The Council for Electronic Media (CEM) in Bulgaria has accepted the half-year report presented to it by the national public broadcaster BNT.
However, reports Capital, it has rejected the one produced by BNT’s radio counterpart BNR, citing such factors as a delay in reaching an agreement with a musicians’ copyright association.
In the case of BNT, the report states that its own revenues amounted to BGN2,726,614 (€1,388,880) in H1, with the overwhelming majority (BGN2,716,319) derived from advertising and sponsorship, technical services, programme sales and rents.
It also points out that BNT has faced complex financial problems in the last four years due to cuts in its subsidy. In 2013, these subsidies amounted to BGN70,128,000, since when they have been reduced by around BGN5,000,000.
A considerable amount of this subsidy is allocated to fixed costs and supporting the Bulgarian film industry.
The report also notes that BNT has managed to renegotiate the amount it is charged for the digital distribution of its channels.
Its fee was reduced by 39% in 2016, when late in the year it began to use the multiplex Nurts digital allocated for commercial services, rather than the public multiplex First Digital, to broadcast BNT1, BNT2 and BNT HD.
BNT is also allocating significant resources, up to four years in advance, for the acquisition of major European and world championships including the Olympics.
