MTG launches 4 pay-TV channels in Africa
Modern Times Group MTG AB (publ.) (‘MTG’ or ‘the Group’), the international entertainment broadcasting group, today announced that it will launch four pay-TV channels in Africa on 28 February. Viasat History, Viasat Nature, Viasat Explorer and Viasat Crime will initially be made available to satellite pay-TV subscribers in Nigeria and cable pay-TV subscribers in Kenya.
The channels are localised versions of Viasat Broadcasting's existing thematic documentary channels. Three of the channels are currently available in 29 countries across Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. Viasat Crime is available in the Nordic region. Each channel will be broadcast 12 hours per day, with Viasat History and Viasat Nature sharing one satellite feed, and Viasat Explorer and Viasat Crime sharing another. Distribution agreements have initially been signed with the HiTV and Infinity TV satellite networks in Nigeria, and with cable network operator Zuku in Kenya.
Viasat History is a documentary channel with a broad range of high quality, award-winning history programmes, biopics, period dramas and popular culture shows. Viasat Nature features inspiring content for the family including animal rescue, and wildlife experts and celebrities on their fascinating journeys. Viasat Explorer is a male skewed entertaining factual channel with thrilling sports, science, travel and adventure formats from around the world. Viasat Crime carries a mixture of unsolved crime and mystery investigations, as well as programmes about police work, criminal masterminds and daring heists.
Hans-Holger Albrecht, President and CEO of MTG, commented: “The launch of four of our documentary channels in Africa is the latest example of our strategy to launch tried and tested formats in new territories. Our intention is to make our channels as broadly available as possible in these rapidly developing TV markets and economies. We already have a free-TV operation in Ghana in West Africa, and look forward to developing our presence in the sub-Saharan region of Africa moving forward.”
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For further information, please visit www.mtg.se or contact:
Hans-Holger Albrecht, President & CEO
Tel: +46 (0) 8 562 000 50
Investor & Analyst Enquiries:
Jacob Waern / Matthew Hooper
Tel: +46 (0) 736 992 991 / +44 (0) 7768 440 414
Email: investor.relations@mtg.se
Media Enquiries:
Bert Willborg
Tel: +44 (0) 791 2280 850
Email: bert.willborg@mtg.se
Modern Times Group is a leading international entertainment broadcasting group with the largest geographical broadcast footprint in Europe. MTG's Viasat Broadcasting is the leading free-TV and pay-TV operator in Scandinavia and the Baltics, and has broadcasting operations in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Russia, Ukraine and Ghana. Viasat’s free-TV and pay-TV channels and pay-TV platforms attract a total of 125 million viewers in 31 countries. MTG is also the major shareholder in Russia’s largest independent television broadcaster (CTC Media – Nasdaq: CTCM), and the number one commercial radio operator in the Nordic region.
Modern Times Group MTG AB Class A and B shares are listed on Nasdaq OMX Stockholm’s Large Cap index (‘MTGA’ and ‘MTGB’).
The information in this announcement is that which Modern Times Group MTG AB is required to disclose under the Securities Market Act and/or the Financial Instruments Trading Act. It was released for publication at 08.10 CET on 23 February 2011.