CEE TV industry news stories
- chrisdz3
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
Chris Dziadul, April 17, 2025
Polish Mediaset in the making
Poland’s National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) has agreed to transfer the licences of five TV channels operated by Michal Winnicki’s MWE Networks Group to MWE Networks Limited, which is registered in Malta. Speaking to the local media, Michal Winnicki said his plan is to ultimately create a strong international media group based on Italy's Mediaset. MWE Networks Group is based in Szczecin and has a growing portfolio of channels, with more expected to be launched in Poland later this year. The ones now registered in Malta are Adventure HD, Antena HD, Nuta.TV, Power TV and Top Kids. MWE Networks Group is also
Czech Prima restructures
The Czech national commercial broadcaster Prima Group has introduced a new management structure based on five product segments, with segment leaders reporting to the board of directors. According to Prima, the aim of this strategic change is to accelerate decision-making processes and respond more effectively to dynamic changes in the media market. Alongside it, Prima is strengthening its management team. From May 1, its prima+ streaming platform will be headed by Jan Maxa, who has been at Czech Television (CT) for 12 years, leading both the development of new programmes and, more recently, the digital division.Meanwhile, Petr Král is moving to head the new distribution and OTT product segment. His main task will be to develop Prima’s product proposition in the growing IPTV market.
TVN no longer for sale
Warner Bros. Discovery have decided to hold on the Polish national commercial broadcaster TVN. On April 14, key WBD executives Kasia Kieli and Gerhard Zeiler said in a company statement that following a few months reviewing strategic options for the broadcaster, “we have decided that the optimal option is for TVN to remain within WBD structures and develop our business within one group.” TVN had attracted interest from several parties, most recently the Polish billionaire Michał Sołowow, Ringier Axel Springer Polska (RASP) and a consortium headed by Wirtualna Polska. Others at one stage included TV2 (Hungary), PPF Group (Czech Republic) and the Berlusconi family’s MFE-MediaForEurope (MFE).
Euronews launches in Bosnia
A local Euronews service has launched in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Headquartered in Sarajevo and Banja Luka, it is operated by Telekom Srbija, the owner of the Euronews franchise for Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.
Two new TV channels for Latvia
The Latvian regulator NEPLP has awarded free-to-air (FTA) commercial television licences to AS Radio SWH and the association INICIA. Both will now be allowed to operate channels, named Radio SWH TV and EWTN Latvija respectively, from June 1 until the end of next year. They will join an FTA sector in the Latvian market that includes the public broadcaster’s LTV1 and LTV7, the commercial channel ReTV and Ukrainian language RADA. Both channels will be distributed terrestrially, on pay-TV platforms and the digital environment, including live broadcasts and recording on websites created by the channels themselves. Radio SWH TV will offer informative and entertainment-based content not available elsewhere in Latvia, while EWTN Latvija will be a mostly cultural channel operating under the EWTN franchise.
Telekom Srbija buys up Total TV
The Total TV service (EON Sat) is now fully owned by Telekom Srbija. According to the Serbian telco, as of April 16 it is providing all DTH services, while SBB no longer has them in its portfolio. It adds that the process of selling the Total TV service by United Group to Telekom Srbija was completed on April 2. SBB, together with Yettel, is part of the e& PPF Telecom Group.
More FAST channels for Poland
The Polish public broadcaster Telewizja Polska (TVP) launched its first FAST channel on April 14. Known as Na dobre i na złe (For better or worse), it is based on a popular series watched by almost 2 million viewers on linear TV. Bu the end of the year, TVP expects to have up to 20 FAST channels in its portfolio. In a separate development, Polsat Plus Group says it plans to launch 20 FAST channels for its Polsat Box Go streaming service. Seven will be thematic, covering such areas as comedy, crime and entertainment, and the remainder dedicated to popular long-running shows on Polsat such as Świat według Kiepskich, Miodowe lata and Sprawiedliwi.
Gazprom-Media to combine digital assets
Russia’s Gazprom-Media Holding (GMH) plans to combine all its digital assets under the common name RUTUBE by the end of this year. According to the holding’s deputy CEO Sergey Kosinsky, this will affect the services Premier, Yappy and other IT companies in the digital block that support GMH’s profile functions. In the case of the streaming service Premier, it will operate under the name RUTUBE Premier.
New role for Anna Lenerová
Anna Lenerová has been appointed to the newly created role of director of sports acquisition and pay-TV channels at the Czech Republic’s TV Nova. As part of her remit, she will be jointly responsible for the development of the new streaming service Oneplay. Lenerová was most recently head of TV content at O2 Czech Republic. She previously held positions at, amongst others, Chello Central Europe and Zonemedia.