Supposed partners in digital pay television Bertelsmann AG and Leo Kirch took each other to court on Friday. Just a month after signing their co-operation agreement, both companies acknowleged that talks were progressing at a snail’s pace and the whole deal could collapse if difficulties were not resolved. Kirch Gruppe’s DF1 digital channel is seeking a court injunction in Hannover to stop the joint Premiere channel from claiming as exclusive its broadcast of Forrest Gump and Outbreak, both of which will also be shown on DF1. Premiere is seeking to block DF1 from claiming it can broadcast up to 100 channels.
