The Czech ministry of internal affairs has set out a proposal for speeding up switch from analogue to digital broadcasting, suggesting that the new digital TV licenses should be officially assigned by the law. The ministry wants to convince TV Nova and TV Prima to give up their analogue broadcasting licences, which are valid until 2015, saying that the sooner the commercial TV channels switch to digital, the more new digital channels they might get. If they do it before October 2010, they can get only one license, while if they do it before September 9 2009 they can get two licenses.
Our view: We view the news as slightly positive, as we believe that the TV Nova could negotiate a good deal, opening new opportunities for launching thematic channels, and delaying the starting positions for the competition.