The financially troubled Polish public broadcaster TVP still plans to launch more thematic channels, according to its president, Romuald Orzel.
Quoted in Wirtualne Media, he said that it has no intention of scrapping any existing thematic services and aims to add channels named TVP Seriale and TVP Parlament to its portfolio. In the case of TVP Seriale, its launch is likely to coincide with that of Poland’s third DTT multiplex, allocated exclusively to TVP, which is expected to begin trials this autumn and make its debut next year.
TVP currently operates five thematic channels – TVP Polonia, TVP Kultura, TVP Sport, TVP Historia and TVP HD – in addition to its main services TVP1, TVP2 and TVP Info.
Although the broadcaster is in serious financial difficulties and reported to be preparing to cut up to one fifth of its workforce, ad revenues from its thematic services in the first half of this year were 121% higher than in the corresponding period in 2009.
