DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
For us, diversity means recognizing and valuing differences and individuality. Our goal is to create a working environment that is free of prejudice and shows all employees the same high level of appreciation – regardless of their age, disability, ethnic background and nationality, sex and gender identity, religion and ideology, or sexual orientation and identity.
We regard the differences and diversity of our employees as an important requirement for our Company’s success. Against this backdrop, ProSiebenSat.1 Group signed the Diversity Charter in 2014 and follows the guidelines specified in it. Our internal guidelines also stipulate that employees at all hierarchy levels should be hired exclusively according to objective criteria and promoted solely on the basis of their abilities. We pursue the goal of promoting diversity within our workforce and champion equal rights and equal opportunities in accordance with the guiding principle for the action area of diversity. The "Diversity & Inclusion" department is responsible for the further development of diversity management, the targeted focus and the operational implementation of associated measures. This department is part of the HR department. We wish to illustrate our commitment to diversity and inclusion with the "Diversity Principles," which have been published throughout the Group. They form the foundation for our activities to promote tolerance and diversity – in our Company and in society. We see this as a task for all our employees and our managers.
This action also includes the further development of our inclusion efforts: Inclusion officer and representatives for severely disabled employees cooperate closely to implement the inclusivity agreement concluded between the Executive Board and the Works Council. In addition, ProSiebenSat.1 Group is cooperating for the third year in a row with myAbility Social Enterprise GmbH (“myAbility”), which advocates for a society offering equal opportunities and accessibility. The company supports students and university graduates with disabilities and chronic illnesses in German-speaking countries by providing them with career coaching and opportunities for networking and job shadowing. In November 2023, we hosted a joint "career café" on the theme "How do I pitch myself with a disability or chronic illness in interviews?".
To mark International Day of People with Disabilities in December this year, we took part in the global #PurpleLightUp campaign once again with an in-house event. The campaign is supported in the German-speaking region by myAbility as an official partner of PurpleSpace Ltd. (“PurpleSpace”) and is intended to draw attention to the necessity of economic autonomy for people with disabilities. To raise their awareness of issues of inclusion, accessibility and discrimination in connection with disabilities raised, employees from the HR departments attended a presentation by the Sozialheld*innen, a charity that is campaigning for social justice via project work.
Diversity of employees and governance bodies
The diversity of our Company is aided by the best possible balance of men and women and a diversity of genders in the workforce and in management positions. Therefore, we integrated "gender equality" into ProSiebenSat.1 Group’s sustainability strategy as a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 5) that is particularly relevant to us. The internal and external communication of this goal sends a clear signal to both potential managers and to decision-makers at all management levels during selection processes. When it comes to filling management positions in the Group, men and women should be hired purely on the basis of professional and personal aptitude. As of December 31, 2023, 49.9% (previous year: 50.1%) of employees in the Group were female and 50.1% (previous year: 49.9%) were male. Two employees have chosen the gender identifier "diverse," which is why the proportion is about 0.0%. The proportion of female managers increased slightly from 35.8% (2022) to 36.0% (2023).
- Employees
- Managers
- 2023
- 2022
- 2023
- 2022
- Group
- Women
- 49.9
- 50.1
- 36.0
- 35.8
- Men
- 50.1
- 49.9
- 64.0
- 64.2
- Diverse
- 0.0
- 0.0
- -
- -
- Germany
- Women
- 50.0
- 50.4
- 36.0
- 35.9
- Men
- 49.9
- 49.6
- 64.0
- 64.1
- Diverse
- 0.0
- 0.0
- -
- -
- ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE
- Women
- 63.7
- 63.8
- 42.9
- 43.9
- Men
- 36.3
- 36.2
- 57.1
- 56.1
- Diverse
- -
- -
- -
- -
Employee headcount as of December 31, 2023, in %.
Not including international assets of Seven.One Studios.
- Executive Board
- Supervisory Board
- 2023
- 2022
- 2023
- 2022
- Gender
- Women
- 33.3
- 25.0
- 44.4
- 37.5
- Men
- 66.7
- 75.0
- 55.6
- 62.5
- Diverse
- -
- -
- -
- -
- Age group
- <30 years
- -
- -
- -
- -
- 30 - 50 years
- -
- -
- 11.1
- 25.0
- >50 years
- 100.0
- 100.0
- 88.9
- 75.0
As of December 31, 2023, (headcount), in %.
Employee networks
UHLALA GROUP AWARDS PRIDE CHAMPION SEAL TO PROSIEBENSAT.1
The UHLALA Group recognizes our commitment to inclusion and diversity, awarding us the Gold PRIDE Champion seal with a score of 85.11% out of a possible 100%. The PRIDE Champion audit covers the areas of organizational structure, human resources, communication & visibility as well as legal framework & regulations.
An open-minded working climate with regard to sexual orientation and gender identity is a key criterion for us to be perceived as a modern employer. That is why we specifically support initiatives aimed at promoting diversity and inclusivity. An example of this is the LGBT+ network (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) PROUD@ProSiebenSat.1, which has been set up by employees and aims to make diversity more visible within the Group. In 2024, the network took part in Christopher Street Day in Munich for the third time and took a stand against discrimination and for tolerance. Our efforts to create an open-minded work atmosphere with regard to sexual orientation and gender identity were recognized in August by Uhlala GmbH (“UHLALA Group”), with the gold status of the PRIDE Champion seal. The audit involved an examination of the categories Organizational Structure, Human Resources, Communication & Visibility as well as Legal Framework & Regulations.
Employee networks play a key role for us in Companies because they create a platform to facilitate the exchange of experiences and perspectives. These networks foster an inclusive corporate culture in which diversity is viewed as a strength. They also aim to help raise awareness of diversity and inclusion and enable effective collaboration that benefits from different backgrounds and perspectives. Along with the employee network PROUD@ProSiebenSat.1, we therefore support our women’s network F•Empowerment and the new cultural diversity network Culture Matters, which was founded in 2023. F•Empowerment focuses on networking and raising the visibility of women within the Group. Members of the network took part in a range of events, such as a personal exchange format to mark International Women’s Day, a personal branding workshop or a series of informal discussions with female managers from the Company on the topic of perfect work-mom-life balance. The new Culture Matters network aims to create visibility for underrepresented groups and provide information about all aspects of cultural diversity. Employees can use an internal platform to exchange information and find out about intercultural days and events.
Corporate networks
External networking with other companies also plays a key role in our efforts to improve diversity and inclusion as it facilitates the exchange of best practices and innovative approaches. By embracing this broader perspective, we are promoting the diversity of ideas. At the same time, we are gaining more comprehensive insight into the challenges and opportunities in the area of diversity and inclusion. This is also why our Senior Vice President HR Holding / Diversity and Inclusion Anja Reinhard plays an active role on our behalf on the Advisory Board of Beyond Gender Agenda GmbH (“BeyondGenderAgenda”). BeyondGenderAgenda supports the further strengthening of diversity and inclusive working environments in the culture of listed and medium-sized companies. We are also involved in the alliance "Medien für Vielfalt" (Media for Diversity), which was founded in 2021 by the media companies ARD, ZDF, Deutsche Welle, Deutschlandradio, RTL Deutschland and ProSiebenSat.1 on the initiative of the state media authority of Bremen. The alliance represents a clear commitment to diversity in the media sector and organizes regular discussion forums with the participating partners.
Further measures to promote diversity & inclusion
Our goal is to create an inclusive working environment in which all individuals are shown the same appreciation. It is therefore important for us to examine our own use of language in an everyday working context. For that reason, we made a recommendation to our employees in 2021 that they should use gender-sensitive language. This approach is presented during the welcome days for the onboarding of all new employees.
At the same time, ProSiebenSat.1 Group wants to use the reach of its entertainment offerings to set an example for diversity. Examples from the 2023 reporting period include the program highlights on SAT.1 for International Women’s Day and on ProSieben for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and PRIDE Day. In addition, there is the reporting on the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin from June 17 to 25, 2023. As part of the media alliance, we were represented on site and broadcasted daily reports in various formats. Information was also made available to editorial teams to ensure non-discriminatory reporting.
To create a deeper understanding of cultural sensitivity and diversity, we feel it is extremely important to provide training on racism for editorial teams of TV formats. To mark European Diversity Month in May, the editorial teams of the ProSieben "taff" and "Galileo" formats were also invited to attend a training course by the Diversity Kartell initiative entitled "Rassismuskritische Sprache in den Medien" (Racism-critical language in the media). Here, editorial teams were trained to take conscious action against stereotypical representations and to produce content that tries to present an unfiltered impression of diversity in society. Furthermore, the training is supposed to help foster an inclusive work environment in which diverse perspectives are valued and respected, which ultimately contributes to a more diverse and representative media landscape.
Accessible offerings
ProSiebenSat.1 Group is committed to barrier-free access to its offerings. Among other things, our stations offer subtitled programming, audio descriptions for the blind and visually impaired, formats in sign language and, since 2023, in easy language in an effort to improve the dissemination of information. Back in 2000, ProSieben already introduced the first regular subtitle service for the deaf on German private television. The Group broadcasts accessible content on nearly all its free TV stations and continually drives their expansion ever since. In 2023, the range of programs with subtitles was expanded and, in particular, the number of formats with additional audio description and sign language was increased. Specific examples include the finale of "Germany’s Next Topmodel – by Heidi Klum" on ProSieben, the entire season of "Zurück in die Schule" (Back to School) on SAT.1, or coverage of the coronation of King Charles III: "SAT.1. Das ist die Krönung!". These programs were available in barrier-free formats with subtitles, audio description, and in sign language. Deaf performers also appeared live for the first time on the final of "The Voice Kids". By expressing themselves through facial expressions, gestures and movement, they bring the music to life for viewers with impaired hearing. Likewise, the musical performances for the BAMBI Award were also accompanied by deaf performances for the first time, both on linear TV and for streams on Joyn. SAT.1 also broadcasted the award ceremony with live subtitles and audio description. For International Women’s Day in 2023, easy-to-read language subtitles were offered for the first time for the "Endlich frei!" (Free at last!) format on SAT.1. We further expanded our easy language offerings with highlight clips and magazine features on the Special Olympics World Games 2023 on ProSieben. For the future, we aim to further expand our barrier-free offerings.
Since 2023, we also offer our advertising customers the opportunity to book accessible advertising slots on our stations with subtitles, audio description, and sign language. To mark the European Day of Protest for the Equality of People with Disabilities on May 5, we also highlighted the issue of hearing impairment as part of a commercial break event on ProSieben. This involved showing commercials in which the sound was modified to raise awareness of how the deaf or those with impaired hearing perceive advertising.
Moreover, the German Interstate Media Treaty requires broadcasters of nationwide programs and video-on-demand providers to expand their range of accessible content within the limits of their technical and financial capabilities. Since 2023, the German Interstate Media Treaty requires broadcasters to draw up concrete action plans for this. Individual states and the German government have already published action plans to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which also aim to include more accessible formats on television. The state media authorities regularly monitor this expansion. Subtitles are currently included in the programs of five German ProSiebenSat.1 stations: SAT.1, ProSieben, Kabel Eins, sixx, and ProSieben MAXX. On average in 2023, subtitled minutes as a percentage of linear programming as a whole (24 hours) amounted to 29.8% on SAT.1, 50.7% on ProSieben, 53.7% on Kabel Eins, 33.9% on sixx and 15.8% on ProSieben MAXX.
Since December 2023, we have also been offering subtitles via teletext for our Austrian stations Puls 4, ATV, ATV II and Puls24 as well as the Swiss station Puls 8 in addition to our German channels.