Advanced Television

Montenegro public tender for first DTT multiplex

November 3, 2014

From Branislav Pekic in Rome

Montenegro’s Agency for Electronic Media has announced a tender for the access rights to the first national DVB-T2 multiplex (Mux 1).

In line with the Plan for the Allocation of Radio Frequencies for Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting, the DVB-T2 multiplex will be transmitted in four so-called “allotment areas” (Bjelasica – channel 43, Lovcen – channel 35, Podgorica – channel 24 and Tvrdas – channel 49).

The access rights to the first DTT multiplex that will air free-to-air channels will be granted to nine broadcasters. The operator of Mux 1 is public enterprise Radio Difuzni Center, which has the obligation to cover 85 per cent of the population of Montenegro by 17 December 2014 at the latest. Access to the first multiplex has already been granted to two TV channels and two radio stations from public broadcaster Radio Televizija Crne Gore, whose programs Radio Difuzni Centar is obliged to distribute at no charge.

Bids can be submitted by 1 December 2014 and each bidder will have to pay a €5000.00 deposit. The broadcasting regulator will publish the list of applicants within 10 days and reach a decision on the best bidders within 60 days.

According to the tender regulations, priority access will be granted to so-called “non-profit broadcasters”, i.e. educational, religious and student institutions, as well as non-governmental organizations, registered for at least three years, who will have to produce at least 50 per cent of the programs aired.

For commercial broadcasters, the main criteria when judging the bids will be the program content (60 out of a total of 100 points), followed by the financial sustainability of the project (30 points) and the organizational structure (10 points).

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