SPT buys MTG Hungarian nets

Sony Pictures Television (SPT) has acquired two Hungarian channels from Modern Times Group (MTG) and said it will expand further during 2015.

Lyle Stewart

SPT has bought Viasat3 and Viasat6 from MTG, adding them to its existing networks in Hungary, namely linear channels AXN, AXN White and AXN Black, and digital services AXN Now and AXN Player.

Viasat3, aimed at women aged 18-39, airs original and acquired shows including The Blacklist and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as well as movies such as the Harry Potter franchise.

Viasat6, meanwhile, targets young males with shows such as Bates Motel and American Horror Story, with both channels carried by Hungary’s major cable and satellite operators.

John Rossiter, general manager of SPT Networks in Central Europe, said the deal was “a big milestone in our plans to boost SPT Networks’ audience share in Hungary and across Central Europe as a whole, allowing us to establish multiple strong brands in the market.”

Lyle Stewart, senior VP of SPT Networks in CEEMA, added that the acquisitions would be followed by further growth in the region during 2015.

Following the deal, which is subject to Hungarian regulatory approval, SPT Networks will have a 6.4% audience share of Hungary’s 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen, making it the fourth biggest cable/satellite/multi-channel operator in the country.

SPT has been ramping up operations in Central and Eastern Europe and gave the nod to its first original series in Poland for AXN Central Europe last year.