Balkan CNN to launch Oct 30
October 21, 2014
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
N1, a Balkan regional 24-hour news channel and exclusive CNN partner for the region, will start broadcasting on October 30th.
N1 will have three regional centers – in Zagreb, Belgrade and Sarajevo, each of which has its own editorial policy, journalists, TV studio, internet and mobile platforms. All three studios will produce separate content that will be merged into a single regional program schedule. Additionally, N1 will broadcast CNN programs that it considers as relevant to viewers in the region, as well as providing CNN with regional news output that has global significance.
N1 is owned by United Group, a regional DTH and cable TV operator, which in turn is owned by by US private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR). Former CNN correspondent Brent Sadler will be the network news director.
Initially, N1 will be distributed in Croatia via IPTV operator MAXtv and cable operator B.net; in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia on cable operator Telemach and in Serbia via cable operators SBB, KDS, Jet and Beogrid. Viewers in Europe will be able to watch N1 via the Total TV DTH platform and, worldwide, via the OTT platform NetTV Plus. Additionally, the channel will also be available online (www.n1info.com) and on special apps for the iOS, Android and Windows platforms.