Archive notice: This article was originally published on August 10, 2007. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
MFD Mobiles Fernsehen Deutschland GmbH and NEVA Media GmbH today agreed to establish a joint venture for the introduction of mobile television in Germany. With the merger, the previous competitors for corresponding broadcasting licences want to secure the introduction of mobile TV via the DVB-H broadcasting standard for 2008 in Germany.
Behind the two mobile-TV specialists are three major media groups: The publishing houses Hubert Burda Media and Holtzbrinck hold stakes in NEVA Media, while the internationally active media and technology group Naspers is behind MFD Mobiles Fernsehen Deutschland as a strategic investor. All shareholders have agreed to the cooperation between the companies.
The bundled media and technology expertise and at the same time the independence of the new joint venture are decisive, the companies explain in a joint statement. “The joint venture sees itself as a neutral platform operator whose services are open to all programme providers and telecommunications companies,” says Dr. Paul-Bernhard Kallen, Executive Board member for Technology & Treasury at Hubert Burda Media. The rapid and successful market introduction of the DVB-H standard is the goal of both companies. “By the 2008 European Championship at the latest, we want to successfully launch mobile TV via DVB-H together,” says Henrik Rinnert, Managing Director of MFD Mobiles Fernsehen Deutschland. “The cooperation brings enormous advantages for the development of mobile television in Germany,” emphasises Paulus Neef, Managing Director of NEVA Media GmbH: “Expertise and reliability in platform operation are strengthened by the cooperation just as much as the diversity of the content offering.”
The companies have already applied for the broadcasting licences necessary for platform operation. These licences for broadcasting mobile TV via DVB-H were already put out to tender by the state media authorities in spring 2007. The licences are expected to be awarded during the course of this year.
