Inside CEE Television

Chris Dziadul, January 15 2026

 

Strong growth of Czech TV digital services

The digital services operated by the Czech public broadcaster Česká televise (ČT) reached an average of more than 3.1 million users a month in 2025. This, according to CT, was over a third (34.10%) of the population aged over 10. CT operates a total of six online products – iVysílání and the websites ČT24, ČT sport, ČT :D, ČT edu and ČT art – and all told that recorded 371 million video views in 2025. The most successful digital product was iVysílání, which was watched on the website by an average of 1.9 million users per month and had a total of 285 million video views in 2025, with almost half of all launches being via TV apps.  Meanwhile, more than one million viewers used ČT’s HbbTV and smart TV television applications. There was also significant interest in ČT24's online news, where people viewed more than 119 million pages on the website and in mobile applications.

 

Key content acquisition for Telekom Srbija

Telekom Srbija has agreed to buy an 80% stake in Mondo INC for an undisclosed fee. The transaction will see the telco also gain control of the company Firefly Productions as well as ownership over the most cutting-edge studios in South-East Europe. According to Telekom Srbija, by integrating its ecosystem with that of Mondon INC it will improve the offer for its customers in the infotainment segment, create more value for end users through content and a larger offer for companies and advertisers through more modern formats, a greater reach and advanced digital tools. Furthermore, the acquisition of Firefly Production and studio is a significant step towards further expansion of content production capacities, given that streaming services are the future. The telco also says that its business model now increasingly resembles that of global technology companies. It is present in 13 markets and has almost 14 million customers.

 

New OTT platform for Lithuania

The leading Lithuanian national commercial broadcaster LNK TV Group has launched its new OTT platform. Known as LNK GO, it is built by the Baltic OTT technology provider Backscreen and supports AVOD, live TV advertising and DAI alongside Google Ad Manager integration for scalable and data-driven monetisation. In addition to in-stream advertising, the platform introduces personalised and clickable in-portal display advertising, enabling relevant ad placements within the user interface itself. LNK GO will offer users free access to live TV and VOD across devices, exclusive content and an extended library, modern intuitive UX and enhanced viewing features such as picture-in-picture. LNK operates five national TV channels and the news portal LNK.LT, while Backscreen includes Tet, LSM, Telia Sweden and Fashion TV among its clients.

 

All change at Hungary’s 4iG

Hungary’s 4iG Group has announced a new management structure and creation of four strategic business units to replace its previous centralised holding. It will ultimately continue to be headed by Jászai Gellért, who besides being its chairman and CEO is also the company’s major shareholder. Inside CEE Television notes that one of the new units will manage the 4iG Group's domestic telecommunications interests (One Hungary, 2Connect, PR-Telecom, Netfone) and its subsidiaries in the Western Balkans (One Montenegro, One Albania), as well as the entry into the North Macedonian market. In a separate development, 4iG’s One Macedonia has won North Macedonia’s national 5G spectrum tender. Commercial 5G services are expected to be launched in the country in March 2027.

 

TVP foreign channels on the up

The Polish public broadcaster’s online channels TVP World and Vit Tak on YouTube are enjoying strong growth. In the case of TVP World, its online reach increased ten-fold increase in views last year, from 11.8 million in January to 116.3 million in December. All told, it had over 1 billion views in 2025. Meanwhile, the Russian language Vot Tak had over 818 million, Belarussian language 482 million and Ukrainian language Slava 132 million views.

 

Tet enters Moldovan market

The Latvian technology company Tet’s OTT division Backscreen has signed a commercial agreement with StarNet, one of the leading telecom companies in Moldova. According to Tet, the deal marks the beginning of broader Latvian-Moldovan cooperation in the development of sustainable IT infrastructure, data centres, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence solutions. Tet’s experience in these areas is particularly important for Moldova, which, as a candidate country for the European Union, continues its path towards closer integration with the EU. Tet notes that it is also launching on the Moldovan market as part of the consortium “Team Latvia Digital”, which unites the most powerful participants in the Latvian IT and ICT industry. Tet, which operates the streaming platform Tet+ in its home market, also has export experience in Ukraine, having provided its services for over 13 years.  

 

Toya boosts channel offer

The Polish cable operator Toya has added a total of eight new channels to three package offer. They include Studiomed TV, the first Polish TV channel dedicated to health and medicine; Stargaze TV, a new platform for online creators; Viasat True Crime; and three Polsat services and can also be watched by Toya subscribers on the Toya Go app free of charge.

 

Staff cuts at Slovak pubcaster

The Slovak pubcaster STVR has announced plans to lay off 5% of its 1,700 employees in February. The move is a result of an audit carried out last year for STVR by Kreston Slovakia Audit and “a management decision aimed at optimising the organisational structure and increasing management efficiency without negatively affecting the provision of STVR's public tasks and the full functioning of its media services.”

 

Rebrand for Moldovan regulator

Moldova’s National Agency for Regulation in Electronic Communications and Information Technology (ANRCETI) has changed its name to the National Agency for Regulation in Communication (ARCOM). The move, which took place at the beginning of this month, coincided with the new Law on Electronic Communications coming into effect. It emphasis the updated mission of the body, which includes regulating electronic and postal communications, technical regulation in these areas, implementing development strategies, consumer protection and encouraging investment in infrastructure and innovations.

 

New role for Michal Prokeš

Michal Prokeš has been appointed the head of corporate and product communications at the Czech Republic’s Nova Group. Having managed product PR at the Nova Group for the past four years, he will now be responsible for the corporate and product communication strategy, media relations and further development of PR activities across the company. Prokeš worked for Czech Television for seven years in various positions and then headed communications of the Česká spořitelna Foundation before joining Nova Group in 2021. His appointment comes alongside Barbora Dlabáčková, the current head of corporate communications, leaving Nova Group.

 

More Eurosport for T-Mobile viewers

T-Mobile has entered into a partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery in Poland to bring Eurosport 3 to its MagentaTV offer. Eurosport 3, which complements the existing Eurosport 1 and 2 channels in the operator’s line-up, will be available for no additional cost to T-Mobile customers with M and L plans until the end of March.

 

 

 

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© Chris Dziadul, 2026