BBC Studios has extended the reach of its channel brands across Central and East Europe with new launches in the Czech Republic and Romania.
BBC-branded channels, BBC Earth and BBC First, are now available to the customers of Vodafone in Czech Republic, whilst BBC First has joined Orange Romania.
In Czech Republic, the partnership between BBC Studios and Vodafone Czech Republic means that BBC Earth is now included in the Vodafone TV package, and BBC First included in the extended Family & All in One packages.
BBC Earth is based around high0quality natural history documentaries and factual programming, while BBC Earth is home to critically acclaimed British drama.
Both channels are fully localised in Czech, with BBC First providing subtitles for every programme, and BBC Earth offering a mix of dubbing and subtitles.
BBC First joins BBC Earth and BBC News in Orange Romania’s basic DVB-C, IPTV and OTT package, meaning that the provider will carry the entire BBC Studios portfolio currently available in Romania. The channel is fully localised with Romanian subtitles.
Bartosz Witak, SVP & General Manager for CEE & MENAT at BBC Studios, said: ‘We are very happy to announce the conclusion of these deals over the last few weeks, which significantly expands our viewer base in Czech Republic, extends our partnership with Orange Romania and strengthens our Warsaw office.
“Thanks to our growing partnership with Vodafone and Orange, we are able to bring Czech and Romanian audiences the best of British storytelling and factual entertainment. We sincerely hope our collaborations continue in the future and the ties only grow stronger.”
From this month, BBC First viewers in Czech Republic and Romania can look forward to acclaimed British drama such as Silent Witness (series 27), mystery thriller Guilt, and compelling and witty drama TrueLove, from the team behind The End of the F**king World.
BBC Earth will feature the fan favourite, Life Below Zero, charting day-to-day lives of the resilient inhabitants of Alaska, as well as the revelatory documentary series Future of Nature and the wildly entertaining and equally educative series 5 of World’s Most Dangerous Roads.
BBC Studios has also announced the promotion of Zbigniew Pruski to VP, Commercial Partnerships, CEE & MENAT. Pruski, whose previous position was Commercial Director, Branded Services, will take on the responsibility for business relations and key partnerships in the MENAT region, in addition to his current responsibility of overseeing CEE-wide partner relationships.
With nearly 20 years’ experience in Pay TV, Zbigniew has overseen strategy, business development, and delivering branded services revenue and profit for BBC Studios suite of brands and products across the CEE region. He joined BBC Studios in 2011 from Discovery Networks Central Europe. He began his television career at distribution and management agency Program Sp z o.o. as the Key Account Manager working with broadcasters such as CNBC Europe, BBC Worldwide and National Geographic Channel.
