THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 2, 1994 TAG: 9407020571
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAVE MAYFIELD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 43 lines
Landmark Communications Inc.'s European cable-TV network, ``travel,'' has expanded from its base in England into four Scandinavian countries and plans to enter about 10 more European and Asian nations by year's end.
Jerry Glover, commercial director for the London-based network, said in an interview Thursday that ``travel'' on Monday picked up 300,000 cable subscribers in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark.
That is in addition to the 500,000 subscribers that ``travel'' has gained in England since launching there Feb. 1.
The new network is one of three cable-TV networks owned by the Norfolk-based Landmark, parent of The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star. The other two are in the United States are The Weather Channel and The Travel Channel.
Glover said the expansion by ``travel'' into Scandinavia is ``reallythe beginning of a whole international strategy. We're looking at a lot of opportunities in Europe, as well as other places.''
He said, for instance, that in July ``travel'' will pick up 15,000 subscribers in Russia and three other former Soviet republics - Georgia, Latvia and Uzbekistan. The subscribers in those countries are part of systems that cater to foreigners.
By the fall, Glover said, the network aims to launch in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. He predicted ``travel'' will have more than 1 million customers by year's end.
In some of the countries, the network's programs are or will be subtitled in languages other than English, he noted.
Landmark hasn't disclosed revenue or profit goals for the network. Glover said ``travel'' is currently unprofitable, but said that startup losses were expected. He said the network is ahead of its financial and subscribership goals.
KEYWORDS: LANDMARK COMMUNICATIONS CABLE TELEVISION by CNB