Inside CEE Television
- chrisdz3
- Oct 16
- 4 min read
Chris Dziadul, October 16 2025
Tensions mount at United Group
United Group’s headquarters in Belgrade have been visited by police in what has been described as the start of an investigation into corruption by the former management. According to local reports, the authorities were acting on a report by the new local CEO Vladica Tintor. The move has been strongly criticised by Dragan Šolak, the founder of United Group, who was removed in controversial circumstances from his position as head of the company by its majority owners BC Partners earlier this year and is now in a legal dispute with the latter. In a related development, the head of United Group’s Belgrade operation, along with two colleagues, have taken over the running of several subsidiary companies. Quoting the Serbian Business Registers Agency (APR), local reports say that Tintor, along with Timothy Lincoln Pennington and Guibert Marie C. Schroyen, are now listed as directors of United Media Production, United Cloud and Direct Media. United Media Production includes Nova TV and Sport Klub.
Telemach sale wins approval
The Competition Council of Bosnia & Herzegovina has conditionally approved the takeover of Telemach BH by BH Telecom. In a statement, it listed six measures that the participants in the transaction are obliged to undertake. They include not increasing the retail prices of fixed telephony, audiovisual content distribution services and internet services; respecting subscription contracts for their full duration; and the sale of one part of Telemach within 18 months in order to reduce its market share of the fixed internet market by three percentage points. Inside CEE Television notes that the measures apply to Bosnia & Herzegovina. BH Telecom is also acquiring United Group’s Telemach operations in Montenegro and North Macedonia.
New 5G Broadcast tests in Czech Republic
The Czech national transmission company České Radiokomunikace (CRA) has begun the third phase of 5G Broadcast tests to verify compatibility with mobile phones. The tests will take place in Prague throughout the year and with the same performance as DVB-T2 broadcasting. Their purpose is to verify network settings and parameters, signal coverage, phone compatibility, 5GB connection with data networks and interoperability with 5G mobile networks in the 700 MHz band. 5G Broadcast test are also taking place in several other countries including France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and Poland. CRA notes that the ability to receive 5G broadcasts on mobile phones (terminal devices) has advanced, and the Motorola Razr 50 Ultra and Motorola Edge 50 Ultra models, which support 5G Broadcast reception after SW modification, are now available.
Key EBU role for Polish executive
Jakub Kwiatkowski has been appointed a member of the EBU Sport Committee. He is currently the director of Poland’s TVP Sport he will hold the position at the EBU from 2025-2027. Kwiatkowski’s previous positions include nearly 10 years at UEFA, where he was the venue media manager and media officer.
JOJ connects streaming to website
The Slovak broadcaster JOJ has completely renewed its website and connected it with its streaming service JOJ play. As a result, viewers now have easier access to shows, archives and exclusive online content, all in one place. The JOJ television website is one of the most watched portals in Slovakia and currently has more than one million visits a month.
PPF consolidates sports channels
The Czech Radio and Television Council (RRTV) has approved the takeover of O2 TV by TV Nova, both of which part of PPF Group. O2 TV is currently owned by the telco O2 and with the transaction from December 1 the channels Oneplay Sport and Premier Sport will come under the ownership of TV Nova. Inside CEE Television notes that O2 and TV Nova jointly launched a streaming service named Oneplay. It combined the streaming services Voyo and O2 TV and currently offers viewers over 2,000 films and TV programmes, as well as over 150 TV channels, in four ad-free packages.
HBO Max goes D2C in Ukraine
The streaming service HBO Max made its Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) debut in Ukraine on October 14. The platform features a Ukrainian-language interface, along with subtitles and dubbing across a wide selection of titles. Users can also enjoy personalised profiles, offline viewing and streaming across supported devices. HBO Max also continues to be offered in Ukraine by Megogo.
New AI division at Czech TV
The Czech public broadcaster Ceska Televize (CT) will set up a new division focused on strategic development and AI on November 1. According to local reports, it will be headed by Alena Müllerová, a creative producer at CT.
Polsat board change
Aleksander Myszka has left the Supervisory Board at Poland’s Telewizja Polsat. He sat on the Board for 18 years and was president of Polsat, which he co-founded, for 12 years. Meanwhile, Maciej Stec has rejoined the Board. Local reports point to these and other changes at Polsat Plus Group being a result of the ongoing ownership dispute between Zygmunt Solorz, who founded the group, and his children.
AI first for Tricolor
Tricolor has launched Russia’s first sports TV programme entirely using AI Technology. Known as Myach Novostoy, it is produced by just two full-time specialists – an editor and film editor, who utilise a suite of AI tools. A key element of the programme, which does not require a studio, is a virtual presenter avatar. The digital image is based on the appearance of a real company employee and the avatar articulates naturally, moves, and has lifelike facial expressions. The voice is also synthesized using AI. Myach Novostoy is shown weekly on the Myach TV channel, which is available to the operator's satellite customers with all major subscriptions, as well as free on the Tricolor Kino and TV online cinema. Myach is also included in cable operator subscriptions in many parts of Russia.
New partnership and promotion at Gazprom-Media
Russia’s Gazprom-Media Advertising has entered into a strategic partnership with APIQ, an automatic AI platform designed for dynamic advertising in online games, live video broadcasts and other video content. The aim of the partnership is to develop advertising solutions on Twitch, a popular platform for streaming video games and esports tournaments in Russia. Separately, Alexander Kormukhin has been named the new head of communications at Gazprom-Media Holding. He has been at the company for over five years.
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