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CEE TV industry news stories

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Chris Dziadul, January 30, 2025
 
 
Polish buyers bidding for TVN

The sale of the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned Polish national commercial broadcaster TVN appears to be drawing closer. According to local reports, bids for TVN have been submitted by Michał Sołowow and Wirtualna Polska. The former is one of the wealthiest people in Poland, with a business empire spanning several industries. The latter, on the other hand, is a media holding and understood to be bidding jointly with Rafał Brzoska, a Polish billionaire whose assets include InPost. Late last year the Polish government declared TVN, along with its main competitor Polsat, to be strategic national assets protected from takeovers by parties acting against the interests of the Polish state.

 
SkyShowtime expands in Slovenia

A1 Slovenia has become the first telecom operator in the country to offer its subscribers the streaming service SkyShowtime. Costing €7.99 a month following a three-month promotional free period, it will be available to those who receive both mobile and fixed packages. However, the latter will also be able to watch the premium linear channels SkyShowtime 1 and SkyShowtime 2.

 
Croatian pubcaster denies redundancy claims

Robert Šveb, the DG of the Croatian public broadcaster HRT, has denied that it plans to make 800 employees redundant. Speaking during a discussion in the Croatian parliament on HRT’s 2023 Annual Report and quoted in the local media, he said that instead it plans to negotiate severance pay with those who are eligible for retirement.  Šveb is of the view that new legislation is needed to help HRT, which is facing serious financial difficulties, survive in the digital age.

 
Magyar Telekom to sell ViDaNet

The Hungarian incumbent Magyar Telekom has decided to sell its majority stake in the telco ViDaNet to URUS Befektetési és Vagyonkezelő for an undisclosed fee. The transaction is being undertaken in a multi-stage process and expected to close in the first quarter of this year. ViDaNet passes around 100,000 homes and has 54,000 subscribers in western Hungary. The buyer is likely to acquire only ViDaNet’s commercial arm and subscriber base, with Magyar Telekom retaining control of its infrastructure.

 
BH Telecom targets Telemach

The Bosnian telco BH Telecom has reportedly submitted an application to the country’s Competition Council to buy Telemach, which is owned by United Group. BH Telecom has also contacted the competition authority in Montenegro, where it is seeking to acquire the local unit of Telemach. United Group’s Telemach is in addition present in Croatia, Slovenia and North Macedonia. BH Telecom are also understood to be interested in the North Macedonian operation. No financial details of the transaction in Bosnia and Montenegro have as yet been announced.

 
Vodafone promotes Nedim Baytorun

Nedim Baytorun has been appointed the new CEO of Vodafone Romania, effective April 1. He will take over from Achilleas Kanaris, who in turn will become the CEO of Vodafone Greece. Baytorun joined Vodafone Group in 2013 and initially held several managerial positions in Turkey. Following nearly two years at Vodafone Albania, he joined the group’s Romanian operation in August 2021 and has since held the position of chief commercial officer – consumer business unit. This will be taken over by Ana Popa, currently the unit’s marketing director.

 
Strong year for Russia’s Premier

The Russian streaming service Premier ended last year with almost 6 million subscribers. This, according to its operator Gazprom-Media, was almost a quarter more than in 2023. At the same time, its revenues increased by 54%. Gazprom-Media notes that over 60% of Premier subscribers watched the service on smart TVs. The most popular content on Premiere was Russian TV series, watched by 89% of viewers. Meanwhile, views of live TV channels increased by 76% and children’s content by 100%.

 
Rutube TV expands coverage

The Russian channel Rutube TV is now being distributed by the streaming services Premier and Tricolor Kino i TV. Rutube is a video hosting platform owned by Gazprom-Media and launched Rutube TV, a 24-hour streaming platform, in November 2024. Rutube TV had over 336,000 views in December and a total of 1.75 million since its launch. A key aspect of its development has been the contributions of bloggers and by March these are expected to account for between 30-40% of the channel’s content.

 
 
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© Chris Dziadul, 2025
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