Romania market analysis

Details on the various Romanian television channels, including the types of shows and genres they are buying.

With 21 million people and 7.3 million TV homes, the fast-growing Romanian market is not to be underestimated – which explains why media groups such as SBS Broadcasting, CME and Lagardere have recently acquired interests here.

GDP has grown at 4% to 5% for much of this decade, while ad revenue grew by an impressive 40% to $3.7bn (£1.9bn) in 2005. Of this total, TV took 64%.

In terms of distribution, around 4 million homes receive their TV via cable (which has 80% penetration in urban areas). Some 2.2 million homes receive terrestrial signals while satellite is at the 300,000 mark. Echoing developments across the CEE region, there has been an explosion in the launch of niche channels.

PRO TV
CME’s ad-funded general entertainment network Pro TV was launched in 1995. Although it reaches just 77% of the country, it is market-leader with a 21% share of the 15 to 44 year-old audience. CME’s position in the TV sector is bolstered by Acasa – a second channel launched in 1998.

Targeted at women, Acasa takes 10% market share and is number four in the market. In terms of acquisitions, Pro TV recently picked up a 90-minute dramatisation of Dracula (a Granada/WGBH co-production for BBC Wales in association with Granada International). GI has also just sold 50 episodes of the soap Emmerdale to Pro TV. (Acasa also buys large volumes of telenovelas).

ANTENA 1
Locally-owned Antena 1 is number two in the market with around 13% share of the 15 to 44 year-old market. It launched two sister channels, Antena 3 (news) and Euforia TV (women), in the past two years.

There’s not a huge amount of evidence of UK acquisitions – with local news and soaps doing well for the network. However, it has had success with a local version of a German format (SAT1’s Only Love Counts). Fremantle has also sold the network Sex Inspectors.

TVR
Public broadcaster TVR has two channels – TVR1 with 11% share and TVR2 with 4%. TVR1 has seen its share decline rapidly in the face of growing commercial competition.

As recently as 2001 it was neck-and-neck with Pro TV and Antena 1. BBC Worldwide signed a two-year output deal with TVR at last June’s Discop which covers shows such as Doctor Who, Robin Hood and Planet Earth.

PRIMA TV
SBS Broadcasting took complete control of Prima TV (no relation to the Czech channel of the same name) in 2005. Currently the network is fifth in the market with a 5.1% share of viewers – although this rises for Prima’s target age group – which is 15 to 44 year-olds.

Prima’s most popular shows tend to be local version of formats – with All3media’s Cash Cab, RDF’s Wife Swap and Ricochet’s Supernanny recent British successes. There are acquisitions – though most play a peripheral role in the schedule. Top performers in recent times have included NBC drama Medical Investigation.