Advanced Television

Quality the criterion on Portuguese 5th channel tender

July 22, 2008

From Branislav Pekic in Rome

The quality of the television offer will be the main criteria for the evaluation of bids on the tender that will The quality of the television offer will be the main criteria for the evaluation of bids on the tender that will award the license to run Portugal's fifth national terrestrial TV channel.

According to the proposed tender rules, published in Portugal's Official Gazzette (Diário da República), and on which interested parties can pass comment until August 29th, half of the points will be awarded to the quality of the TV offer. Special emphasis will be given to the “guarantee of pluralism”, i.e. priority will be given to those bidders who do not already have a broadcasting licence.

The other criteria that will be taken into consideration will be the diversification of the TV offer (30 per cent), the transmission of European, independent and Portuguese language programmes (10 per cent), the human resource policy (5 per cent) and the fulfilling of legal norms and commitments (5 per cent).

The owner of pay-TV operator TV Cabo, Zon Multimédia is interested in taking part and, according to executive president Rodrigo Costa, talks are underway with minority shareholders, Controlinveste and Cofina, for a possible joint bid.

The tender will be called this autumn and the new TV channel could be on the air by mid-2009

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