Serbian Leader Defuses Row Over TV N1

Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia's likely next Prime Minister, on Tuesday told David Petraeus, chairman of the Global Institute of the KKR investment firm, that its first direct Balkan investment - a new cross-border TV station, N1, - was welcome in Serbia.

According to the Serbian government, Petraeus told Vucic that KKR wished to increase its investment in Serbia and turn Belgrade into a center for digitalisation in the region.  

Petraeus's visit comes at a time of growing tensions in Serbia as N1 prepares to start programmes in May.

On April 7, the Serbian tabloid Informer, which is close to Vucic's Progressive Party, accused the US of trying to subvert Vucic by setting up N1.

According to the newspaper, the main figure in the alleged US campaign aimed at undermining Vucic, was Petraeus himself, a retired US General and former CIA chief.

The new TV station, the CNN's affiliate in the Balkans, plans to broadcast in three countries - Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia - expanding to other other Balkan countries in future.

The main financial investor behind N1 is United Group, the leading pay TV platform in Southeast Europe.

This includes SBB, the largest cable operator in Serbia, the largest cable operators in Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina - Telemach Slovenia and Telemach BiH - along with Total TV, the largest satellite platform in the region.

In October 2013, the global investment firm KKR, based in New York, acquired SBB/Telemach Group as its first direct investment in Southeast Europe.

The Serbian authorities have meanwhile clearly been unimpressed with the idea of N1 .

Following public discussion of the draft Law on electronic media, the government changed the draft in order to hamper the...