Disney Takes Stake in Spanish DTT Outfit

MADRID, February 13: The
Walt Disney Company Iberia (TWDCI) has acquired a 20-percent interest in Net
TV, a division of the Spanish media company Vocento that holds one of six
issued digital terrestrial television (DTT) licenses.

The move is part of
Vocento’s efforts to bolster its position in the free-DTT market, which has an
average country-wide penetration of about 23 percent. As part of its
investment, Disney will offer up a range of content to Net TV. The purchase
price was not disclosed, but has been reported to be about 27 million euros.

John Hardie, the executive
VP and managing director of Walt Disney Television Europe, Middle East and
Africa, said: “Our strategy is to seek the widest possible distribution for our
programming and this agreement is another step towards that goal. We believe
that DTT offers an excellent business opportunity for the future and we are
delighted to cement our presence with this deal.”

—By Mansha Daswani