Small thematic channels are growing in popularity in the Czech Republic, with one – CS Film, operated by the Czech Film Society (CFS) – now boasting half a million subscribers.
The figure was given to E15 by Leos Pohl, CFS’s co-owner, who added that the channel’s turnover in 2009 amounted to CZK32 million (€1.24 million) and that advertising accounted for 3-5% of sales.
CS Film is distributed by the Skylink and CS Link DTH platforms, as well as via cable by UPC. Other successful movie channels include CS Cinema and Film+ TV, while there is strong competition in the music channel sector between – amongst others – MTV, VH1, VH1 Classic, Retro Music TV and CS Music.
Significantly, small thematic had a combined audience share of 14.8% in the Czech Republic but accounted for less than 1% of TV ad spend.