Less than two months after the rapid exit of Manfred Puffer from the management of the debt-ridden pay-TV service Premiere World and just a couple of weeks after Rupert Murdoch suggested that he might consider bailing out of the German platform (Screen Daily, Nov 2001), Ferdinand Kayser has announced that he will leave the company at the end of the year to become the president and chief executive officer of the satellite operator SES ASTRA.

In addition, Kayser has been appointed a member of the executive committee of the new umbrella company SES GLOBAL.

Kayser became a managing director the pay TV channel Premiere in 1997 and was instrumental in co-ordinating the merger with DF1. At Premiere World, he has served as the managing director with responsibilities for marketing, sales, corporate development, law and media policy as well as co-operation with third party broadcasters and cable network operators.

Premiere World's management will in future consist of Michael Boernicke (Finances and Organisation) Hans Seger (Programming, Marketing and Sales) and Dr. Helmut Stein (Technology), who is moving to Premiere World from Nokia Home Communications.