Canal Digital, the pay-television broadcaster, is exploring ways to launch operations in countries beyond its core market of the Nordic region. The company would not reveal specific countries but said that any moves would have to be in areas with undeveloped pay-television markets that were covered by its existing satellite footprint. Stig Eide Sivertsen, chief executive of Canal Digital owner Telenor Broadcast, said: "We have developed Canal Digital for the past 10 years and have the knowledge and we know how to replicate that in other countries." While Eide Sivertsen was tight-lipped about plans, he added: "If you were going to do anything you'd rather go somewhere where the market hasn't been more than saturated. In central and eastern Europe there are countries that are at the right end of the scale." Telenor has mobile-telephone interests in Hungary, the Ukraine, Serbia, Russia and the CIS. Any moves beyond its core markets - Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland - would be likely to require substantial investment. Eide Sivertsen told New Media Markets: "If we were to take Canal Digital elsewhere - i.e. central and eastern Europe- then there would be scaling up of the business because I don't think it's possible to do it without going into the red in the early stages.
展开▼
