ITI plans WSE listing and new TV channel this year

Media firm ITI will debut on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) this year, the company's representatives have announced. "We want to go ahead with a public share issue and debut on the WSE in 2002, but it all depends on market conditions," said Jan Wejchert, ITI's CEO. The value of the issue is not specified, although under an earlier plan ITI was expecting to make $200 million from a public issue of shares to investors in Warsaw and London. The company has also announced major changes in its strategy. ITI-owned Onet.pl, the nation's largest Internet portal, has already laid off 80 of its 260 employees, and plans to start charging Internet users for some of the services it offers. Another major project planned by the company is a new television channel, in addition to TVN and TVN24, which it already operates. The launch of the new channel is planned for March this year. (Puls Biznesu, p. 4) A.K.