Chris Dziadul looks at the first 10 years of Poland’s TVN Next week will probably see the launch of the latest TVN thematic service, a business channel produced jointly with CNBC. The Polish commercial broadcaster has come a long way since entering what was already a vibrant marketplace in late 1997. Initially a joint venture […]

Chris Dziadul looks at Liberty Global’s latest results Liberty Global’s performance in CEE in the first six months of the year was something of a mixed bag and the company needs to act quickly if it is not to fall behind its competitors. Although UPC Broadband has yet to introduce digital cable services in Poland […]

Chris Dziadul looks at Polsat – past, present and future Polsat holds a unique position in Polish broadcasting. The country’s first national commercial TV station, it made its debut in the early 1990s and has remained a key player in a rapidly changing marketplace ever since. Its owner Zygmunt Solorz-Zak is believed to have started […]

Chris Dziadul analyses MTG’s latest results Results published by Sweden’s Modern Times Group (MTG) earlier this week only serve to confirm the increasingly important role Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) now plays in its overall strategy. Sales in the region for Viasat Broadcasting are certainly growing, amounting to 24% in Q2 2007 as opposed to […]

Chris Dziadul looks at developments in Hungarian cable The news that Hungary has finally lifted an unusual rule that placed limits on how many subscribers cable operators can serve must surely be welcome. Back in the 1990s the country placed itself in a difficult position by imposing a frequency moratorium. This effectively put back the […]

Chris Dziadul looks at competition in Poland’s telco market The importance of competition in the broadband sector is strongly emphasised in a report just published by Poland’s Office of Electronic Communications (UKE). Although focused mostly on price comparisons between the various providers, its underlining message is that the last 18 months have seen a sea […]

Chris Dziadul reviews our first four years Much has happened in Central and Eastern Europe since our publication, which today celebrates its 200th issue, launched almost four years ago. The two enlargements of the EU in May 2004 and January 2007 have brought 10 of the region’s countries, with a combined population of almost 100 […]

Chris Dziadul looks at the SBS takeover ProSiebenSat.1’s €3.3 billion acquisition of SBS Broadcasting is likely to have far-reaching consequences on the TV industry in Central and Eastern Europe. A merger between the two groups, which should be completed at the beginning of July, will lead to the creation of a new media empire spanning […]

Chris Dziadul looks at DTT in Hungary While Hungary’s political problems are far from over, recent developments have proved that its rival parties can in work together in certain areas. Fortunately one of those is broadcasting policy, and earlier this week parliament passed a much-needed law on digitalisation and programme distribution. Though far from perfect, […]

Chris Dziadul previews Discop 07 Next week will see Discop 07 take place in the Hungarian capital, Budapest. The largest and longest established annual formats and content market in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), it will – as in previous years – include a number of special events. One undoubted highlight is likely to be […]