Bidders have until July 4 to register TV permit interest

A tender for four national TV broadcasting licenses on Greece’s digital network was launched on Friday by the government, which aims to wrap up the process before the end of August.

Interested parties will have to submit their bids by July 4. The government will then have 10 days to select the bidders who will be allowed to take part in the auction of the permits, which will be held between August 12 and 17. The starting price for each license will be 3 million euros.

State Minister Nikos Pappas hailed the process, stressing that it would be the first time since private broadcasting began in Greece that there would be a proper licensing procedure. However, the government’s decision to allow Pappas to have oversight of the tender and to limit the number of permits to four has drawn strong criticism.