Viasat broadcasting has confirmed it is in talks with Canal Digital over the carriage of TV3 and the new Viasat 4 channel on its DTH rival in Norway. It follows the announcement earlier this month of a non-exclusivity agreement between the two companies over the carriage of Norway’s TV2. The talks also allow for SBS ProSiebenSat1 channel TVN to be included in the Viasat package.
Third quarter results from parent company Modern Times Group reveal Viasat Broadcasting’s combined operations in the Nordic and Central & East European markets increased their net sales by 16% year on year to SEK2,022 million. Operating profits significantly increased, though margins were reduced by the launch of the TV2 Sport joint venture in Denmark and new investments in TV3 Slovenia and Balkan Media Group.
10,000 new premium subscribers were added to the Nordic pay-TV business, bringing the total to 756,000. The Viasat+ personal video recorder is now in 63,000 homes, up from 46,000 at the end of the second quarter, and there are also 118,000 Multiroom subscriptions.
Pay-TV subscriptions in central and east Europe grew by 13,000 on the quarter to 133,000, while basic subs climbed slightly to 25,551,000, boosted by the inclusion of Latvia’s TV7.
