Premiere, the pay-TV service at the center of two German media giants' plans for digital TV, intends to push forward with its digital service despite rejection by the European Commission.
The European Union last month blocked an attempt by Bertelsmann AG and Leo Kirch to merge their digital-TV activities, contesting the deal on the grounds that it would create a market monopoly. But Premiere said today that it has filed new applications for digital broadcasting licenses.
Premiere said the application was based on the current investor structure in which French pay-TV service Canal Plus and Bertelsmann TV unit CLT-Ufa each hold 37.5 percent and Kirch owns 25 percent. Canal Plus has announced its plans to sell its share.
Premiere chief executive Ferdinand Kayser said he hoped to have 15 digital programs approved for the Munich and Hamburg markets in time for the Christmas shopping season.
Premiere said it currently has 1.65 million subscribers, 120,000 of whom receive its digital service.
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BBC goes digital for World Cup: British viewers will get a sneak peek of the BBC's planned digital TV services beginning today with special broadcasts of the World Cup events.
The BBC said it will begin previewing the wide-screen digital terrestrial TV service at Heathrow airport lounges, on a giant videoscreen in London's Trocadero complex, and a handful of smaller venues in the country.
The BBC's terrestrial trial will last for the duration of the World Cup as it gears up for the full-blown launch of digital terrestrial TV services in the fall.
Later this month, the BBC also plans to start transmitting its core channels in the wide-screen digital format, as well as a new BBC Choice preview channel via satellite. Those transmissions will coincide with pay-TV broadcaster BSkyB's limited launch this month of up to 200 digital satellite channels.
Reuters contributed to this report.
