What can we realistically expect to happen next year in Central and Eastern Europe’s TV industry?
While we may not see as many M&As as in 2015, they will almost certainly be as, if not more, significant.
The one that could break all records would of course be a deal between Vodafone and Liberty Global. It’s no secret, in fact well documented, that the two parties have held talks in recent months. Although these reached an impasse of sorts, the rumours, even in such well-respected sources as the FT earlier this week, just won’t go away.
Were they to reach an agreement, it would almost certainly overshadow any others that are struck in 2016.
So who are the other companies to watch in the M&A space? In the Balkans, it’s almost certainly Telekom Austria, while in the Baltic Republics it will be East Capital Explorer, seeking to establish a presence in Latvia after having acquired the two leading cable operators in Estonia and Lithuania.
Elsewhere, it’s much harder to call. There is an outside chance we could see the sale of a major national commercial broadcaster, such as Poland’s TVN earlier this year. Maybe a CME or RTL-owned station, though at this stage that looks unlikely.
More likely could be some consolidation in the DTH sector, where the number of platforms operating in the region has again grown in the last couple of years.
There will also undoubtedly be a multitude of new channel launches throughout CEE and we can in addition expect to see 4K make progress, especially in some of the larger markets such as Russia and Poland.
While many of the economic and political problems that affect CEE will continue – though hopefully not intensify – in the New Year, there are certainly grounds for optimism as we head in 2016.