On Telecoms SA, which has a nationwide general telecommunications licence for Greece, launched its IPTV service in late January as part of a new IP-based triple play service in the Athens region. Optibase delivers its IPTV Carrier-Grade Headend MGW 5100 to receive and digitally compress the video channels offered, including the Nova premium package, as […]
More HD for platform n
The Polish DTH platform n is to make movies and popular local series available on a VOD basis in HD and Dolby Digital 5.1 from later this month. It will also start showing foreign productions in HD within a matter of weeks. The service, which is backed by ITI Group, made its debut in October […]
MTV looks to Czech Republic
According to a local report, MTV plans to launch a localised channel in the Czech Republic in 2008. Although MTV introduced its first localised service in Central and Eastern Europe in Russia and now also has ones operating in Poland, the former Yugoslav Federation (MTV Adria) and Baltic Republics, with one likely to follow in […]
Russia rewrites football deal
A deal that would have made live Russian football premier league matches available only to subscribers of the NTV-Plus DTH platform has effectively been rewritten. As a result, most matches will now also be screened on Sport TV, a channel operated by the public broadcaster VGTRK. Sport TV is understood to have offered the league […]
Chris Dziadul Reports: Food for thought
Chris Dziadul looks at RTL’s strategy in Central and Eastern Europe While much of the discussion about RTL Group’s results for 2006 will undoubtedly focus on its operations in Western Europe – Germany and France, for instance, together account for over 60% of revenues – it is those in Central and Eastern Europe that provide […]
Hungary bolsters RTL Group
Figures published by RTL Group show that Hungary maintained its position as one of the company’s key markets in 2006. Indeed, the national station RTL Klub not only accounted for the highest gross ad market share in its respective market (49.7%), but also had the highest audience share in its main target group (34.4%). However, […]
Cyfra+ shuffles the pack
The Polish DTH platform Cyfra+ has introduced a new basic package. Replacing a thematic offer, it consists of 43 TV channels, 12 radio stations, interactive services and several hundred free-to-air (FTA) foreign language channels and can be received for PLN38 (€9.78) a month. Viewers can, in addition, opt for two further packages (Komfort and Prestige), […]
Slovak stations agree digital strategy
According to a local report, the leading Slovak stations STV, TV Markiza and TA3 have jointly agreed to use a common multiplex of frequencies during the transfer to digital broadcasting. A new law on digital broadcasting is due to be passed in Slovakia in the first half of this year and come into effect at […]
Hungarian Internet market takes off
Data published by the Hungarian Statistical Office (KSH) shows that at the end of 2006 there were 1.292 million Internet subscriptions in the country, or 32.3% more than in the corresponding period in 2005. XDSL connections (597,331) accounted for almost half of the total, followed by cable modems (374,647) and wireless (214,215), the remainder being […]
CME eyes Russia’s Muz-TV
According to an unconfirmed local report, the US investment company CME is engaged in talks to buy the Russian music channel in a deal that could be worth up to $200 million (€152.6 million). Muz-TV is currently owned by Ars Holding and competes directly with MTV Russia. Ars Holding’s interests include the radio station Love-Radio, […]