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MTV Germany to become subscriber-only station

Published: 5 Oct 10 16:43 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/money/20101005-30285.html

MTV in Germany is set to become a subscriber-only channel in January 2011 in a bid to encourage growth and lead an industry-wide trend, the company announced on Tuesday.

The head of MTV Germany and Northern Europe, Dan Ligtvoet, told the Financial Times Deutschland that the music entertainment channel will switch from being among free stations to become part of paid internet broadband, cable and satellite packages.

The move is meant to kickstart “growth in the landscape of subscriber services,” Ligtvoet said.

In turn, Viacom, the US media giant that owns MTV, will promote its German sister-channel Viva as the central entertainment channel on free TV to provide “a window onto our world of programming,” featuring the most popular shows from all its channels, Ligtvoet said.

Viacom also operates the channels Comedy Central and the children’s channel Nickelodeon in Germany.

This will be the first television channel in Germany to switch an established free station over to subscriber packages, though most are working to reduce their dependence on advertisements and take advantage of new digital and mobile platforms, the paper reported.

“I expect more growth from it,” Ligtvoet said. “Our strategy is to offer content everywhere the users want to see it.”

Ligtvoet emphasized that the company is at the forefront of a shift that will occur in subscriber-only TV services in the next five to 10 years.

“Infrastructure providers, these being the cable networks, want to grow - and not just in terms of the content they provide,” he told the paper. “They want to be part of the growing expansion of paid TV services.”

The Local/DAPD/rm

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

19:16 October 5, 2010 by majura
No real loss IMO. I think they're most likely going to fail.

Whilst people here are used to paying higher taxes and next year will have us all paying for the joke that is GEZ (I have no issue with the idea of state-funded TV/Radio, but where I come from it comes out of the national budget). I just don't see parents paying extra for MTV just because their teenies want it. Lets be honest, there's something called the internet and all the 'popular programs' can be had in English.
14:19 October 6, 2010 by efehrenbach
What? Like OMFG!!!! no more free Lady cAcA, Eminem , Rihanna, Shakira, Kylie Minogue or even LENA!!!!!! Thank goodness Jamster is still around :-p

Good Riddance.
14:51 October 6, 2010 by dankworth
Gott sei Dank
14:16 October 7, 2010 by J-Dub
If MTV was all in German, this would not have ever been thought of. See, it's a luxury to have a non-news TV station in Germany in any other language than German and that is why MTV thinks they will succeed with this. But unfortunately, they won't since VIVA is just as good, if not better. VIVA plays actual music instead of this reality TV garbage.
15:00 October 7, 2010 by Johnne
Thank God! at least we won´t be forced to see their rubbish for free.
11:29 October 8, 2010 by delvek
Wow, cya MTV its amazing your still going since your programming has been crap since the 90's. Do they even play music videos anymore?

Sad though, MTV in the 80's was incredible.
21:39 October 8, 2010 by chuckfm
I'm intrigued that they think it will work.. and I do think there will be a trend in this directions of paid services... Backlash to the cost-free services we've seen in the last years. I think we will say I want "commercial-free" and I will pay for it! Then the "look at all I can get for nothing" will slowly fade and folks will redefine their needs. Look at HBO and Fox.. for these future models. That said, I see a changing of the guard and the end of the MTv era! Yaa the king is dead, long live the king!
09:52 October 11, 2010 by lordkorner
What a wonderful piece of news.one less channel to hop.
21:30 January 6, 2011 by ouijabored
it's too bad... i really enjoyed Mtv whilst here in germany.. but i'm NOT paying for it... i enjoy Yavido, Deluxe Music and the others anyways... more music, better music, and no stupid 'Reality TV'... i could do without Snookie!
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