Giants vie for Spain's cash-rich TV market
Five consortia bid for 2 DTT licenses
The franchise applications point to powerful, burgeoning media alliances already making their presence felt in other sectors, as well as the incursion of media groups into Spain's cash-rich TV market.
The five competing consortia are:
- Horizonte Digital, led by Catalonia-based companies the Godo Group, publishers of Spanish daily "La Vanguardia," niche TV channel packager Media Park and the giant Planeta Group.
- Net-TV: teaming the Prensa Espanola publishing house and top TV producers Radiotronica-Telson-Cartel and Globo Media. French broadcaster TF1 and Portuguese net SIC are minority partners in Net-TV.
- Veo TV, controlled by the Pearson-owned Recoletos publishing group in Spain and Spanish daily newspaper "El Mundo."
- Cope-Cajasur, a joint venture of Catholic radio network Cope and Andalusian saving bank Cajasur.
- Telecomunicaciones Comver, led by giant Swedish TV company Scandinavia Broadcasting System.
The presence of Telson-Cartel and Globo Media in the same consortium has fueled rumors of a possible merger between the two top TV production houses. Prensa Espanola has recently restructured in order to invest in the Internet and TV, such as DTT broadcasting for Madrid.
Franchises will be awarded on Nov. 30.
