Nordic pay-television broadcaster C More Entertainment is to close sports-focused commercial channel Canal 9 in Norway.
C More’s administrative director in Norway, Steinar Brændeland, told the Kampanje news website that the channel is being closed due to poor ratings for non-sports programmes.
“Canal 9 has done a good job for us through sports programmes such as the Uefa European Football Championship, the Europa League and (Italian football’s top-tier) Serie A in terms of ratings,” he said. “However, we are not satisfied with the ratings for the rest of our schedule. Our rights are primarily for pay-television platforms, and we operate nearly 20 of those in Norway alone, so that will be our focus going forward.”
Canal 9 was launched in 2011 ahead of the 2012 European Championships.