Bulgaria's bTV Media to Launch New TV Channel

The Bulgarian media group bTV Media Group has announced it will launch a new TV channel in the beginning of 2011.

The company is planning to make a complete repositioning of its TV channel PRO.BG by creating a new channel under the bTV brand.

“bTV Media Group has many ambitious plans for next year. The complete repositioning and rebranding of PRO.BG is part of this strategy and is the next natural step in our development,” Vicky Politova, CEO of the bTV Media Group, said.

The new channel has been developed on the base of an extensive research. It is designed to complement the portfolio of the company, which currently owns the largest private TV station in Bulgaria, bTV, as well as cable channels bTV Comedy, bTV Cinema, PRO.BG, RING.BG, numerous Internet projects and bTV Radio Group.

The exact name of the newly positioned channel has not been announced yet. However, it was stated that it would include movies, sports and various programs.

bTV was set up in 2000 by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. In April 2010, bTV Media Group was acquired for a total of USD 400 M plus a payment of USD 13 M for a working capital adjustmnent by Central European Media Enterprises (CME), which is a company, specializing in broadcast, content and Internet operations in Central and Eastern Europe.

The sale is the third large deal on the Bulgarian TV market for the last two years after the US Central European Media Enterprises bought the cable TV2 and Ring for EUR 110 M, and the Swedish MTG Group acquired Nova TV for EUR 620 M.