The Estonian IPTV platform DigiTV now has 55,000 subscribers, according to its operator Elion. The service was launched in April 2006 and secured 7,000 in only its first two months, rising to 25,000 at the end of last year. Elion is the largest telecom and IT provider in Estonia and is wholly owned by the [...]

The Slovak DTH platform SkyLink has added the Czech channels CT1 and Prima TV to its channel line-up, according to a local report. SkyLink is distributed by Astra at 19.2 degrees East and like its sister operation, CS Link in the Czech Republic, uses a pre-paid rather than subscription-based business model. However, its channel line [...]

ZenithOptimedia estimates that Russia’s ad market will rise from its current world ranking of 14th to the sixth largest by 2010. It also forecasts that in the period 2007-2010 Kazakhstan (155.2%) will be the fastest growing ad market, followed by Belarus (101.8%), Serbia (101.1%), Egypt (100.1%) and Russia (90.2%). ZenithOptimedia expects global ad expenditure to [...]

The deadline for bids for a 49.13% stake in Telekom Slovenije is reported to have been extended by the Slovenian government from December 18 to January 4. At least 12 companies, including Magyar Telekom, Saudi Oger Telecom, Australia’s Macquarie Bank, Iceland’s Skipti, an Anglo-German consortium made up of Axos Capital, Bain Capital and BT, Croatia’s [...]

Data produced by TNS OBOP shows that the Polish public broadcaster’s two national channels TVP1 and TVP2 were the most watched in the country in November by viewers aged 4+. However, their audience shares of 22.81% (TVP1) and 17.40% (TVP2) were lower than the 24.29% and 18.59% recorded in the corresponding month last year. TVP1 [...]

Russia’s Golden Telecom and VimpelCom have issued a statement confirming they are in discussion about a take-over over the former by a subsidiary of the later at a price of $105 (€71.6) in cash per share. They have also said that neither will make any further comment until “either a definitive agreement has been reached [...]

The European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR) has donated in the region of €900,000 to support the development of the Serbian national public broadcaster Radio-Televizija Srbije (RTS). Under the project, instructors from the BBC World Service will conduct training courses for 250 employees of RTS over the next 30 months to improve its programming department. A [...]

T-Com has launched an IPTV service named Extra TV in Montenegro. Employing the Microsoft Mediaroom platform, it offers viewers over 60 domestic and international TV channels, along with a number of premium channels including Discovery, HBO, Eurosport and National Geographic. Viewers can also receive a VOD library consisting of just over a hundred movies. T-Com [...]

Providence Equity Partners is to invest over $200 million (€136.7 million) in the leading Ukrainian MSO Volia Cable. Volia Cable currently has over 700,000 RGUs in Kiev, Lviv, Alchevsk and Chernivtsy, offering analogue and digital TV, high-speed Internet access, VoIP and data services. It also plans to introduce both VOD and PPV in the future. [...]