Speculation is rife that Rupert Murdoch-owned News Corp International will soon take a stake in Kirch Gruppe, in order to get a better foothold in the lucrative German market – the only German interest the company currently has is 49% ownership of terrestrial channel, Vox. It seems likely that any tie-up with Kirsch would be undertaken to establish a digital pay-TV service along the lines of News Corp flagship British Sky Broadcasting Plc, or the proposed Kirch, Bertelsmann AG and CLT-Ufa joint venture, which was rejected after Bertelsmann walked out of talks with EU competition authorities two weeks ago (CI No 3,421). It seems unlikely that Karel Van Miert and his commissioners would look any more favorably on a link-up between Kirch and News Corp. A spokesperson for News Corp refused to comment on the DTV speculation or whether Mr Murdoch, who will be speaking at a press gathering in Germany next week, will be using the trip to attempt to drum up political support for any prospective venture.
