Management Report

Television in Central and Eastern Europe: Market Analysis and Investment Opportunities

On 1 May 2004 up to eight countries in Central and Eastern Europe, with a combined population of 75 million, will join the EU and complete a process of integration that began with the end of the Cold War 14 years earlier. If all goes according to plan, at least two more will join in 2007, while others in the region – such as Russia, its most populous state - will continue to develop close economic and political ties with their western neighbours.

This landmark in modern European history will have widespread repercussions in a region once referred to as the ‘Soviet Bloc' and now seen by many as ‘The New Europe'. Its television industries, in particular, will draw even closer to those of Western Europe and North America.

Published by Euromedia, the report Television in Central and Eastern Europe: Market Analysis and Investment Opportunities, charts the development of television in the region since its return to democracy. It also provides a detailed analysis of where it stands today and its prospects for the future in what is an increasingly multichannel environment. Among the questions addressed are:

• To what extent are these markets similar, or should they, as many already believe, be approached differently by prospective investors?

• What are the lessons to be drawn from the activities of such pioneering companies as CME, UPC and Metromedia International?

• Does public service broadcasting have a future in the region?

• Is DTT more or less likely to succeed than in Western Europe?

• Can the region's pay-TV sector learn from the mistakes made elsewhere in Europe?

Television in Central and Eastern Europe: Market Analysis and Investment Opportunities is divided into sections covering the following territories: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia and Slovakia. Within each there are market overviews, followed by separate sections for terrestrial broadcasting (public and private), non-terrestrial broadcasting (pay-TV, cable and satellite services) and DTT. Close attention is paid throughout the report to such areas as regulation, programming trends and the growth and increased availability of additional services. Further sections are provided on the Baltic Republics and Balkan region, and all are illustrated with the most up-to-date charts and tables available.