This year started with the arrival of new TV channels, mainly focused on sports content. Nova Group came with two pay channels Nova Sport 5 and Nova Sport 6, and after a long time launched on the Czech market also a free-to-air sports channel Sports TV. In the spring, they were followed by new terrestrial TV stations - the film and TV series Warner TV and the lifestyle and music OK TV. Despite the development of IPTV, terrestrial broadcasting shows that it is still an interesting solution for operators. This is confirmed by the fact that the Prima group is also planning to expand its range of thematic channels in the new year, having obtained licenses for Prima Case and Prima Port in the second half of this year.
However, the development of videos on demand (VOD) is also continuing. Services that entered the Czech market in the previous year have established themselves and sought positions with Czech users during this year. HBO Max from Warner Bros. Discovery changed to Max in the spring and brought an expanded programme offer. The Disney+ and SkyShowtime services sought to reach viewers with special offers as well as promotional campaigns. Domestic service Voyo continued to pick up new subscribers during this year and is very close to reaching its target of one million subscribers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Competitor Prima also showed a more active attitude towards the VOD platform this year with its prima+ programme offer.
Developments around Jaromir Soukup's media companies took a new direction during 2024. The group's broadcaster TV Barrandov headed into competition, as well as advertising retailer Media Master. The majority shares in the media companies were taken over by businessman Jan Čermák as a result of Jaromír Soukup's insolvency. Soukup still retains a half-share in the media agency Médea, which has lost its former strongest position. TV Barrandov has embarked on a path of reorganisation under new ownership and management. Viewers gradually noticed a gradual decline in Jaromír Soukup's programmes and later a complete reduction of these programmes in the programming schedule. TV Barrandov will start the new year 2025 with a new programme to reverse the trend of declining ratings.
As expected, it was busy in the field of media legislation. The preparation of a major media amendment to increase fees for Czech Television and Czech Radio while expanding the range of payers finally got a final reading in the Chamber of Deputies at the end of the year. The original intention for the public service media to operate with the increased budget from the beginning of 2025 did not materialise. If the amendment, opposed by private media and opposition MPs, eventually passes, it will not enter into force until next spring at the earliest. However, it is also questionable in what form and whether it will be enforced.
And the request made at the end of this year by the Radio and Television Broadcasting Council (RRTV) regarding the mandatory registration of influencers will also be discussed in the new year. The Council's opinion caused an uproar among authors and the Minister of Culture. However, in the new year, a way will have to be found to bring Czech legislation into line with EU legislation.
Czech Television has spent its first year under the leadership of its new director general Jan Souček. Discussions were sparked mainly by information about changes to the news coverage and escalated most visibly in the autumn, when the long-running journalistic programme 168 Hours disappeared from the airwaves. Its presenter Nora Fridrichová left Czech Television after a media exchange. The director-general reached to revise his earlier decision in the first quarter of the year, when he abolished the managerial posts of directors of CT1 and CT2, which he had previously established. He has devoted his first year at the helm of Czech Television mainly to explaining the principle of CT's financing and the reasons why it is necessary to increase the TV licence fee.
In the private media segment, the takeover of the Mafra media group was completed by Kaprain. This was reflected in the new composition of the board of directors and the supervisory board, as well as in several key strategic decisions regarding the shape of the group's portfolio. The most significant of these led to the termination of Lidové noviny, the oldest Czech print daily newspaper. This fully reflected the long-standing discussions about how long the publication of printed newspapers can be economically sustainable. The business daily e15, published by the rival group Czech News Center (CNC), suffered the same fate at the end of the year.
In addition, publishers are still working out how to improve the monetisation of their titles on the Internet. The regulations coming to the online environment make this step more difficult for publishers. Therefore, the question of how to maintain effective online advertising sales in the future, especially through audience segmentation and targeting, became the theme of the year just ended. Most major media groups have gradually introduced so-called consent wall bars prompting users who do not want to provide their consent to the collection of data about their online behaviour to pay for these "dissents". However, this approach (pay or OK), which has also been adopted by publishers abroad, has met with opposition from the European Data Protection Board (EDPB).
This year has also been a heated one for Seznam.cz, which has come into conflict with the Office for the Protection of Competition (OPC). In addition, information about the possible interest of the group of arms tycoon Michal Strnad in buying Seznam. In addition, under unclear circumstances, the manager Jakub Unger quit Seznam.
Selected media events in 2024
January
- The Office for the Protection of Competition (OCCP) allowed the sale of the Mafra group (MFD, LN, Metro, etc.) and the Londa radio company (Impuls) to Karel Pražák's Kaprain.
- Due to the disconnection from electricity, the stations of the TV Barrandov group did not broadcast from Saturday night until about 10:00. They were disconnected because of an outstanding debt. They resolved the situation from their own resources.
- According to a survey by Masaryk University and the Syri Institute, the number of people who deliberately avoid or limit news on social media is increasing. Their participation in the content is also declining.
- Seventeen Czech media companies have founded the Licensing Rights Publishers' Rights Association (SLPV), which aims, among other things, to ensure that platforms and search engines pay for the use of content.
February
- As of 1 February, the investment group Kaprain became the owner of Mafra and Londa. It said it needed several months to determine a strategy for the development of the media companies. The composition of the board of directors and the supervisory board is new.
- PPF, the owner of TV Nova and Voyo, has increased its stake in Viaplay to 29.29% and, together with Canal Plus (29.33%), has become the largest shareholder in the Nordic streaming service.
- Tatana le Moigne, who founded Google's domestic arm in 2006, has left her position as CEO of Google for the Czech Republic and Slovakia after 18 years.
- On Thursday 29 February, Nova Group launched sports pay channels Nova Sport 5 (Formula 1) and Nova Sport 6 (MotoGP, UFC).
March
- Sports TV channel launched on 1 March in terrestrial DVB-T2 broadcasting. It focuses on indoor sport. It is financed by the Perinvest Tomas Petera group.
- The court declared a moratorium on the assets of the operator TV Barrandov. Documents show that the company owes almost a billion. Médea faced insolvency proceedings again, but the court rejected the petition.
- Another of Jaromir Soukup's debt-ridden companies, Media Master, was granted three months of protection from creditors by the court. The company owes roughly CZK 608 million. CZK 608. It provides advertising for TV Barrandov and Empresa Media.
- The Mlada fronta trademark auction was won by Mafra with a bid of CZK 501k. CZK 501. The second bidder in the auction was Albatros. It has the right of first refusal on the stamps if Mafra matched the price.
- The positions of directors of CT1 and CT2 were cancelled, therefore J. Kokmotos and Jan Štern left these positions. However, Štern remained in another position at CT. A new post of director of research and analysis was created, Renata Týmová became the new director.
- All five members of the CT Ethics Panel decided to resign. The reason for this is the disputes with DG Jan Souček concerning the presenter Václav Moravec.
- The possibility to refuse the use of cookies for the purpose of advertising targeting, content personalization or geolocation has been made available by Seznam.cz for a monthly fee of 79 CZK for users who do not want to share this data.
Duben
- From 2 April, Warner TV began broadcasting nationwide, available for free on terrestrial multiplex and pay-TV operators. During the day it broadcasts series from Warner Bros. and in the evenings it builds on movies.
- Mafra announced that it has decided to discontinue the weekly 5plus2 as part of a strategic management of its product portfolio. The last edition of this gratis title with regionally targeted content was published on 12 April.
- Websites Czech News Center (CNC) began encouraging users who do not want to share their browsing history information to sign up for 99 CZK per month and watch the content without advertising.
- Google has for the third time delayed phasing out support for third-party cookies in its Chrome browser. This is said to be due to regulatory "hurdles" as well as differing "feedback" from market representatives.
May
- The news channel CT24 began broadcasting live 24 hours a day, including from midnight to 06:00. In addition to the Prague editorial office, TV studios in Brno and Ostrava also participate in the nightly broadcast.
- The sports stations of Group Nova have acquired the matches of the first choice of the European and UEFA Conference League. In addition to the pay channels Sport 1 and Sport 2, they were broadcast by Czech Television, which lost them.
- The video advertising space of the Media Club representative office was expanded to include the Canal+ video library. The video advertising is displayed mainly for Canal+ Sport and Canal+ Action TV programmes.
- The full-screen OK TV started its broadcast in DVB-T2 on 16 May. The licence was obtained by OK Music Television. The channel, focused on entertainment, music and lifestyle, is financed by the Kaiser family.
- Businessman Jan Čermák has acquired the remaining 50% of Empresa Media, which also includes TV Barrandov, from Jaromír Soukup. Soukup retained his stake in the media agency Médea.
- The Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic has submitted a new draft of a revised amendment to the law on media financing in the public service. It still envisages an increase in fees for CT, but less than last year (+ CZK 15 to CZK 150). The increase for ČRo is to be the same (to CZK 55). However, both ČT and ČRo are to lose advertising on the web and ČT is also to have more limited sponsorship than before.
- The Ice Hockey World Championship, held in Prague, has become the most watched championship on TV in the last four years. 6.82 million viewers watched at least three minutes of the tournament. The final between Switzerland and the Czech Republic was watched by 3.74 million viewers 4+ on TV or online, with a 76.14% share. The match became the most-watched broadcast on CT sport in history.
- As of Tuesday 21 May, HBO Max ended on the Czech market and was replaced by the new expanded VOD service Max from Warner Bros. Discovery.
- Businessman Pavel Hajek has expanded his portfolio of thematic channels with another TV channel. On Wednesday evening, TV R launched with regional news. It is distributed by the terrestrial transmitters of Regional Network 11.
- Czech Radiokomunikace (CRA) has started broadcasting a regional digital radio terrestrial broadcasting (DAB) network on frequencies it won at auction. The R15 regional broadcast network was the first to be launched from the Prague Žižkov transmitter.
June
- Jaromír Soukup lost influence in the company that operates the TV Barrandov broadcaster. The new owner was crisis investor Jan Čermák, who had previously owned a 50% stake in the broadcaster.
- Prague City Court opened insolvency proceedings against the operator of TV Barrandov. It said it has more than 90 creditors and overdue liabilities of more than three months amounting to CZK 700m. The company said it had more than CZK 700. The TV station also filed a motion with the court to approve a reorganisation plan.
July
- The government's draft amendments to the Czech Television and Czech Radio Acts pass the first reading in the Chamber of Deputies. It includes an increase in licence fees. Members of the ruling coalition voted in favour, ANO and SPD voted against.
- Google has again changed its intentions to move away from the use of third-party cookies in its browser and said it would like to continue working with cookies. But some experts say the industry should still prepare for the changes.
Srpen
- Mafra ceased publication of the print Lidové noviny, the oldest Czech daily newspaper, as of 31 August. It has retained the Lidovky.cz website. The supplement LN Orientation and the magazine Esprit were newly incorporated into MF Dnes, while the supplement Pátek LN was discontinued.
- The Municipal Court in Prague allowed the reorganisation of the operator of TV Barrandov.
- Media Club officially became the sole owner of Impression Media. It had held 80% of the company since last year, and after the spring changes it acquired the remaining 20%. It bought the shares from R. Stolejda (13%) and D. Bauckmann (7%).
- BurdaMedia Extra has merged its print, events, cross-media projects and online business teams into one. The online business team, previously led by Michaela Kačena, has been transferred to Martina Krátká.
- The Municipal Court in Prague declared bankruptcy of Media Master (an advertising vendor for TVB and Empresa) and approved its reorganization plan. The total amount of claims of unsecured creditors amounts to CZK 652 million. CZK.
- Mafra won the tender for the sale of advertising space for IDOS Jízdní řády. The cooperation concerns both the website and the mobile application. The website is used by 2.2 million people. RU per month, the app has 1.7 million users.
After Seznam and CNC, Mafra has also "paid for consents". Collecting consents from users is crucial for online operators, because without them they cannot build on their advertising business model. - Radioprojekt has moved to a hybrid form of measurement by augmenting the existing declarative measurement with an electronic adMeter panel. It then plans to fully utilise electronic measurement from 2027 onwards.
- From Friday 30 August, Daily N will launch a print magazine with a TV programme. It wants to reach existing and new readers, especially those who read the Friday LN supplement.
- Video platform Netflix has increased its subscription prices in the Czech Republic. The increase is on average 20 percent. The Basic tariff now costs CZK 239 per month instead of CZK 199.
September
- Czech Television does not broadcast 168 Hours from autumn. According to Jan Souček, the director general of Czech Television, the events surrounding the programme were damaging "the good image of Czech Television".
- The Czech Antimonopoly Office (ÚOHS) is investigating Seznam.cz on the Czech market. It did not specify which part of the investigation is concerned. Seznam sees the OCC's activity as inadmissible pressure.
- Association of Commercial Television (Nova, Prima) managed to reach an agreement with the operators of eDisk and Sledujteto. They are to ensure that the works of commercial broadcasters are not available on their platforms.
- Seznam.cz now offers users the possibility to view its pages without display, video and audio advertising. The Ad-free List product, which replaces the List Premium service, can be subscribed to for CZK 179 per month. In contrast, native advertising (Seznam Brand Studio) or selected search advertising will continue to be displayed.
- Czech News Center (CNC) is also looking for sources of revenue outside the advertising market. It is therefore launching a BeerDrop.cz subscription, under which customers can order craft beers from domestic producers.
- The new Internet television Pecka.TV began broadcasting on Tuesday, Sept. 24. It profiles itself as "the cheapest internet TV". It offers 104 channels in its basic package for CZK 119 per month.
- TV Prima has obtained a license to broadcast a new channel Prima Case. It will focus on non-European drama productions.
- APA, ARAS, FAMU, CT, Nova and Prima signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of the Czech Platform for Sustainable Audiovisual (AV). It serves as the main centre for sustainability issues in the AV sector.
October
- The Prima group launched the Prima Play video library, which its partners across the market can use for their own media for free.
- Media group Mafra announced that Michal Hanak became chairman of the board as of 1 October 2024. Until now, he has held the position of Vice-Chairman of the Board and was primarily responsible for digital content and marketing. He succeeds Štěpán Košík, who stepped down as Chairman of the Board after eleven years.
- Media agency Médea is in bankruptcy following a decision by the Municipal Court in Prague. Médea itself has filed for bankruptcy. It told the court that it has liabilities totalling CZK 937 million. CZK more than three months overdue with several creditors.
- German owner of outdoor company euroAWK bought outdoor advertising operator City-Tools. It acquired a total of 700 CLV advertising spaces. They are located mainly in the regions of South Moravia, South Bohemia, South Bohemia, South Moravia, ÚST and Vysočina.
- Seznam.cz launched the purchase of guaranteed advertising Seznam Garant. It offers clients the purchase of guaranteed online advertising for a known price on the areas on the websites of Seznam and its partners.
November
- The media group A 11 is the sole owner of the full-screen Television A 11, which previously held 70%. It acquired 15% from the television's founder Eva Stejskalova and a further 15% from Our Media.
- The director of Jan Hloch, which holds the broadcasting licence for the new OK TV channel, has fallen out with investors and returned the broadcasting licence. OK TV therefore had to cease broadcasting on 16 November.The investors applied for a new licence.
- Economia introduced a so-called consent wall - a bar that invites users to consent to data processing or to use the site for a fee. So far only on the Žena.cz website.
- The Radio and Television Broadcasting Council (RRTV) has issued a notice requiring online video creators and YouTubers to register with the RRTV. However, the publication of the obligation caused surprise even to Culture Minister M. Baxa. With RRTV chairman V. Mencl, they therefore agreed that the council would issue new guidelines.
- The last issue of the monthly Esquire in Czech language was published.
- Prima has obtained a licence for a new TV channel Prima Port. It will be launched next year at the earliest. It will offer foreign films, series and even reality shows, with the intention of appealing more to the female audience under 55.
- Majority owner of Heroine remains NextPage Media (60%). A minority stake (30%) has been newly acquired by shareholders of Slovak Denník N. Smaller stakes are held by Z. Kleknerova (5%) and M. Klekner and Kramárová (5%).
Prosinec
- Mafra ceased publication of Claudia magazine, Time for Stars magazine and Nostalgie monthly magazine towards the end of the year.
- The buildings of Empresa Media and Barrandov Television Studio owned by J. Soukup were auctioned for 759 mil. The buyers are Tomáš Chrenek and the Prague Municipality.
- The Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS) allowed BB Global to take a controlling stake in the advertising firm BigBoard Praha.
- The government's big media amendment to increase TV and radio fees and expand the range of payers has advanced to a third reading in the lower house.
- Czech News Center (CNC) ceased publication of the e15 in print on Monday, December 23. But it remains online and will also publish a monthly e15 magazine, which will be expanded starting in 2025.
Source: mediaguru.cz
