Sistema is preparing to buy into Telecom Italia. According to reports in both Russia’s Kommersant and the Italian agency Mergermarket, the Russian company will shortly enter talks with the Pirelli Group, which through its 80% stake in the Olimpia finance company holds an 18% stake in Telecom Italia. A deal between the two parties, which […]
Chris Dziadul Reports: Deal or no deal?
Chris Dziadul looks at proposed, completed and doubtful deals across the region The news that Russia’s Sistema may be about to buy into one of Western Europe’s most powerful multimedia companies should come as no surprise. Securing even a minority stake in Telecom Italia, which is valued at around $60 billion (€46.3 billion) and has […]
Motive secures Elion deal
The leading Estonian telco and IT provider Elion has opted for the Internet Helper high-speed data solution from Motive. It will be used by the company in the rollout of new broadband services for its residential and business customers. Elion is owned by Eesti Telekom and operates an IPTV service known as DigiTV that currently […]
Zodiak expands in Russia
Sweden’s Zodiak Television has opened a new company named Zodiak Vostok to handle production, business development and sales in Russia and the CIS. Zodiak already has a strong presence in the region through TeleAlliance, a leading Russian production company in which it holds a 51% stake.(CD)
Aster improves digital offer
The Polish MSO Aster has announced important changes to its digital TV offer. As of this Friday (January 19) the BasicPlus package will be increased from 25 to 38 channels, with viewers seeing no increase in their subscription fee. The new services, hitherto available just on analogue, include Zone Romantica, Zone Reality, MTV Polska and […]
All change at Inter TV
The leading Ukrainian broadcaster Inter TV is reported to have secured a company named Ukrmediaproekt as its new majority (61%) shareholder. Up until now, Dolovyy Svit had held 51% in the station, with the remaining owners being Pegas Television (20%) and Russia’s Channel One (29%). Inter TV’s new ownership structure will see Channel One retain […]
O2 TV seeks more subscribers
The incumbent Czech telco Telefónica O2 is preparing to introduce a self-install option for its IPTV service. Launched in September 2006, O2 TV, which already has 18,000 subscribers, can currently take over two weeks to receive after the placement of an order. It competes directly with the cable industry, which is dominated by UPC/Karneval, and […]
Rebuke for Poland’s Toya
The Polish Office for Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) has given a strong dressing down to Toya, the country’s fifth largest cable operator. According to the watchdog, the Lodz-based company, which has a 40% market share in the central Polish city, charged its 150,000 subscribers fees based on their addresses. Although not issued with a […]
Polish ad market set to grow
Poland’s ad market is likely to grow by 9% to PLN6 billion (€1.55 billion) in 2007. The forecast, which has been made by Gazeta Prawna, anticipates that the launch of a new national daily named Polskapresse in the second half of the year will act as a catalyst and overshadow developments in an increasingly competitive […]
Austrian bid for Romtelecom
Telekom Austria is about to buy into the incumbent Romanian telco Romtelecom. According to several reports, a deal close to completion will see the Austrian company acquire up to 50% of the 54.01% stake in Romtelecom currently held by Greece’s OTE. Although Deutsche Telekom has also been quoted as a possible buyer, Telekom Austria has […]