Editing Silvio Berlusconi (section)

=== Fininvest ===
{{main|Fininvest}}
[[File:Berlusconi anni 80.jpg|thumb|left|Berlusconi in his private [[jet aircraft]] in the 1980s]]
In 1975, Berlusconi founded his first media group, Fininvest. In 1978 he joined the [[Propaganda Due]] [[masonic lodge]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Silvio Berlusconi, storia segreta dell'uomo che ha conquistato l'Italia con il Milan |url=https://espresso.repubblica.it/politica/2023/06/12/news/silvio_berlusconi_milan-404188921/ |access-date=14 June 2023 |work=L'Espresso |date=12 June 2023 |language=it |archive-date=12 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230612145207/https://espresso.repubblica.it/politica/2023/06/12/news/silvio_berlusconi_milan-404188921/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the five years leading up to 1983, he earned some 113&nbsp;billion [[Italian lire]] (€58.3&nbsp;million). The funding sources are still unknown because of a complex system of [[holding company|holding companies]], despite investigations conducted by various [[prosecutor]]s.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Maiorino |first1=Nino |title=La fortuna miliardaria di Berlusconi |url=https://www.ulisseonline.it/controluce/la-fortuna-miliardaria-di-berlusconi/ |access-date=14 June 2023 |work=Ulisse online |date=15 August 2022 |language=it-IT |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006210044/https://www.ulisseonline.it/controluce/la-fortuna-miliardaria-di-berlusconi/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Fininvest soon expanded into a country-wide network of local TV stations which had similar programming, forming, in effect, a single national network. At the time, laws permitted only the national broadcaster [[RAI]] to operate throughout the country, and this was seen as an effort to circumvent the [[state monopoly]].<ref name = Hooper/> Prior to 1974, Italian television was entirely under state ownership. Despite the landmark 1976 ruling by the [[Constitutional Court of Italy]] (decision no. 202/1976), which allowed private entities to operate [[Local programming|local television stations]], the state maintained prohibitions on [[Live broadcast|live broadcasting]] and private news channels. Berlusconi was the first to successfully bypass these restrictions by distributing simultaneously pre-recorded broadcasts across multiple local stations, effectively creating the impression of a national live television network.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Friedman |first=Alan |author-link=Alan Friedman |title=Berlusconi: The Epic Story of the Billionaire Who Took Over Italy |publisher=[[Hachette Books]] |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-316-30196-1 |chapter=The Deal Maker |quote=Back in 1974, a key indicator of what could happen in the state-run television industry in Italy came in the form of an Italian Constitutional Court ruling [...]}}</ref>

In 1980, Berlusconi founded Italy's first private national network, [[Canale 5]], followed shortly thereafter by [[Italia 1]], which was bought from the Rusconi family in 1982, and [[Rete 4]], which was bought from [[Mondadori]] in 1984.<ref name="lunita"/> He then launched three international sister networks: [[La Cinq]] (1986), [[Tele 5]] (1988), and [[Telecinco]] (1989). La Cinq and Tele 5 ceased operations in 1992 and were later replaced by [[La Cinquième]] and [[Sport1 (Germany)|DSF]], respectively.<ref>{{cite news |title=Come Berlusconi ha creato le sue tv |url=https://www.wired.it/article/berlusconi-televisioni-tv-canale-5-rete-4-italia-1-pizzone-storia/ |access-date=15 June 2023 |work=Wired Italia |date=14 June 2023 |language=it-IT |archive-date=14 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614092848/https://www.wired.it/article/berlusconi-televisioni-tv-canale-5-rete-4-italia-1-pizzone-storia/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=La storia di Berlusconi è anche una storia di fallimenti |url=https://www.fanpage.it/economia/la-storia-di-berlusconi-e-una-storia-di-fallimenti/ |access-date=15 June 2023 |work=Fanpage |language=it |archive-date=15 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230615062930/https://www.fanpage.it/economia/la-storia-di-berlusconi-e-una-storia-di-fallimenti/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Berlusconi created the first and only Italian commercial TV empire. He was assisted by his connections to [[Bettino Craxi]], secretary-general of the [[Italian Socialist Party]] and also the prime minister of Italy at that time, whose government passed, on 20 October 1984, an emergency decree [[legalising]] the nationwide transmissions made by Berlusconi's television stations.<ref name="lunita">{{cite web|url=http://www.articolo21.info/499/editoriale/berlusconi-tv-un-impero-nato-per-decretocraxi.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20101215023228/http://www.articolo21.info/499/editoriale/berlusconi-tv-un-impero-nato-per-decretocraxi.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 December 2010|title=Berlusconi- tv. Un impero nato per decreto-Craxi|language=it|publisher=[[l'Unità]]}}</ref> This was in response to judgements on 16 October 1984, in [[Turin]], [[Pescara]], and [[Rome]], enforcing a law that previously restricted nationwide broadcasting to RAI, which had ordered these private networks to cease transmitting.<ref name="lunita"/>

After political turmoil in 1985, the decree was approved definitively; for some years, Berlusconi's three channels remained in legal limbo and were not allowed to broadcast news and political commentary. They were elevated to the status of full national TV channels in 1990 by the Mammì law, named after [[Oscar Mammì]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Storia delle televisioni di Silvio Berlusconi |url=https://www.ilpost.it/2023/06/13/berlusconi-televisioni-private-storia-mediaset/ |access-date=15 June 2023 |work=Il Post |date=13 June 2023 |language=it-IT |archive-date=14 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614230625/https://www.ilpost.it/2023/06/13/berlusconi-televisioni-private-storia-mediaset/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1987, it bought out home video distributor Domovideo, in a seesaw contest with [[Vincenzo Romagnoli]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=29 April 1987|title=Berlusconi Buys Italian Distributor|pages=39–40|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>

In 1995, Berlusconi sold a portion of his media holdings, first to the German media group [[Kirch Group]] (now bankrupt) and then by public offer. In 1999, Berlusconi expanded his media interests by forming a partnership with Kirch called the ''Epsilon MediaGroup''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Altmeppen|first1=Klaus-Dieter|last2=Karmasin|first2=Matthias|title=Medien und Ökonomie|language=de|publisher=VS Verlag|year=2003|quote=Leo Kirch und Silvio Berlusconi setzten 1999 eine schon bewährte Zusammenarbeit fort, also sie mit der Gründung des Gemeinschaftsunternehmens Epsilon Group auf die Entwicklung eines europaweiten Rundfunkverbundes zielten|page=153}}</ref>

On 9 July 2011, a Milan court ordered Fininvest to pay 560&nbsp;million euros in damages to [[Compagnie Industriali Riunite]] in a long-running legal dispute.<ref>{{cite news|last=Zampano|first=Giada|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303365804576435290994415536|title=Court Fines Berlusconi's Fininvest|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=11 July 2011|access-date=10 September 2011|archive-date=5 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305103858/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303365804576435290994415536|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 5 August 2016, Fininvest announced the signing of a preliminary agreement to sell all of their shares of [[AC Milan]] to Sino-Europe Sports Investment Management Changxing Co.Ltd. The deal was scheduled to be finalised by the end of 2016.<ref name="selling">{{cite web|title=Comunicato Stampa – Milan: Fininvest firma preliminare di vendita con cordata cinese|trans-title=Press Release – Milan: Fininvest signs preliminary selling agreement with Chinese group of investors|url=http://www.fininvest.it/assets/press/it/CS_Fininvest-Milan_5.08.16.pdf|work=fininvest.it|publisher=[[Fininvest]]|date=5 August 2016|access-date=9 August 2016|language=it|archive-date=9 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160909090823/http://www.fininvest.it/assets/press/it/CS_Fininvest-Milan_5.08.16.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> On 13 April 2017, Berlusconi sold Milan to Rossoneri Sport Investment Lux for a total of €830&nbsp;million after a 31-year reign.<ref name=sell>{{cite web|url=http://www.football-italia.net/101063/official-berlusconi-sells-milan|title=Official Berlusconi sells Milan|publisher=Football Italia|date=13 April 2017|access-date=13 April 2017|archive-date=13 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413123532/http://www.football-italia.net/101063/official-berlusconi-sells-milan|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.football-italia.net/101067/li-%E2%80%98well-bring-milan-back%E2%80%99|title=Li: 'We'll bring Milan back'|publisher=Football Italia|date=13 April 2017|access-date=13 April 2017|archive-date=17 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170417133747/http://www.football-italia.net/101067/li-%E2%80%98well-bring-milan-back%E2%80%99|url-status=live}}</ref>