MILAN (Reuters) - Italian broadcaster Mediaset's (MI:MS) net loss widened to 88.8 million euros (£79.26 million) in the third quarter from 60 million euros a year earlier after a dispute over the sale of its pay-TV unit to France's Vivendi (PA:VIV) weighed on sales.
The French company's decision to back out of the accord signed in April had slowed down sales growth at the pay-TV unit, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. Pay-TV sales were up 5 percent in the third quarter, compared with a rise of 16 percent in the first six months of the year, it added.
The Milan-based broadcaster said Italian advertising revenues rose 2.6 percent in the first nine months to 1.4 billion euros.