NBCU Sells Das Vierte

MUNICH, June 5: NBC
Universal Global Networks has reached an agreement to sell its German
free-to-air channel Das Vierte to Mini Movie International Channel.

Mini Movie International
Channel, headquartered in Luxembourg, is owned by Dmitri Lesnevski, the TV and
film producer who founded the Russian independent channel Ren TV. The company
produces independent short films and original web content and owns the
international rights to a library of short films from around the world. Last month,
the company launched an Internet portal in the U.S., MiniMovies.com, with plans
to expand the service to mobile and pay-TV platforms.

The sale of Das Vierte in
Germany is in line with NBC Universal’s commitment to focus on the
international expansion of its pay-TV channels; this expansion will play a key
part in plans to more than double the size of NBC Universal’s international
business in the next two to three years.

Das Vierte was launched in
September 2005 as a general-entertainment service reaching around 90 percent of
households, with a 1-percent audience share. Distributed via analogue and
digital cable and satellite, Das Vierte broadcasts Hollywood movies and TV
series to viewers across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The deal is expected to
close by the end of June after clearance by the relevant media authorities.

Roma
Khanna, the president of NBC Universal Global Networks and Digital
Initiatives, commented: “We are confident that Mini Movie International Channel
is well positioned to grow Das Vierte very effectively into the future,
allowing NBCU Global Networks to consolidate resources around our ongoing
extensive pay-TV channels expansion strategy.”

Dmitri Lesnevski, the
owner of Mini Movie International Channel, added, “We are glad to have reached
this agreement, which will bring our international media group to the German
market. We plan to launch and develop Mini Movie as an international short-film
channel in different markets, but we are planning to continue to grow Das
Vierte as a general-entertainment channel. Our intended programming will
include German films and shows, along with Hollywood movies. We also have plans
to produce our own TV series, programs and shows. We hope that our experience
in launching and developing free-to-air channels will enable us to compete for
higher ratings in Germany, one of the most exciting and competitive markets in
the world.”

—By Irene Lew