segments abroad

New programming deals with Finland and Mexico are a bit of a financial fiesta for the CHUM Group, says Jay Switzer, vice-president programming for CHUM Group Television.

Switzer won’t detail how much revenue each venture is expected to generate, but says neither of the two contracts, one with MTV 3 in Helsinki and the other with Cablevision S.A., Mexico, requires an up-front investment from CHUM Group. ‘Both deals are cash-to-us from day one,’ says Switzer.

Beginning September 1995, CHUMCity and MTV 3 will launch a daily programming segment which will skew Citytv-style programming to Finnish teens and young adults.

The agreement is part production deal, part program supply deal, part format deal and part licensing deal. The 90-minute block, Jyrki, will utilize programming segments from Citytv series. Also part of the deal are rights for the use of the MuchMusic name, access to staff training, and consultation on production setup.

Jyrki will be available in 4.8 million households through MTV 3, the biggest terrestrial commercial broadcaster in Finland. ‘This is a significant deal for us,’ says Switzer. Only 34% of the country has access to cable.

As of June 1, Cablevision S.A. began beaming MuchMusic programming into Mexico. It’s Much’s second foray into the Spanish-speaking market after starting up MuchaMusica in Argentina in 1992 with Buenos Aires-based Canal Joven.

Cablevision’s subscriber base is concentrated in Mexico City, with about 250,000 subscribers. How quickly penetration climbs will depend on packaging and tiering, which hasn’t been decided yet, says Switzer. It’s being offered as a paid supplementary service at the outset but could be part of a package at some point.

Talks are in progress to begin a local version of the station in Mexico.

In the meantime, negotiations continue between Much and pctv, the umbrella group for the smaller cablecos outside the city, and should an agreement be signed, potential penetration would increase to over one million households.

Like other major broadcasters, CHUM Group is casing the Asian market. We’re looking at terrestrial ventures in countries like Korea and Singapore, although we’re not up to speed or active in any way yet, says Switzer, with the qualifier that within the next 30 to 60 days there might be some news. Asia-specific news? ‘Maybe.’