ITI's concept for Catholic channel fails to impress analysts

The new station is thought to be the brainchild of Mariusz Walter, ITI's Vice-President and one of the founders of TVN, who sees it as his last major project before retirement. Some top Catholic commentators, including Szymon Holownia and Rev. Kazimierz Sowa, are reportedly involved in the project, although both declined to comment. But analysts and industry observers question the business rationale behind the move, pointing out that while Catholic media in Poland have been increasingly influential politically, they have not been very popular with advertisers. Indeed, Maciej Sojka, TVN chief executive, admits that, "Profitability runs counter to the very idea of a religious channel". This has bred speculation about the likely political motivation of the project. With both of Poland's main private TV stations, TVN and Polsat, under fire from the ruling coalition, a project such as this could improve TVN's standing in the eyes of the government. Or perhaps Mariusz Walter seeks to create a counterweight to TV Trwam? (Puls Biznesu, p. 5) R.M.