Wizja, Cyfra still fighting to add new players to platforms
The clear success went to Wizja, which is owned by @Entertainment, when it lured Polsat away from Cyfra. Polsat, the country's largest private television station, will give Wizja its two terrestrial channels as well as thematic channels it is now developing.
Polsat defected after it got tired of waiting for the Cyfra platform to be formally created. It now joins tvn as the second commercial station involved with Wizja.
But Cyfra, which is backed by Canal+ Polska, also is hoping for a score and said it expects within days to clinch a final agreement with public broadcaster Telewizja Polska (TVP).
Each side was crowing about its respective advances.
"It is just a matter of time about how soon Nasza TV will join the platform because it's free broadcasting to 140,000 households in Poland," Przemyslaw Szmyt, president of Wizja TV, told the Business Journal.
Under the agreement with Polsat, Wizja will make its two channels, Polsat and Polsat 2, available through the satellite system as well as the country's largest cable network, Polska Telewizja Kablowa (PTK), which is also owned by @Entertainment. As a result of the agreement, the platform will now have 24 Polish-language channels.
Cyfra tried to play down the defection.
"I am in a difficult situation right now because I haven't been officially notified by Polsat about that deal, so I must treat it as a market game," said Lew Rywin, president of Canal+ Polska. "What Polsat might be heading to is gaining better conditions in Cyfra+."
He was quick to add that Cyfra will go one better with a TVP deal. The possibility of an agreement was confirmed by the broadcaster.
"According to my information, the deal should be concluded by the end of May," said Pawel Sosnowski, a TVP spokesman.
Rywin said the deal will be advantageous to both sides with Cyfra gaining valuable content and TVP securing wider distribution.
"TVP's market price will go up if it's present only on one digital platform," he added.
But it is unclear if Cyfra will have exclusive access to TVP.
According to Tomasz Welnicki, deputy chair of the Sejm's media and culture committee, Polsat also has rights to broadcast TVP's channels.
"It is obvious that every digital broadcaster would like to have public TV in its content," he said. "Polsat got the rights to put TVP on a digital platform with the license from the radio and television council (KRRiTV)."
Canal+, which also received a license to use TVP content, must receive permission to do so, unlike Polsat, Welnicki said.
Szmyt, however, didn't see Polsat bringing that much to the table and said the recent agreement doesn't include broadcasting of TVP's programming.
Polsat defected after it got tired of waiting for the Cyfra platform to be formally created. It now joins tvn as the second commercial station involved with Wizja.
But Cyfra, which is backed by Canal+ Polska, also is hoping for a score and said it expects within days to clinch a final agreement with public broadcaster Telewizja Polska (TVP).
Each side was crowing about its respective advances.
"It is just a matter of time about how soon Nasza TV will join the platform because it's free broadcasting to 140,000 households in Poland," Przemyslaw Szmyt, president of Wizja TV, told the Business Journal.
Under the agreement with Polsat, Wizja will make its two channels, Polsat and Polsat 2, available through the satellite system as well as the country's largest cable network, Polska Telewizja Kablowa (PTK), which is also owned by @Entertainment. As a result of the agreement, the platform will now have 24 Polish-language channels.
Cyfra tried to play down the defection.
"I am in a difficult situation right now because I haven't been officially notified by Polsat about that deal, so I must treat it as a market game," said Lew Rywin, president of Canal+ Polska. "What Polsat might be heading to is gaining better conditions in Cyfra+."
He was quick to add that Cyfra will go one better with a TVP deal. The possibility of an agreement was confirmed by the broadcaster.
"According to my information, the deal should be concluded by the end of May," said Pawel Sosnowski, a TVP spokesman.
Rywin said the deal will be advantageous to both sides with Cyfra gaining valuable content and TVP securing wider distribution.
"TVP's market price will go up if it's present only on one digital platform," he added.
But it is unclear if Cyfra will have exclusive access to TVP.
According to Tomasz Welnicki, deputy chair of the Sejm's media and culture committee, Polsat also has rights to broadcast TVP's channels.
"It is obvious that every digital broadcaster would like to have public TV in its content," he said. "Polsat got the rights to put TVP on a digital platform with the license from the radio and television council (KRRiTV)."
Canal+, which also received a license to use TVP content, must receive permission to do so, unlike Polsat, Welnicki said.
Szmyt, however, didn't see Polsat bringing that much to the table and said the recent agreement doesn't include broadcasting of TVP's programming.
