NEWS BYTES...

German news channel n-tv majority owned by CNN/Time Warner, announced improved financial figures at a press conference in Berlin. According to managing director Kenneth Jautz, 2000 marks a business year of great expansion and economic growth. In the first half of this year, the turnover generated by advertising climbed by 66.4 per cent to DM 93.6 million. The total turnover increased by 49.2 per cent to DM 107.8 million. Jauz stressed that the costs of operating the channel were “perfectly within the plan” with DM 21.7 million being invested into the programmes in the first half of 2000, an increase of 38 per cent compared with last year. He announced that n-tv would expand its Internet presence and other multimedia-based news outlets. The Berlin-based channel currently reaches an average audience market share of 08 per cent.

BTV, the regional commercial broadcaster from the German states of Baden and Wurttemberg, has delayed its recently announced analogue launch on the Astra satellite system. The channel now intends to appear on transponder 58 (10.847GHz V), currently showing a test card, on July 15. “It was planned to launch on July 1, but that couldn’t be achieved,” said a BTV spokesman. Apparently technical problems are causing the delay. German media company Kinowelt recently bought a ten per cent share in the company.

German music channel Viva has revealed details about its planned flotation. According to the Cologne-based channel, it will be noted on Frankfurt’s Neuer Markt (New Market) on July 19. The money generated by the flotation will be used to exploit new business both in Germany and abroad, Viva stated. The broadcaster also announced the take-over of French communication agency Vissions.Comm.

Egypt’s second broadcast and telecommunications satellite, Nilesat 102, is now scheduled to be launched on August 17. According to the head of the Egyptian Satellites Company a letter has been received from manufacturers Matra Marconi stating that the satellite has now been fully tested and is ready to be shipped to the Korou Space Centre in French Guyana. Nilesat 101 was launched in April 1998 and fast established itself as a major satellite for the Middle East. In addition to television the new craft will also carry data services and interactive shopping.

BT Broadcast Services has signed a partnership agreement with pay-per-view operator the Digital Broadcasting Company (operator of the U>direct service on the Sky Digital platform) to provide digital content management solutions to webcast a new TV service over multiple Internet platforms. This will include narrowband ISP, broadband DSL and third generation mobile technology.

BSkyB is about to add Oneword, a UK national digital radio service, to its satellite radio options. Oneword which is co-owned by Guardian Media Group, Chivers Communications, Heavy Entertainment, and the UBC Media Group.

GoldStar, the German Schlager channel former DF1 head Gottfried Zmeck launched on digital pay-TV platform Premiere World on March 1, has reached the 300,000 subscriber mark. According to a statement, the constantly rising subscriber figures confirm the concept or GoldStar TV and the attractiveness of Premiere World’s ‘Gala World’ package. The Munich-based channel forms part of the “Gala World” bouquet, launched 1 March, which also includes classic movie channels Heimatkanal and Filmpalast, detective series channel Krimi & Co, Discovery Channel and six nonstop music services from Music Choice.

Pro Sieben Sat 1 Media AG, Germany’s largest commercial television operator into which Sat 1 and Pro Sieben Media want to merge later this year, has received the green light from the federal German cartel office. According to a statement by the Berlin-based authority, it doesn’t probe the planned unification because it sees it as just an internal restructuring within Kirch Group that owns the majority both in Sat 1 and Pro Sieben. The merger is still subject to approval from the media authorities and the anti- media-concentration commission.

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