CME's Nova sees 2007 ad rates up 15 pct-agency

PRAGUE, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Advertising prices on Czech television broadcaster TV Nova will rise about 15 percent next year, the station's director told the CTK news agency on Tuesday.

Nova is the largest Czech TV station and a key unit of the Nasdaq-listed Central European Media Enterprises <CETV.O> <CETVsp.PR>, a group holding TV stations across central Europe.

The rise will come as the public bradcaster Czech Television will see its commercial air time slashed by a half from January while the launch of new digital stations will be delayed from the intended spring 2007 date due to legal wrangles over licences.

"A comparison of prices of 2006 and 2007 for the target group of adults above 15 years clearly shows that the year-on-year rise should reach 15 percent on average," the agency quoted Nova chief Petr Dvorak as saying.

With the launch of the digital stations not in sight, TV Nova will only have to share the benefit of reduced public TV advertising with rival channel Prima, 50 percent owned by Sweden's MTG <MTGb.ST>.

After the reduction next year, public television is due to lose nearly all advertising from 2008.

Industry groups representing advertising agencies and retailers have been lobbying for a legal change to delay the advertising cut.

Jan Levora, head of the Czech Association for Branded Products (CSZV), told Reuters an analysis the group had commissioned predicted a 25-30 percent advertising price jump next year.

((Reporting by Jan Lopatka, editing by Greg Mahlich; prague.newsroom@reuters.com; Reuters Messaging: jan.lopatka.reuters.com@reuters.net; tel: +420-224 190 474))

Keywords: MEDIA CZECH NOVA