UPC Nederland is to move the US sports channel ESPN America to a premium tier, making the channel only available to subscribers of Chellomedia’s Sport1.
Autumn launch for RTL in Leipzig, Halle
The German RTL Group will launch DTT services in the cities of Leipzig and Halle using MPEG-4 and Conax encryption this autumn.
Czech Prima trials HD
The Czech national commercial station Prima TV has begun trial HD transmissions in Prague.
Changes loom for Romanian cable
Romania’s cable industry is heading for a period of consolidation amongst its small and medium-sized players.
Cable making connections for Canal Digital
The number of DTH subscribers to Canal Digital fell by 17,000 on the quarter, only to be compensated by the arrival of 16,000 new subscribers to the operator’s cable platform.
Virgin Media improves triple play mix
Virgin Media has begun the first quarter of the year with churn reduced to a new monthly low of 1.1% and an improved triple play mix.
UPC eyes Polish expansion
Liberty Global is looking to expand its operations in Poland, with Aster, the country’s fourth largest cable operator, a possible take-over target.
DirecTV in Liberty spin-off
John Malone’s Liberty Media Corp is to create a separate company that will house US satellite platform DirecTV alongside other elements of Liberty’s media interests.
YouSee adds Canal HD
Danish cablenet YouSee has introduced the high definition versions of Canal+ Film and Canal+ Sport to its programme line-up.
Com Hem continues growth curve
Sweden’s Com Hem has reported strong first quarter growth, increasing revenues by 6% on Q1 2008, and adding another 18,000 digital subscribers.