by InTrieste
Nord Est Multimedia (NEM) has completed its acquisition of a controlling stake in Telefriuli, one of Friuli Venezia Giulia’s leading regional television broadcasters, expanding the company’s multimedia presence across northeastern Italy.
The agreement, finalized on Tuesday, transfers 95 percent of Telefriuli from Finanziaria Danieli (FINDAN) to NEM. The remaining 5 percent will continue to be held by Confindustria Udine. The transaction took effect immediately.
The acquisition marks another step in NEM’s strategy to build an integrated media group spanning print, television, digital platforms and live events. In 2023, the company acquired six daily newspapers from the GEDI Group, including Il Piccolo and Messaggero Veneto in Friuli Venezia Giulia, as well as four newspapers in the neighboring Veneto region.
“This is an important step in building a multimedia group capable of providing an authoritative voice for northeastern Italy,” Enrico Marchi, chairman of NEM, said in a statement. He said the acquisition is expected to create operational synergies while strengthening the group’s regional news organizations.
As part of the ownership change, Telefriuli has appointed a new board of directors. Luciano Colombini will serve as chairperson, while Alfonso Di Leva has been named chief executive officer. Giuseppe Cerbone, Paolo Possamai and Daniele Stolfo have also joined the board.
For Danieli Group, the sale concludes an investment that began eight years ago under the leadership of the late Gianpietro Benedetti, who partnered with local entrepreneurs to modernize the regional broadcaster.
“The sale closes a chapter that began with the goal of providing the Friulian community with an innovative and efficient television station,” Alessandro Brussi, chairman of Danieli Group, said in a statement. “A new phase now begins with NEM to develop a modern, integrated information platform that can better respond to the needs of the community.”
Founded in 1978, Telefriuli broadcasts throughout Friuli Venezia Giulia via digital terrestrial television and is also available through streaming services and hybrid broadcast broadband television platforms. According to official Auditel audience data, it has ranked as the region’s most-watched local television station by average daily audience since 2021.
The broadcaster is part of the Mediafriuli network, which also includes the Friulian-language weekly newspaper La Vos dai Furlans, several magazines, a portfolio of local news websites and an advertising company. The group employs about 30 people, most of whom work from its production facilities in Feletto Umberto, near Udine, where recent investments have expanded television studios and broadcasting technology.
NEM said Telefriuli will play a central role in its editorial strategy, with closer collaboration planned between the broadcaster and Messaggero Veneto. The company also intends to expand its portfolio of branded events, complementing its print, digital and television operations.
The acquisition is part of a broader business plan that has included upgrades to NEM’s digital infrastructure, redesigns of its newspapers and the recent acquisition of an events company, now operating as Eventi NEM. Company officials said those initiatives are intended to strengthen the group’s position as a regional multimedia organization serving audiences across northeastern Italy.
NEM was established in 2023 with support from Banca Finint and a consortium of entrepreneurs, foundations and business organizations from Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. Its long-term strategy is to develop an integrated media company with interests in newspapers, television, digital publishing, radio and live events.
