Baltkom to continue broadcasting TV3

Latvian cable operator Baltkom has said it does not intend to discontinue broadcasting Modern Times Group-owned commercial channel TV3 despite the channel’s unwillingness to waive financial claims for transmission fees.

Baltkom and other Latvian cable providers have been involved in a long-running dispute with country’s most widely-viewed channel,  and stopped transmitting it for a brief period last year. The operator argues that, as TV3 has must-carry status, it should bear the cost of its own transmission, and points out that Baltkom’s subscriber base represents a significant portion of the channel’s audience.