Two leading executives from SkyShowtime and CME have provided key insights into the CEE market on the last day of NEM Dubrovnik 2023.
Monty Sarhan, CEO, SkyShowtime said: “MVPDs are hugely important in the CEE region, and the growth of linear TV is evidence of that. Europe is not a monolith, there is richness and diversity and it’s a very valuable ecosystem. In Northern Europe the number of SVOD subscriptions per household is approaching three, while here in CEE it’s less than two. It is a huge addressable market with lots of headroom and opportunity. It requires a bespoke strategy to tackle the opportunities that exist in each of these markets. These countries are in very different places in terms of their voyage and the streaming future”.
Meanwhile, Dusan Svalek, deputy CEO, CME, highlighted the importance of local content by saying: “We believe that the VOD business will be about local content and providing an alternative to all global streaming brands. We believe this is about local people and we do that everywhere we are. The closest was Slovenia, but we are also expanding that business into Croatia. When it comes to creator economy in Croatia, I believe it’s in the interest of the country to make sure that the creator economy grows. This is one of the advantages that every country should have – a strong creator economy inside its national realm”.
