TALLINN - An Estonian investment company was mulling over the establishment of a pan-Baltic MTV affiliate that would include shows in all three languages.
Officials from Martinson Trigon refused to comment on the news, which first appeared on the Internet portal Delfi.
According to reports, the Baltic MTV would broadcast in local languages, with local commercials and both internationally known and local programs via cable and satellite networks.
The rumors were given legitimacy coming after previous reports last week that Martinson Trigon was planning to invest more than 20 million kroons (1.3 million euros) in a pan-Baltic television project.
"I would not like to comment on these things before they are completed. In every deal it is important to decide the details," Joakim Helenius, one of the firm's owners, told the Aripaev business daily on Feb. 22.
Allan Martinson added that it did not have to do with the purchase of a holding in some existing TV channel, but with a totally new project. "Things are underway. It will take another week," the paper quoted him as saying.
In order to implement international television projects, the venture capital fund set up TVCorp, a company registered in Estonia.
Martinson Trigon has also been studying the Russian market. The first major investment 's for $2 million 's was made last year in Reksoft, the oldest Russian software company, then last week it announced that it had bought 100 percent of shares in the Lithuanian IT company MicroLink Lietuva and Baltijos Kompiuteriu Akademija. In all, MartinsonTrigon is aiming to invest 20-30 million euros into Baltic and Russian IT, telecommunication and new media firms, executives said in February.
MicroLink Lietuva and BKA were earlier part of the MicroLink group, which was sold to the three Baltic countries' telecom firms in October 2005. Elion bought the operations of MicoLink Estonia, Lattelekom, the Latvian operations of MicroLink, and Lietuvos Telekom, the Lithuanian operations of MicroLink. But the latter deal was not approved by Lithuania's competition board, forcing Lietuvos Telekomas to resell the shares.
Martinson Trigon said it would continue developing MicroLink Lietuva. "MicroLink Lietuva is a profit-making, clearly focused company with strong leadership," said Martinson, who chairs the company
