From Branislav Pekic in Rome

Portugal's broadcasting regulator (ERC) has rejected the only two bids submitted on the tender for the 5th free-to-air terrestrial TV channel.

According to ERC, Zon Multimedia's bid was rejected due to the lack of technical and human resources, while Telecinco's bid received the thumbs down due to a lack of economic and financial viability. The two bidders now have ten working days to respond to ERC's decision, after which will follow another ten working days for a review of the situation. The final decision will be published at the end of March.

Zon Multimedia has said it will analyse ERC's decision in order to provide the necessary clarifications within the set deadline. The operator is also considering the possibility of including an experienced international partner if it gets the licence for the 5th TV channel. For its part Telecinco admits it is surprised with the intention to exclude its bid, adding that they will submit to the ERC all of the elements considered necessary, including information regarding potential investors in the project.

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