More on Central European TV

Details on the television markets in Hungary, the former Yugoslavia, Slovenia, Ukraine and Slovakia.

In a region that has around 50 free-to-air networks and numerous more pay-TV channels, it goes without saying that there is plenty of scope for Brits to do business. But a comprehensive list of recent breakthroughs would be huge – so here are a few snapshots:

HUNGARY
Hungary is often grouped with Poland and the Czech Republic as one of the big three markets. But it is not as big a buyer of foreign content and has a public broadcaster in desperate financial straits (MTV). Still, commercial rivals RTL Klub and TV2 (backed by RTL and SBS respectively) are serious buyers.
Stand-out shows on RTL Klub have included Millionaire while TV2 is currently riding high with Deal or No Deal. Even MTV picks up some content – such as BBC factual series that air under the title BBC Exclusive.

THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA
Combine Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia’s ad revenue and you have an impressive economic block (circa $1.6bn/£820m a year, 50% to TV).

Key content buyers include Croatia’s two-channel state broadcaster HRT, which has aired three series of BBC Worldwide’s The Weakest Link and picked up a block of BBC Worldwide’s natural history shows. HRT also recently picked up Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep, while commercial rival RTL, launched in 2004, has acquired series such as Prehistoric Park.

In Slovenia, one of the wealthiest markets in the region, CME-owned commercial network POP TV (29% audience share) airs a branded block called British Night which features titles like Midsomer Murders.

Slovenia’s two-channel state broadcaster RTV has just signed a deal to air Millionaire – which until now has aired on POP TV. Footballers’ Wives has been reversioned for Slovenia’s Kanal A. In Serbia, Lion TV’s Cash Cab was made for TV Fox by Advanced Marketing Solutions via a deal by Outright Distribution.

THE BREAKAWAYS
Easy to overlook are the breakaway nations – Ukraine and Slovakia. But both are growing in stature. CME’s Ukrainian network Studio 1+1, for example, is one of many around the world to acquire BBC Worldwide’s Strictly Come Dancing. CME also owns Kiev-based ­channel Citi, which has just ordered a new batch of Lion TV’s Cash Cab (distributed in the region by Outright Distribution).

Slovakia’s two-channel public broadcaster, meanwhile, has picked up titles such as Prehistoric Park, Herod and Spartacus from Fremantle International Distribution and Millionaire. Market-leading commercial network TV Markiza (45% share) has deals with the likes of Warner Bros. The Bachelor was a big hit, securing 50% share.

Meanwhile, in the Baltics, FID has done well with franchises such as Bean (LRT Lithuania) and its Nigel Marven documentaries (LNT Latvia).