BROADCAST NEWS

 ROMANIA : New niche channels launch in Romania

Film channels FilmBox Family, FilmBox Extra, and the action channel FightBox HD will also be launched in Romania in a few months, said Piotr Reich, CEO of SPI International. The channels will be available through the local communication companies Romtelecom and UPC.

FilmBox Family will air movies, series and animation for the whole family, FilmBox Extra will air premium movies while FightBox HD will focus on sports. In Central Europe, the FilmBox channels are already available in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. | READ MORE...

(Source : Film New Europe)

 RUSSIA: Discovery to air VGTRK documentaries worldwide

Discovery Communications has signed an acquisitions and distribution agreement for a period of seven years for the documentary programs produced by VGTRK.

Under the agreement, Discovery Communications will have exclusive rights to broadcast historical programs from the VGTRK collection. The programs from the collection which constitutes 125 hours, are dedicated to the history of twentieth century: the Cold War, the First and Second World War, space exploration, and the development of world culture and civilization.  | Back to summary

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(Source : Russia Television & Radio)

 HUNGARY: New media bill could limit TV expansion

A new Hungarian media bill now being drafted would limit commercial TV corporations to a 35% share of the viewing market, according to a local news reports. Index.hu says a draft of the bill would require TV companies with more than a 35% audience share to sell channels or reduce the audience share through programming content to fall below the 35% level within six months.

The bill could go to parliament by the end of the month for a vote by the end of 2010. | Back to summary

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(Source : Film New Europe)

 ALBANIA: First Macedonian TV is launched

Macedonians living in Albania finally receive TV broadcasts in their native language. A new Macedonian TV channel, TV Crystal, was launched in Korca, the territory inhabited by about 200,000 residents. The Director of Television, Vasil Sterjovski, said that the channel will initially broadcast Macedonian shows and music. | Back to summary

(Source : Discop Official Blog)

 RUSSIA: Russian Diva will launch her own TV channel

It was announced that "Prof-Media Broadcasting Corporation" and "Radio Alla" decided to create a new music and entertainment channel "Alla TV" (after the name of the Russian famous singer and pop queen Alla Pugatchova) VokrugTV reports. The channel should be ready to broadcast in test mode by the end of 2010 and its format will not be very different from the concept of "Radio Alla": 80% of musical content and 20% of entertainment programs.

"Alla TV" will also produce its own content. For example, the radio show "Backstage" will have its video version. It is supposed that the new TV channel will begin its regular broadcasting in the early 2011. Back to summary

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(Source : Vokrug TV)

 POLAND: Cyfrowy Polsat to buy Telewizja Polsat

Satellite television operator Cyfrowy Polsat will pay zł.3.75 billion to buy all the shares in terrestrial broadcaster Telewizja Polsat. Both stations are owned by billionaire tycoon Zygmunt Solorz-Żak.

Telewizja Polsat shareholders will receive zł.1.15 billion in shares, representing a 23-percent stake in Cyfrowy Polsat, in addition to zł.2.6 billion in cash.

Cyfrowy Polsat has 3.3 million customers while Telewizja Polsat has a 19-percent share of the market, meaning the merged entities will comprise Poland's largest media group. Combined, they made sales worth zł.2.4 billion as of June 2010 Back to summary

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(Source : Warsaw Business Journal)

 CZECH REPUBLIC: New HD channel arrives

UK baked Travel Channel HD began broadcasting in the Czech Republic. It will be fully localized into Czech language and available 24 hours a day on the local DTH platform Skylink as part of their HD Plus package.

Programming content will follow Travel Channel's genre mix of destination guides, documentaries, adventure, food & drink and special interests, in the vivid detail that high definition offers.

Travel Channel HD will be available to European platforms on Astra's 23.5°E satellite.| Back to summary

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(Source : DigiZone.Cz)

 ROMANIA : Mediaset Italia television will be launched in Romania

Mediaset Italia television, part of the Italian Mediaset group, controlled by Silvio Berlusconi wil be launched in Romania, Anda Manza, Senior Sales Manager at Chello Netoworks, the company that owns distribution rights, declared for Mediafax.

In the past, Romania urged Berlusconi to introduce Italian programs but he did not wish to offer them for Eastern Europe, Manza declared. For the time being, Mediaset Italia will be in Italian but if there will be an interest, it will be doubled in Romania, Manza said. | Back to summary

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(Source : ACT Media)

MEDIA RESEARCH NEWS

European cable losing TV market share

Cable remains the leading platform for pay TV services in Europe, but it is steadily losing market share, according to the latest research from Informa Telecoms & Media. In 2000 cable accounted for 77% of all pay TV subscriptions in Europe. By end-2009 this had fallen to 54% and will drop to 43% by end-2015, according to Informa's forecasts. | Back to summary

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(Source : Digital TV Europe)

RUSSIA: NAT and Synterra will set up a "United Bank of Video Content"

National Association of Broadcasters (NAT) and Synterra Media, a subsidiary of national telecom operator Synterra, acquired in June 2010 by MegaFon, will organize the "United Bank of Video Content". The model of the project will be demonstrated at the booth of the exhibition NAT NATEXPO, which will be held 16-19 November 2010 in the All-Russia Exhibition Center (VVC) in Hall number 75.

Broadcasters who join NAT's media portal will be able to access, to air and to use the content for their own productions. The NAT media portal will become a kind of "exhibition" of TV content, where each owner interested in product distribution will be able to place their programs with a detailed description and a brief video-trailer. All featured TV shows will be categorized in the appropriate themed directory and every participant will be able choose the programs of other producers and on the basis of licensing agreements and immediate access to the material in broadcast quality. | Back to summary

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(Source : DISCOP Official Blog)

Buyers look for research content online, from vendors and peers

Most buyers will look for research online either through a general web search or by going to vendors' websites. Three-quarters of buyers will also speak to a vendor or to peers and colleagues to find the research they need.

Approximately a quarter of buyers will contact an analyst firm and, adding weight to the case for social media to be used as a key information channel, a significant one in ten buyers will visit a social media site to find research to help them in the buying process. | Back to summary

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(Source : Film New Europe)

MOLDOVA: the SUN rises in Moldova

Moldova's leading cable operator Sun Communications has revealed its plans for 2011. Speaking exclusively to Broadband TV News, Serghei Lavrinenco, the company's programming director, said that they include the rollout of digital TV services to Belts, the country's second city, and the introduction of DOCSIS 3.0 internet access on its networks.

Sun Communications was established in 1993 and is currently owned by four individuals and the EBRD. A triple play company, it has 100,000 subscribers, of whom 7,000-10,000 receive digital TV services. |Back to summary

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(Source : Broadband TV News)