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Gov’t officials, TV executives meet in aftermath of auction

Gov’t officials, TV executives meet in aftermath of auction

Representatives of the four private TV channels that won the licenses auctioned off last week will on Monday meet with State Minister Nikos Pappas, government spokeswoman Olga Gerovasili and the general secretary for information and communication Lefteris Kretsos.

The meeting, scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. at the General Secretariat of Information and Communications (GGEE) in central Athens, will focus on the steps that need to be taken following the tender.

Just two of the country’s seven private TV stations survived a grueling three-day auction launched by the government, which has drastically changed the country’s broadcasting landscape.

Existing channels Skai and Antenna were awarded two of the four licenses up for grabs, while the remaining two went to new groups – one linked to shipping magnate Vangelis Marinakis, who owns Greek soccer club Olympiakos, and the other to a construction group owned by Yiannis Kalogritsas.

The government is expected to face legal challenges over the ensuing 90-day period, at the end of which the licenses will be officially activated, as reports have not ruled out the possibility of it being shot down as unconstitutional by the the Council of State, the country’s highest legal authority.

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