The Italian firm Filmmaster, which produces the programming for the terrestrial pay-TV platform Dahlia TV, has told journalists it has reduced the output as it is faced with a backlog of outstanding invoices.
The announcement signals the fact that Dahlia TV is facing a financial crisis and that its Swedish owner, AirPlus is apparently late in paying its invoices.
According to local reports, the operator now has 850,000 subscribers but is struggling in competition with the two major broadcasting groups, Berlusconi’s Mediaset and Sky Italia.
Dahlia TV owns the rights to a number of football games in the Italian A league, as well as the B league, but recently lost the rights of two clubs, Palermo and Fiorentina, to its Mediaset Premium. The platform also broadcasts a number of adult entertainment programmes at night.
AirPlus acquired a majority in the platform in 2009, when it bought shares from Telecom Italia in the platform that was then known as La7 Cartapiù.
