Discovery Communications Inc. is "considering charging Olympics fans in Europe to watch niche sports like bobsledding and speed skating, part of an effort to squeeze more profit out of the games and test its growing direct-to-consumer business." Discovery CEO David Zaslav said, "If you want all the judo, you get it, but you pay for it. That's what we're looking at." With ratings down at some networks, the owner of Animal Planet and TLC has been "expanding across Latin America and Europe, where pay-TV subscribers are still growing in numbers" (BLOOMBERG, 9/22).
Online forex broker Xtrade has launched a digital hub featuring Real Madrid player Cristiano Ronaldo. The new hub features live social media feeds and fun facts about the Xtrade global ambassador (Xtrade).
A new sports channel named 213 is "likely to make its debut in Slovakia in October." According to Medialne, a company named Elements Channel "originally received a licence for the service" from the Council for Broadcasting & Retransmission in July. However, it has since requested a name change to 213 (the numbers of the podium) and format, "with 80% of the channel’s output being allocated to sport and 20% to local culture" (BROADBAND TV NEWS, 9/22).
