Florian Skala, the CEO of Bulgaria’s bTV Media Group, has insisted that CME has no plans to leave the country.
In a wide ranging interview with Capital, he added that rumours of an exit had been on the market long before his arrival and he doubted that anything he said today would prevent new ones tomorrow. However, “there was a clear statement by CME’s management in the second quarter to investors that the company had no plans to sell its business in other territories and that it plans to develop its other markets. CME is aware that TV is a local business. We are a Bulgarian company on the Bulgarian market and we remain here”.
Asked if bTV Media Group plans to acquire online media in Bulgaria, following in the steps of its main competitor Nova, which recently bought the country’s largest online company Netinfo, Skala said: “bTV Media Group has a clear strategy for developing its digital presence and portfolio. It is based on creating its own content, and I think this is a key asset for our band, as bTV’s programmes and the team have the know-how to produce meaningful, interesting and engaging content. Our strategy is to continue to develop our own platforms and ensure their growth through product development and intensive campaigns in our media group”.
As previously reported by Broadband TV News, bTV Media Group’s owners CME sold their broadcast interests in Croatia and Slovenia earlier this summer. CME remains present in Bulgaria, Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.