New York – A+E Networks will acquire full ownership of A+E Networks Germany following a successful 12-year joint venture with NBCUniversal International (NBCUI), it was announced today by Sean Cohan, President, International & Digital, A+E Networks. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval.

A+E Networks Germany operates HISTORY® and A&E® in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, Alto Adige and Liechtenstein. Both channels have full distribution on cable and satellite platforms in the markets.
“We are incredibly proud of the success we have achieved with our partner NBCUniversal International since 2005,” said Cohan. “With powerful brands, HISTORY and A&E, and a talented local team, we look forward to building on that success with strategic investment in local programming and new linear and digital services to grow our audiences in one of the world’s largest media markets.”

The acquisition of full ownership in Germany reinforces A+E Networks’ international strategy to take a greater ownership position in its ventures around the world. A+E Networks Germany joins wholly-owned and majority owned A+E Networks’ entities, including Southeast Asia, Italy, Japan, and most recently, Korea, which is set to launch this fall.
HISTORY and A&E currently reach more than five and four million subscribers, respectively. HISTORY is a top-ranked factual channel in Germany. HISTORY and A&E boast award-winning, local productions with highly acclaimed shows and series such as The Eleventh Day, The Liberators, The Legion, Ruin Hunters or Guardians of Heritage (premiering in November 2017).

On April 14, 2017, HISTORY Germany premiered the critically acclaimed epic mini-series Roots. A+E Networks Germany recently developed the successful local crime series Protocols of Evil, a genre bending new true crime show that looks into the soul of serial killers, and will continue to grow its local programming output.

NBCUI will continue to provide key services to A+E Networks in German-speaking Europe, over the coming years.