Sky Italia buys FTA channel MTV from Viacom

Sky Italia has agreed to buy the free-to-air channel MTV Italia from Viacom International Media Networks.

No financial details of the sale were disclosed. The deal, for the free-to-air MTV channel, will see Sky beginning to integrate existing MTV content with Sky Italia programming. This will include daily news from Sky TG24. MTV holds position #8 on the country’s digital terrestrail platform

Viacom acquired full control of MTV Italia, after Telecom Italia Media (TIM) sold its interest to the US-based broadcaster in September 2013.

Viacom remains active in the country with its barnds Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr, and MTV Music. MTV Music is also available as a DTT chnanel.

In a related development Viacom has acquired a 50% interest in Prism TV Private Limited, a regional network operator in India, for 9.4b rupees (about EUR145mi).

Prism TV owns and operates a number of entertainment channels, including ETV Marathi, ETV Kannada, ETV Bangla, ETV Oriya and ETV Gujarati. The company has been rebranding the channels under theColors mark.

Viacom is executing the deal through its Nickelodeon Asia Holdings unit. The remaining half of Prism TV will be held by Network18, Viacom’s partner in its Viacom18 joint venture that operates ten channels in India, including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and Colors.

“This acquisition is an important step in building on our leadership position in India, a key market in Viacom’s international growth strategy,” said Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman in a statement.

MTG and Viacom sign Scandinavian VOD deal

Modern Times Group has signed a partnership agreement with Viacom International Media Networks to include exclusive advertising-funded video on demand content.

Content from the MTV and Comedy Central channels will feature in MTG’s free-TV online ‘catch-up’ services in Sweden, Norway and Denmark from February 4. MTG will also handle advertising sales for Viacom’s online platforms, and sell the combined online reach of the MTG and Viacom online catch-up TV services to advertisers.

MTV and Comedy Central content will therefore be shown on TV3Play.se, TV6Play.se, TV8Play.se, and TV10Play.se in Sweden; and MTV content will be shown on TV3Play.no, Viasat4play.no and TV6Play.no in Norway, and on TV3Play.dk in Denmark.

The content includes MTV and Comedy Central hit formats such asCatfish, Geordie Shore, Teen Mom and The Daily Show, as well as an extensive library of TV series such as The Hills, Punked and Cribs. Kids TV series such as SpongeBob and Dora the Explorer from Viacom channel Nickelodeon are also already available through MTG’s Viaplay online pay-TV subscription service.

The online advertising sales agreement follows earlier agreements between MTG and Viacom, whereby MTG already sells airtime on Viacom’s linear channels MTV, Comedy Central and VH-1 as part of its free-TV advertising sales packages in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

“This is a key new step in the development of our strong partnership with Viacom, and reflects our determination to be the leading online and offline provider of high quality and relevant entertainment products in all of our markets,” said Jørgen Madsen Lindemann, president and CEO of MTG.

“This exciting content and sales agreement will provide our online viewers with even richer and more varied content experiences through multiple screens and devices, and provide our advertising customers with increased reach and impact”.

Viacom to take over Czech/Slovak MTV

Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) is to assume control of MTV in the Czech Republic and Slovakia from the beginning of 2014.

Parabola reports that this will be following the expiry of contracts that have allowed CET 21, the licence holder of CME stations in the two countries, to distribute the channel.

Significantly, it adds that Bartosz Witak, VIMN’s MD for CEE and Israel, said that the company is open to future cooperation with CET 21, if such a collaboration opportunity arises.

Speculation is now mounting that financially-troubled CME may start disposing of some of its assets, with the Czech film distributor Bontonfilm being possibly put up for sale.

It is certainly reducing its activities, with TV Markiza in Slovakia recently confirming the closure of Fooor, a thematic channel it launched in only February this year.