Bulgaria's Top Private TV Stations Get Tangled in Ad Price Dumping Suit

bTV or Nova TV - Bulgaria's largest private TV channels. Photo collage from slusham.com

Bulgaria's largest private TV station bTV Media Group has filed a suit against its largest private competitor, Nova Broadcasting Group, with the Bulgarian Competition Protection Commission.

bTV claims unfair competition practices on part of Nova TV as stipulated by the Competition Protection Act, the media company announced.

According to bTV Media Group, Nova TV has been offering advertising at dumping prices to selected advertisers between 2009 and 2012.

"The selective offering of dumping prices by Nova Broadcasting Group to certain clients sets advertisers in a condition of inequality, and simultaneously threatens the successful development of the television market in Bulgaria," bTV Media Group said.

"Through this suit, we hope not only to help preserve the healthy business environment on the television market, but also to preserve the interest of the participants in all other sectors that are our advertisers. We believe that all advertisers must get equal conditions for TV presence so that the market can develop successfully in a state of objective and fair competition," declared Vesela Dimova, Sales Director at bTV Media Group.

In 2010, Central European Media Enterprises acquired bTV from Rupert Murdoch's News Corp for USD 400 M; two years earlier, Swedish MTG Group acquired Nova TV for EUR 620 M.

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