* CEO: Prepared to sell part or all of pay TV arm Digital+
* CEO: No concrete talks with Mediaset over Spanish TV
* 9-mths EBITDA pips forecasts, net disappoints
* Overall revenues less than expected
(Adds CEO's comments)
By Elisabeth O'Leary and Robert Hetz
MADRID, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Prisa has been in informal talks with Italy's Mediaset SpA over the future of the television business in Spain, but there is nothing concrete yet, CEO Juan Luis Cebrian said on Thursday.
There have been rumours of a Prisa tie-up with Mediaset, owned by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, for some or all of its TV interests.
"We have begun informal talks with Mediaset about the Spanish market, but there are no concrete negotiations underway," the CEO said.
Mediaset, which controls rival Spanish broadcaster Telecinco , was not immediately available for comment.
Prisa owns pay television service Digital+ and free-to-air channel Cuatro.
Prisa is prepared to sell part or all of its pay television arm Digital+, Cebrian said during a conference call on the indebted Spanish media group's nine-month results.
"As you know, we are ready to sell part or the whole of our pay TV business," Cebrian said.
The company has recently sold minority stakes in its publishing arm Santillana and in Portuguese media firm Media Capital.
The Spanish television market is ripe for consolidation and analysts have flagged the possibility of Telecinco and Cuatro hooking up to obtain synergies.
AD REVENUES STILL WEAK IN 2010
Earlier, Prisa announced sharp declines in both its core and net profit in the first nine months of the year, offering aggressive cost cutting to tide it over the recession.
Advertising revenue -- which makes up about a quarter of the group's total -- fell a greater-than-expected 22 percent, although improving on a fall of 25.2 percent in the first six months of the year.
Prisa sees advertising revenues in the Spanish market falling 6 percent in 2010 "in a worst case scenario", with television ad revenues falling 10 percent and newspaper revenues drop between 6 and 7 percent, Cebrian said. (Reporting by Elisabeth O'Leary and Robert Hetz; additional reporting by Danilo Masoni; writing by Judy MacInnes; Editing by Rupert Winchester) ($1=.6697 Euro)