Pier Silvio Berlusconi, son of Italian mogul Silvio Berlusconi, has been named chairman of Mediaset's RTI television production unit, replacing Maurizio Carlotti who is resigning after battling with the company's top executives.

Pier, 31, has been at Mediaset since 1992 and is the former vice-chairman of RTI. His appointment had been expected and was announced the day after Italy's right-wing opposition party Forza Italia, headed by Silvio Berlusconi, swept regional elections in Italy.

Carlotti resigned from Mediaset earlier this month after battling with top executives over administration and programming issues (Screendaily, April 12). He is also expected to lose his position as the broadcaster's co-chief executive, a position he has held since last July.

Carlotti was a key figure in the economic revival of Mediaset's Spanish arm, Telecinco, and in the creation of international alliances such as Epsilon with Germany's KirchGroup.