Spain's Mediapro says open to tie-ups

MADRID Aug 17 (Reuters) - Spanish media group Mediapro said on Monday it was open to tie-ups with other companies after talks failed between its Imagina unit and rival Prisa (PRS.MC) on merging the pair's audio-visual businesses.

"In this business you have to be efficient and fast ... If that is possible with new partners who recognise our management ability, it would be welcome." Mediapro Chairman Jaume Roures said at a presentation in Madrid of the firm's new pay-TV channel GolTV.

Debt-saddled Prisa said on Aug. 7 that it had broken off talks with Imagina and was exploring other opportunities to integrate its audio-visual operations with other television operators.

Mediapro said the breakdown in the talks was Prisa's fault because it had insisted in controlling the majority of the capital in any new company.

Mediapro is the holder of the main television football broadcasting rights in Spain, as well as other sporting events such as Formula 1 in Spain.

Since the Imagina-Prisa talks broke down 10 days ago, Prisa's shares have lost more than 10 percent. At 1516 GMT, Prisa's shares were down 4.46 percent to 3.43 euros.

Roures said Mediapro's GolTV will offer three Spanish League football matches every weekend for 14.90 euros a month, compared with Prisa's Digital+, which offers two per weekend for 15 euros.

GolTV will be shown on digital TV, but the majority of the 18 million decoders currently being used in Spain are not equipped for pay-TV channels.

Roures said that in the last two years, more than 5 million television sets with a slot for subscription cards for pay-for-digital television channels have been sold in Spain. (Reporting by Robert Hetz; writing by Sarah Morris; editing by Karen Foster)