German pay-TV broadcaster Sky Deutschland will remove another third-party channel from its platform. This time it’s GoldStar TV.
The music channel will be dropped on October 31, 2017. GoldStar TV, broadcasting exclusively on Sky Deutschland, is now looking for other carriage partners; otherwise it faces closure. “If potential alternative distribution platforms for GoldStar TV emerge, we will inform the fans of the popular Schlager channel as soon as possible,” said Gottfried Zmeck, CEO of operating company Mainstream Media.
Industry speculation arose one month ago that GoldStar will probably no longer be part of the Sky Deutschland line-up following the renegotiation of the carriage contract with Mainstream Media.
Sky Deutschland removed several third-party channels from its platform in the past months including Sport1 US HD, AXN, MGM Channel and the pay-TV channels from ProSiebenSat.1 to focus more strongly on its own channels and content.
Mainstream Media’s other channels Romance TV and Heimatkanal will remain part of the Sky Deutschland portfolio, according to the new, multi-year distribution contract both sides have agreed on.
From November 7, 2017, Romance TV will no longer just be distributed by Sky on satellite, but also on cable and IPTV, thus, expanding its reach. Also, the exclusivity of Heimatkanal will be dropped, enabling the channel to be carried on other platforms in addition to Sky.
“For us, the continuation of the cooperation with Sky Deutschland is an important step and we are happy to be able to offer our fictional content in more ways to more viewers under the new framework conditions,” said Zmeck.
