Chris Dziadul, October 24, 2024
5G Broadcast first in Czech Republic
The Czech national transmission company CRA has begun to test 5G Broadcast technology, which allows for the reception of TV signals on mobile phones without the need for a mobile connection or WiFi. The tests are being undertaken from the Zizkov transmitter in Prague and include broadcast streams of the channels CT 24 and CNN Prima News. They cover Prague and part of central Bohemia.
1+1 launches international FAST channels
The Ukrainian broadcaster 1+1 Media has launched 1+1 Worldwide, an application containing the 24-hour FAST channels 1+1 News and 1+1 Travel. The former is partially voice or produced in English, with the rest containing English subtitles, while the latter is offered in Spanish with the option of English subtitles. The channels are being distributed in partnership with OTTera and Roku.
Telekom Srbija issues eurobonds
The Serbian incumbent Telekom Srbija has successfully issued international corporate eurobonds valued at $900 million at the Dublin Stock Exchange. According to Telekom Srbija’s CEO Vladimir Lucic, demand for the eurobonds was seven times higher than the offer, reaching $5.5 billion. The bonds were without any guarantees and issued in partnership with BNP Paribas, Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, Erste Group, Raiffeisen bank, UniCredit and MUFG. According to Telekom Srbija, it is the first regional company to successfully issue international corporate bonds.
Atmedia to raise ad prices
The Czech Republic’s Atmedia has announced it will increase the cost of advertising on the thematic channels it represents next year by 15-20% due to “long-lasting high demand from clients.” According to its MD Michaela Surakova, while it is offering 8% more ad space to advertisers than it did last year, in some months it has failed to place up to a fifth of the orders on its thematic channels. She also said next year it will once again offer TV ad contractors the opportunity to reach viewers of thematic TV stations of various genres. "They are not part of the business policy for the time being due to ongoing negotiations with the television station of AMC Networks.”
UPC Slovakia partners with Disney+
UPC Broadband Slovakia has become the first operator in the country to enter into an agreement with Disney+. Moreover, it is now selling the streaming service in a single package with HBO’s Max, promising its customers a saving of up to €200 a year. In a separate development, UPC Broadband Slovakia’s UPC TV app is now available on LG TVs.
Poland’s Play opts for Nagravision
Play Poland, which is part of France’s iliad Group, has selected the NAGRA OneCAS solution to secure the pay-TV services of UPC Poland, which it bought from Liberty Global in 2022. All told, it will secure over one million active set-top boxes and conditional access modules (CAM) with a mix of card-based and cardless CAS technologies. Nagravision is the media and technology division of Switzerland-based Kudelski Group.
RTL+ goes on Samsung TVs
The Hungarian streaming service RTL+ is now available on Samsung TVs. As of October 22, RTL+ premium subscribers can download the application on models running the Tizen 5.5 (2020) or newer operating system. RTL+ was launched in Hungary in 2022 and RTL Group had a total of 6.273 million paying subscribers to its streaming services RTL+ in Germany and Hungary and M6+ in France as of the end of June this year.
4iG expands in Western Balkans
Hungary’s 4iG has begun preparations to enter the North Macedonian market by establishing a subsidiary known as ONE Macedonia Telecommunications. It has done so through its own subsidiary Antenna Hungária, which owns 4iG’s telecom portfolio in Hungary and the Western Balkans. One Macedonia Telecommunications’ business scope includes mobile, landline fixed, and satellite telecommunications services, wholesale and retail trade of telecommunications and IT products, as well as business consulting services. It is headed by Tamás Tábori, who is the deputy CEO responsible for telecommunications strategy at the group’s Hungarian parent company, 4iG.
bTV chooses Czech technology
Bulgaria’s bTV Media Group has adopted technology from the Czech company Caroda for video advertising. It is the third within Central European Media Enterprises (CME) to do so after Czech Republic’s TV Nova and Pro TV in Romania. TV Nova, Pro TV and bTV are major broadcasters in their respective markets.
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