ProSiebenSat.1 to Start German TV in US

Germany's biggest TV company, ProSiebenSat.1, plans to broadcast German-language programming to the United States starting in early 2005, the firm's head, Guillaume de Posch, announced Tuesday. Called "ProSiebenSat.1 Welt," the channel will be broadcast via satellite and will show two live Bundesliga soccer games weekly, along with programs produced for its channels in Germany. The US broadcasts will be financed by subscriber fees and ads. ProSiebenSat.1 expects the channel to start making a profit by 2007. US billionaire Haim Saban acquired a controlling stake in the German group last year. "GermanTV," a joint German TV programming venture for US customers by Deutsche Welle and German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF, has been struggling to attract paying viewers.