategies for mobile network operators
  • Developing a micro-campaign strategy and implementing it by introducing new processes and software at telecommunications providers
  • Conducting process redesign for a German internet service provider
  • Setting up controlling and reporting structures for a leading German telecommunications company
  • Leading the project office for long-term projects with over 40 consultants
  • Writing numerous internal and external publications on market trends and analyses
  • Subject-matter contact person for machine-to-machine communication
May 1999 - Feb 2003
3 years 10 months

Co-founder

Linus Consulting

  • Co-founded a consulting firm and carried out numerous projects in market analysis, market entry strategies, and M&A
  • Fully funded my own studies through consulting revenue
Jul 1996 - Jul 1998
2 years 1 month

Officer

Bundeswehr

  • Trained as a reserve officer with the mountain infantry in Mittenwald and Bad Reichenhall
  • Awarded the Bronze Cross of Honour of the Bundeswehr for faithful duty performance and above-average achievements, as well as the Oder Flood Medal of the State of Brandenburg

Summary

I am a leader with a broad range of knowledge and solid management experience. Proven track record in agile mid-sized companies and in multinational corporations. I have a history of sustainable successes in realizing growth and expansion potentials, building new business fields, expanding into new markets, and realigning company structures and organizational cultures. Additionally, my professional experience includes establishing growth-oriented business models in challenging markets, continuously optimizing processes, carrying out comprehensive cost-reduction programs, and building successful sales and marketing structures.

With over 20 years of experience in the telecommunications and media industry, I am an expert on all issues related to TV platforms, marketing, and product management of television products. My global network in the TMT industry spans network and infrastructure operators, software and technology providers, as well as specialized service providers. With my many years of expertise in licensing TV channels and content, I have access to all national and international media companies and can clarify licensing rights quickly and cost-effectively. As a business-to-business expert, I am a coach in B2B leadership and support companies especially in building efficient customer acquisition and maintaining business relationships as well as B2B and B2B2C marketing.

I host one of the most successful podcasts in the German-speaking TV industry, an analytical mind with a structured and engaging approach, a team player with certified expertise in agile methods. I am a sought-after speaker at international conferences on topics such as the future of television, digital leadership, organizational change, and regulatory issues.

Skills

  • Professional Scrum Master
  • Past President Of The Service Club Round Table 11 Cologne
  • Mentor For The Student Consulting Group Jms Augsburg E.v.
  • Travel Abroad
  • Politics And Contemporary History
  • Modern Literature
  • High-altitude Ski Tours
  • Mountain Biking
  • Marathon

Languages

German
Native
English
Advanced
French
Elementary

Education

Oct 1998 - Mar 2004

University of Augsburg

Diploma in Business Administration · Business Administration · Augsburg, Germany · 1.8

Sep 1983 - Jul 1996

Gebhard Müller School (Business High School)

Abitur (General University Entrance Qualification) · Biberach, Germany

University of California Berkeley

Marketing & European History · Berkeley, United States

Certifications & licenses

Professional Scrum Master

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