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Slovak content leads at TV Markiza
July 3, 2009, C21
Slovak content leads at TV Markiza
EASTERN EUROPEAN HITMAKERS: Martina Liskova, head of Slovakia's TV Markiza, tells Martin Buxton that local programming remains a top priority in her plans for the year ahead.
Central European Media Enterprises (CME)-backed TV Markiza has maintained its place as Slovakia's leading channel since its launch in 1996 through an offering of increasingly localised content, supplemented by acquired fare.
The 24-hour channel is available in around 86% of Slovakia's TV homes, targeting a broad audience aged 12-plus and with a core demographic of 12- to 54-year-olds. Last year it pulled in an all-day share of 35.9%, up slightly on 2007's 35.5%. The channel's main rivals are public broadcaster STV (19% share) and TV Joj (16.9%).
TV Markiza's main goal for 2009, says channel head Martina Liskova (left), will be to maintain its lead through its schedule of news, entertainment, local fiction, acquired formats, movies and sport. About 30% of Markiza's programming is local and includes daily magazine show Reflex (below), domestic sitcom Susedia (Neighbours), Elán je Elán (Elan is Elan), Let's Dance and crime series Mesto Tienov (City of Shadows).
While viewer preferences are moving towards home-grown content, series from the US and Europe - such as Friends, The OC and Komisar Rex - still play an important role, as do movies from the Czech Republic. The channel has package and volume deals with all the major studios and has established long-term relationships with most distributors in Germany, France, Italy, the UK, Russia, Romania and the Czech Republic.
Liskova says that during the day, acquired content accounts for 73% of the schedule, while in primetime this falls to around 44%. "Acquisitions do play an important role in Markiza's success, but locally produced content has a more significant impact on our performance," she says. "When placed in direct competition with locally produced programming, acquired content usually under-performs."
She adds that Slovaks' "conservative" tastes do not always match up with the themes of certain acquired content, such as sci-fi and certain comedies.
The best-performing acquired fiction titles of 2008 were Czech movies Jak se Kroti Krokodyli (Taming Crocodiles), which garnered a 48.5% share of the channel's 12-plus target, and Tri Orisky pro Popelku (Three Gifts for Cinderella), which attracted a 47% share.
However, while acquired finished content might not perform well, formats are a different story. Slovakia's Got Talent proved to be the most successful entertainment show on the channel last year, drawing just under 60% of the 12-plus demo.
The network has also just acquired rights to a third season of BBC format Strictly Come Dancing, which has also been a top performer for the channel. Liskova explains that adapted dance and singing formats work by appealing to a wide range of audiences, with other notable hits for the channel including Pop Idol and Dancing for a Dream, over other big entertainment genres such as reality or gameshows.
For additional information, please contact:
Romana Wyllie
Vice President of Corporate Communications
Central European Media Enterprises
Krizeneckeho nam. 1078/5
152 00 Praha 5
Czech Republic
+420 242 465 525
romana.wyllie@cme.net
