Zone Vision gets $12m injection

London-based broadcaster and channel distributor Zone Vision has had an injection of $12m from global private equity investor Advent International.

The investment, which values the company at $100m, will enable Zone Vision to launch new channels and to roll out its existing products to new markets.

{This investment enables us to continue to offer high quality, fully localised thematic channels to the ever expanding digital television market place,{ said Chris Wronski, founder and ceo of the Zone Vision Group.

Advent's director George Swirski added: {Here is a company that, by building excellent local teams and good relationships with CATV and DTH operators across Europe, has developed from its Central European focus into a pan-European broadcasting business, with operations beyond Europe as well.{

{The company runs an efficient operation, with productivity substantially exceeding others in its industry,{ he continued.

Ten-year-old Zone Vision currently has eight channels broadcasting to over 25m subscribers through platforms like UPC, BSkyB, Multichoice, DigiTurk and Arab Digital Distribution.

The company also has syndication and channel rep deals with companies like Discovery, MTV, Turner, ESPN and Hallmark, and has recently launched joint venture channels with Showtime Networks, UPC and E! Entertainment.

Advent;s previous broadcasting investments include @Entertainment, a Polish pay-TV broadcaster that was acquired by UPC in 1999; German cable network Primacom; and SBS.