The World Digest - December 5, 2003

Miromar launched

BERLIN — Roland Pellegrino, former head of German film financier CP Medien, has launched a new film and television production entity, Miromar Entertainment, with German producers Michel Morales and Martin Koch of Munich-based production house Haifisch Entertainment, the parties said Thursday. Beginning in January, Miromar will bankroll and produce a slate of telefilms, documentaries and feature films. Koch and Morales have brought two TV productions to Miromar from Haifisch: the telefilm "Herzrasen" for Munich-based channel ProSieben and the documentary "Alantropa" for pubcasters WDR, BR, NDR and Austria's ORF.



France TV sets gauge

PARIS — Public broadcaster France Televisions has engaged Novatris, a leading European market research company, to set up a "qualitative barometer" to gauge viewer satisfaction and to make its France 2, France 3 and France 5 channels more responsive to public taste, France Televisions CEO Marc Tessier said Thursday. The study, which will not be publicized and will be used only to guide internal strategy, is part of Operation Transparence TV Tax, which aims to provide viewers with information about where the money they pay each year as TV tax is utilized.



Retecal to Cableuropa

MADRID — Spanish cable operator Cableuropa, which markets under the brand ONO, became Spain's biggest cable company Thursday by buying cable operator Retecal. The deal with Retecal, which controlled the Castile and Leon area, gives ONO access to 900,000 households. The company now has 700,000 residential clients and 2.5 million commercial clients. ONO took control of Retecal through a share swap with Retecal shareholders bank Caja Espana and investment group Grupo Begar, giving Madrid-based ONO 56% of Retecal. No further financial details were available.