Bulgaria commercial company "Nova TV" will apply for a license to open and operate a new sports channel, replacing the current "MM" music channel.

"New Sport" will be launched in the first half of 2010, the company has announced on Monday. Distribution throughout Bulgaria will be by cable and satellite.

The sports channel will replace the music channel MM, which will be closed down.

"A specialized sports channel enriches the media mix of the "Nova" and "Diema" channels, and meets the needs and expectations of the audience for high quality sports," the statement read.

"Viewers have a strong need for a Bulgarian sports channel that will deliver quality content from the world's best sporting events. We are very happy to respond to their interest with "Nova Sport"," said Jakob Andersen, Executive Director of Nova TV and Diema.

Nova TV currently holds the rights to broadcast the Champions' League and England's championship football tournament, as well as the FA Cup and domestic matches featuring the England national team.

The company recently bought the Premier League rights for a further three years. Unofficial estimates put the cost to Bulgaria for a foreign league at about EUR 2,5 M per year.

Nova TV's football coverage is presently broadcast on the Diema and Diema 2 channels.

Meanwhile, it is reported that the CME television group, one of Nova TV's competitors, is also developing a separate sports channel. CME owns Pro.BG, and recently bought bTV, part of Rupert Murdoch's NewsCorp empire.

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