Kirch Group’s loss making pay-TV division, Premiere World, has been approached by a number of interested parties hoping to take a stake in the business, chairman Goerg Kofler has told the Financial Times Deutschland in an interview.
Recent speculation has been over the possibility of BSkyB increasing its 22% stake in Premiere World, although the UK satellite company has denied that it intends to do this (see
BSkyB Denies Further Investment In KirchPayTV). Bertelsmann’s RTL Group has also been linked with the business.
However, Kofler is quoted as saying that he has received approaches from many other interested parties, although none was named.
Analysts at ABN Amro believe that Premiere could be made into a profitable business with some investment, especially given that it has around 2.5 million pay-TV homes installed – Europe’s largest potential pay-TV market. It is understood that the business’ creditors are in talks with corporations about bringing in new shareholders.
Sportfive seeks Kirch’s World Cup rights Separately, Sportfive, the European sports company recently formed by a three-way merger (see EC Clears European Sports Rights Merger), is reported by FT.com to have written to Kirch’s liquidator (see Kirch Investors Abandon Rescue Plans) expressing its interest in acquiring the broadcast rights to the World Cup football competition.
The rights currently held by Kirch (see Kirch In Talks With BBC And ITV Over 2002/2006 World Cup Rights) cover the 2006 World Cup tournament and have reportedly already brought Kirch $1 billion worth of contracted sales, with more than half the rights so far sold.
