Mediaset is reported to be very close to an agreement for the purchase of channels 45 and 55 from Sony Pictures Television.
According to Il Sole 24 Ore, Sony would sell its two free-to-air DTT channels Pop and Cine Sony, marking the exit of the broadcaster from the Italian DTT market.
The move follows the news that Sony is pulling the plug out of the Dutch premium Film1 channels.
The news of the sale to Mediaset follows rumors of talks with various interested parties, including Viacom, De Agostini, Fox and Mediaset itself.
Channel 45 (Childrens channel Pop) will be acquired through a joint venture with Turner Broadcasting System, while channel 55 will go directly to Mediaset.
Mediaset has recently increased its presence on digital terrestrial after having taken over channel 66 (formerly ReteCapri, now Italia2) and its HD version.
The broadcaster seems to go for free-to-air on DTT, following the decision to cease broadcasting Mediaset Premium on Italy’s digital terrestrial network on June 1, 2019, and will make the channels available as an OTT service on the Infinity platform.
