Chris Dziadul, September 19, 2024
TVN launches more FAST channels
Poland’s TVN Warner Bros. Discovery has added three more FAST channels to its portfolio. With TVN Kulinarne podróże (cookery), TVN Czas na ślub (romance) and TVN Patrol (motoring), its streaming service Player now includes 20 such channels in its line-up. This is the most offered by any provider in Poland and more are expected to be added in the near future.
Major content deal in Baltics
The Latvian technology company Tet has signed a licensing agreement with the Estonia-based Baltic broadcaster Duo Media Networks. As a result, the streaming service Tet+ will from the beginning of October offer its subscribers both new and existing TV series and shows from leading studios including Disney, NBCUniversal, Lionsgate, Sony and Beta Film. From 2025, partnerships will be launched with other leading studios. The deal will initially include hundreds of hours of content, growing to 900 hours in total by the end of the year. At least 100 hours of the TV content will be no more than two years old and the content will be available in Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian, Russian and original language.
Streaming TV viewing grows in Poland
Streaming’s share of total TV viewing stood at 8.7% in August. According to Nielsen’s The Gauge, this was slightly up on the previous month’s total of 8.6%. YouTube and Netflix’s share of total TV viewership remained unchanged at 2.1% and 1.9% respectively, while “others” streaming services increased slightly by 0.1%. Cable (31.7%) and satellite (30.2%) accounted for the most viewing, followed by terrestrial (23%).
Latvian FTA channel licence decision
The Latvian regulator NEPLP has Re MEDIA and 4.vara licences to operate the FTA commercial terrestrial TV channels ReTV and TV4 respectively from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2026. ReTV and TV4 are already on air, along with the public broadcaster’s FTA channels LTV1 and LTV7. NEPLP has indicated it will hold a competition for a third FTA commercial TV licence in the near future.
Czech TV market: the stats
IPTV/cable services were received in 52% of homes in cities with over 100,000 inhabitants in the Czech Republic as of the first half of this year. This, according to ATO, compared to 47% in population centres with 5,000-100,00 people and 38% in those with up to 5,000. Satellite services, on other hand, were received in only 3% of homes in cities with over 100,000 inhabitants, 12% in population centres with 5,000-100,00 people and 20% in those with up to 5,000. Terrestrial TV reception was more evenly spread, ranging from 42% (up to 5,000) to 45% (100,000+). The ATO also notes that as of the first half of this year 83% of households with children up to the age of 14 had a TV connected to the internet.
4iG to merge Vodafone Hungary
4iG has announced that in accordance with its transformation programme launched in November 2023 it has decided to separate Vodafone Hungary by way of a demerger. This will result in the commercial and infrastructure divisions operating in separate companies, named ONE Hungary and V-Hálózat Távközlési Zártkörűen Működő Részvénytársaság respectively.
inext enters Polish market
Ukraine’s inext has chosen CDR.pl as its new exclusive distributor in Poland. inext specialises in the implementation of complex IPTV/OTT projects and the production of Android STBs and media players, while CDR.pl is a leading European distributor of telecommunications equipment, with warehouses in Poland, Italy, and Spain. inext already has partnerships in several other countries including Moldova, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.
Public media law edges closer in Serbia
Serbia’s Ministry of Information and Telecommunications has decided to form a working group to prepare a draft law on public media services. The group consists of 14 members, who are representatives of the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications, public media services, as well as journalistic and media associations. It has to prepare and submit the draft law, harmonised with EU legal regulations, to the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications by November 1.
Skylink drops Barrandov channels
Skylink has stopped the satellite distribution of the Czech channels TV Barrandov, Barrandov Krimi and Kino Barrandov. According to local reports, quoting Skylink, this follows the non-fulfilment of contractual obligations by Barrandov. Skylink is owned by Canal+’s M7 Group and operates both satellite and OTT services in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Meta bans RT
Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram owner Meta has banned Rossiya Segodnya, Russia Today (RT) and other Russian state media networks from its platforms. In a statement, it said that "after careful consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media outlets. Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other related entities are now banned from our apps globally for foreign interference activity.”
New Viasat channel launches
The new crime-themed TV channel Viasat True Crime officially made its debut in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia on September 17. Earlier this month its operator Viasat World announced that it had secured agreements with Vodafone and T-Mobile in the Czech Republic, Slovak Telekom in Slovakia and T-2 in Slovenia for distribution of the channel. Viasat True Crime launched in Poland earlier this year and now has 6 million subscribers on Canal+, CDA, Orange, Play and UPC. It will soon also launch on Hrvatski Telekom’s platforms in Croatia.
Serhiy Tereschuk joins Ukraine’s DVL Group
Serhiy Tereschuk has been appointed the technical director at Ukraine’s DVL Group, which includes the combined Datagroup, Volia and lifecell companies. He has 20 years of international experience in the development of strategic business interests of companies in the telecommunications sector in Europe and Central Asia and most recently held the position of general director and regional manager of Ericsson in Ukraine, Armenia and Georgia.
Redge Technologies updates TVP VOD
The Polish public broadcaster TVP has made new functionalities available on its TVP VOD streaming service, working in partnership with Play Group’s Redge Technologies. The latest update of the live channels section, in addition to a catch-up function, now also includes timeshift, startover, picture-in-picture and backward EPG. TVP VOD gives seven-day access to the broadcaster’s linear channels and up to 16 regional services.
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