Telenor Broadcast Day – Oslo. Norkring plans to expand its activities in Central and Eastern Europe, and in particular the Balkans region.
According to the company’s CEO Torbjørn Teigen, the ideal scenario for it is to get hold of the basic infrastructure in markets and it has a “window of opportunity” until 2015 to do so.
Norkring is currently active in Slovenia, where it is licensed to operate the country’s second DTT multiplex. Due to launch on September 1 this year, it will be allocated to commercial TV services and should reach 85% of the population by ASO, scheduled to take place on December 1.
Although Teigen refused to discuss any specific markets Norkring might enter in CEE, he did say that it is unlikely to be more than one country per year.
The company posted impressive growth of 10-15% a year in the period 2007-9 and is enjoying particular success with its operation in Belgium, where it operates the public broadcaster’s network in Flanders and Brussels and is looking for opportunities to expand into Wallonia.