Bavarian media authority BLM has granted Discovery Communications Deutschland broadcast licences for 19 TV channels targeting Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
Discovery also received a licence for the pan-European distribution of its new streaming service Golf TV.
The Scandinavian channels are the following channels (not available in Germany):
Denmark: Channel 4 HD, Channel 5, 6’eren, Canal 9, Eurosport 2, Discovery Channel HD, TLC
Sweden: Channel 5, Channel 9, Channel 11, Discovery Channel, TLC HD
Norway: MAX, FEM, VOX, Eurosport Norge, Discovery Channel HD, TLC
Finland: Discovery Channel
Golf TV, a channel for golf fans, will be offered via OTT as a live-stream throughout Europe including Germany.
Since licenses issued by UK-based media authority Ofcom cannot be a legal basis for a European distribution anymore with the impending withdrawal of the UK from the European Union (Brexit), Discovery wants to expand its existing location in Munich and applied for new licenses for the Scandinavian channels at BLM.
Despite all these channels – with the exception of Golf TV – not broadcasting in Germany, but in other EU member states and Norway (member of the European Free Trade Association), the Bavarian media authority is responsible: Discovery’s head office is in Munich and editorial decisions are also made in the Bavarian Capital. The company also plans to create new jobs in Munich when it starts operations under German licence, especially in the area of youth protection, according to BLM.
“The new licences mean a further strengthening of Bavaria as a media location for us. For the companies they mean legal security,” said BLM president Siegfried Schneider.
