March 2024 - The Association of Commercial Television

CHILDREN AND ILLEGAL DOWNLOADING: ALARMING SURVEY RESULTS CALL FOR EDUCATION

The world of children is full of risks associated with the use of the internet, which also includes the risk of copyright infringement in addition to various types of cybercrime. For today’s children, computers are an integral part of life from an early age. The internet is their domain, they frequently surf the net from the age of ten, often even earlier. The computer and the internet are their natural means of entertainment and communication. They usually start with streaming songs and playing games and gradually move on to downloading software, films, etc. However, they often have no idea that what they are doing may be illegal.

With the explosive growth of the internet, the data volume restrictions that used to be a natural barrier to the rapid and uncontrolled dissemination of content, including pirated content, have long since disappeared. Whereas a few years ago downloading films required enormous patience, today large files such as films can be downloaded in a matter of minutes.

Unfortunately, research suggests that children actively engage in morally and socially ambiguous behaviour online, which includes sexual socialisation, recklessness, rude and abusive behaviour and illegal or unauthorised online activities, including hacking or unauthorised downloading or distribution of copyrighted content.

Online piracy has become an activity that now appears to be firmly embedded in children’s everyday lives. Parents often do not have a clue what their children are using the computer for, and if they do try to control them, they usually focus on basic safety. They usually leave copyright education aside or leave it up to schools or other entities.

Children and young people are not taught to respect intellectual property. Copyrighted works are perceived as elusive and therefore available to all without restrictions. Copyright and intellectual property are not actively supported by the general public. As is evident from various discussions on the internet, the public considers them to be incomprehensible, complex, and unjustified. No wonder. Piracy is often perpetrated by parents. According to the Czech Anti-Piracy Union, the most widespread arguments to justify piracy are claims such as “the author didn’t lose anything”, “I wouldn’t buy it for the money anyway” and “it’s too expensive”.

Downloading copyrighted content requires little technical knowledge and is unfortunately often considered “morally acceptable” among children. Children usually do not fear punishment or even do not know that they are committing a crime.

Risks of illegal downloading

Criminal liability is not the only problem that pirate downloading brings. What children think is free may in fact be associated with adware, spyware or other malicious software that is often designed to go unnoticed for as long as possible. The consequences of such an infection can range from unwanted ads and pop-ups to stolen personal information and loss of access to all important data. This does not only concern PCs and laptops. Dodgy websites as well as streaming devices, mobile phones and smart TVs may pose a risk:

If children are streaming illegal content online, they may be exposed to cyber threats, intrusive pop-ups and harmful content.
Pirated content is not equipped with parental controls to protect the whole family.
Unsolicited explicit advertisements may appear.
Streaming pirated content exposes family devices to direct risk of malware infection.
Criminals involved in online piracy make money by installing junk ads and viruses.
Malicious software on devices puts families at risk of identity theft and fraud.
Families should be aware of the criminal consequences of illegal viewing of pirated content.
Viewers, people who share the stream, or anyone who shares links to them are breaking the law.

Alarming findings were also reported in the Czech research Perceptions of Cybercrime among Children. This project was carried out among pupils from sixth to ninth grade of primary schools within the framework of the Regions for Safe Internet project at the end of 2023. The results point to the fact that pupils are still insufficiently aware of what they may and may not do on the internet, or what behaviour on the internet is classified as cybercrime.

In terms of knowledge of what actions are punishable in cyberspace, students showed the lowest knowledge of copyright infringement. Only 34% of pupils identified sharing films as a criminal activity. Copyright infringement, specifically cracking, was also the most frequent type of harmful online behaviour (over 13%). Comparing this with the 2018 results, it is clear that there has been an overall increase in awareness of what is punishable in cyberspace but only by a few percent.

Current projects in the Czech Republic

Currently, the issue of illegal downloading of software by children (and adults) is not yet receiving sufficient attention in the Czech Republic, as research conducted as part of the Regions for Safe Internet project has shown. However, there are several useful projects aimed at informing parents and teachers about the risks and consequences of children’s problematic behaviour on the internet, including the illegal downloading of software.

E-bezpeci.cz (E-Safety Project)

In the Czech Republic, the E-Safety project focuses on children and the internet. It is a nationwide certified project focused on prevention, education, research, intervention and awareness concerning risky behaviour on the internet and related phenomena.

The E-Safety project is implemented by the Centre for Prevention of Risky Virtual Communication of the Faculty of Education of Palacký University in Olomouc in cooperation with other organisations. It is a certified project for the primary prevention of risky behaviour and a project certified in the system of further education of pedagogical staff (DVPP).

The target groups of the E-Safety project include pupils (from the first grade of primary schools) and students, teachers, social pathology prevention officers, prevention methodologists, police officers, crime prevention managers, educators, workers of the Authority for Social and Legal Protection of Children (OSPOD) and, last but not least, parents.

The E-Safety project specialises in cyberbullying and sexting, cybergrooming, cyberstalking, the risks of social networks, hoaxes, spam and fake news, online addictions (netolism, nomophobia), the phenomenon of youtubering and the misuse of personal data in the electronic media environment.

On the project website you can find:

links to research on internet safety,
materials and advice for parents and teachers,
articles on various topics,
links to external sites with useful information,
links to various podcasts, radio shows, etc.,
online video courses,
online advisory services.

The portal also contains a link to the publication Safe Internet Behaviour for Boys and Girls, published by Palacký University in Olomouc in 2022, which also briefly addresses illegal downloading of content, including the fines for piracy.

Safer Internet Day

The international Safer Internet Day takes place in more than 190 countries around the world. In the Czech Republic, the event is coordinated by the Safer Internet Centre, which is managed by the CZ.NIC association. It is held annually on the second Tuesday in February. This year, the date fell on 6 February, and it was the twenty-first Safer Internet Day.

Hundreds of organisations, schools or individuals mark this day each year. Not only organisations dedicated to safety, prevention or education but also government institutions, parents and children can get involved. Last year, a guide was published with a clear selection of tips and activities for different age groups.

Czech Anti-Piracy Union

Since 2006, the Czech Anti-Piracy Union has been implementing a preventive, awareness-raising and educational campaign Films are not free and has been engaged in comprehensive education on illegal downloading of content.

Tips for parents

Of course, parents are a very important factor. They are the ones to explain to their children that by illegally downloading and distributing content they expose themselves and their parents to legal sanctions. They should also:

Make sure children know that file sharing and illegal downloading is considered theft.
Check their computers regularly. Pages logged in your computer’s history or new icons or newly installed software may indicate an illegal activity.
Find free and legal download sites for children or direct them to the original software manufacturer’s website or official online stores.
Install regular operating system patches and use reliable internet security solutions.
Teach your children to stop and think before they click on links and download buttons, as many of these can be deceptive and lead to fraudulent or outright malicious websites.
Use reputable parental control apps to help them monitor their children’s downloading habits and block potentially problematic content.

And of course, they should set an example for their children. If parents are breaking the law, whether by illegally downloading and distributing content or otherwise, it is to be expected that children will consider such activity acceptable and will also break the law.

Sources: journals.openedition.org; nidirect.gov.uk, internetmatters.org;

For more details, refer to the Regions for Safe Internet study here.

CNN PRIMA NEWS: NEW GRAPHICS REFLECT CHANGES IN NEWS

CNN Prima News has introduced a new graphic design for its news and continuous broadcasts after mid-February. The changes include a new studio layout, including the jingles of each programme. The graphic changes were fine-tuned by Prima’s graphics and production team in cooperation with the editorial team and the U.S. CNN over several months.

Interview talked to the station’s editor-in-chief Tomáš Vojáček and the head of the graphics department Petr Závorka about the graphic changes, the new news concept and CNN Prima News’ plans.

You have said that the graphic design is based on the concept that CNN Prima News used for the election specials last year and that you consulted the new graphic concept with U.S. CNN. How much of the need for the redesign of the newscast came from the internal requirements of CNN Prima News and how much was an initiative from the U.S. CNN?

Tomáš Vojáček: This is purely our activity. We have said for a long time that our intention is not just to cover news as a list of events but primarily to show these events as they impact people in this country and affect their lives. The graphic design has to be adapted to this. I mean that news graphics must constantly evolve according to the needs and current developments. The current times are very dynamic. That is why we started to add graphic elements to give the viewer the necessary context. And we also want to have a clear, snappy graphic presentation that is in line with modern trends. In the continuous CNN Prima News broadcast, we have increased the graphic elements, and we are asking the presenters to work more actively with the graphics. We don’t want to have one presenter just standing by the graphics and saying something. That is what we think U.S. CNN is best at, and that is why we consult on these things and try to use what we can.

If you were to describe the basic changes to the visual concept, which ones would you highlight?

Tomáš Vojáček: We use full-space displays, we don’t use so many additional materials, and we included a light background to make the whole presentation cleaner and clearer. We take care to offer the audience as much visual information as they can read. We are mainly concerned with the interactivity of the graphics and the ability to involve one or both presenters. We show the facts on one display and offer a more detailed view using a magic wall where we work with the presenters and experts in the studio. They explain the information and add context. This concept is based on our electoral studies, we started working with it in the local government elections and further used it in the presidential elections. That is where our transition began, where we started using the way we broadcast specials in our daily operations and our daily newscasts. Because we see that it has resonated with the audience. It doesn’t mean that we weren’t happy with the graphics we were using, but we are responding to the change in the concept of news.

One thing is the graphic design of the newscasts and continuous coverage of CNN Prima News, and the other thing is the graphic design you chose for the special coverage of the U.S. elections in early March. How are the two related?

Petr Závorka: We have said before that our intention is to gradually clean up the graphics. This is in line with what Tomáš Vojáček describes. I am glad that we can use the graphics to the full width of the format without a hitch, and that the presenters have been able to get to grips with it. It is not easy to move around in the studio without spoiling the visual experience. At the same time, it has to be said that there is a big visual and colour difference between the special graphics and the continuous broadcast graphics. The graphics for the U.S. election Super Tuesday were deliberately made to be as close as possible to the original U.S. CNN graphics. Therefore, it was very colourful with 3D elements and we used a lot of graphics in the broadcast. We have not used such a large number of templates before. In contrast, our continuous broadcast and news session graphics have moved more into lighter colours, we have brightened up the studio and the graphic design is cleaner. We are moving with the times, trying to adapt to trends, visual clarity and the fact that viewers have bigger and bigger screens.

Tomáš Vojáček: At the same time, we added branding. CNN Prima News has already established its position in the market and people know us. Special projects help us a lot because they attract the attention of people who then stay and watch our channel on a daily basis.

Will you want to change anything else about the graphics of the newscast and the continuous broadcast? Or are these final adjustments for the near future?

Petr Závorka: We can indicate that we want to focus on the news bar, among other things. We have already tried some things in the Super Tuesday election, particularly in the way the data went into the news feed. We are going to do that in the Slovak election special as well. We also want to look at the bottom bar with regard to the graphic redesign, with which we are satisfied.

CNN PRIMA NEWS STUDIO FOR THE United States PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

How binding are the graphic manuals of the U.S. CNN for you? Do you have to follow them when considering a change in graphics?

Petr Závorka: We are not bound by anything, not even by colour. We consult with the representatives of the U.S. CNN about the things we like in the graphic concept of CNN. It inspired us to move to lighter colours, to a cleaner design and the way of working with graphics. In the case of the U.S. election coverage, we were the first to have the same design as the Americans. We will continue with other specials, now it is the Slovak presidential election we have already mentioned. This allows us to separate the design specials and the continuous daily broadcasts.

Tomáš Vojáček: This is also based on the content we offer to the audience. Electoral systems are different in different countries, and the dynamics of American elections are different from those of Czech or Slovak elections. However, what they have in common is relevance, presenting verified facts or working with data, which is supported by the graphics. Therefore, for the Slovak elections, we will adapt the bar to the one we presented, but it is not possible to change it 100%. It also depends on how fast the data arrives – in Slovakia, it is updated after ten minutes, while in the Czech Republic, it is every minute. So, it is not the same, but you can work with it in a way that is similar to the U.S. election.

Petr Závorka: Not everything can be converted one-to-one because our displays have different aspect ratios. So, we have to adapt to our displays. In addition, American design does not have to take into account the diacritics, we have to deal with it, which is not easy. Here I would like to acknowledge our two main designers, Václav Bígl and Václav Žemla, who have successfully replicated the American design in such a short time.

As you stated, you intend to convert the style of the specials to a continuous broadcast. Is that feasible for the daily news? It is a different format, isn’t it?

Tomáš Vojáček: It is definitely possible to convert it, but more within the framework of continuous broadcasting because the main news shows are specific genres in the Czech Republic. With continuous broadcasting, we changed not only the graphics but the whole opening shot – our presenters are standing, the graphics are moving behind them, it is interspersed with synchronisation. In general, it is more dynamic and more immersive for the audience. In the Main News (Hlavní zprávy), we have made the jingles more intertwined with the graphics throughout the channel. Also, in the case of the Main News, we use full-format graphics, so the presentation of the data is similar to the continuous broadcast.

Petr Závorka: I would add to the graphics of the Main News that after four years since we launched the jingles from the American studio Renderon, there is practically none left today. The design of the whole station is now completely made in-house. Most of it was simply redesigned and updated as needed. We developed a clock theme in the Main News jingle, which we may work with in the future if we update the jingle further.

Did you make changes to the graphics based on information coming from the audience or how do you take into account the audience’s perception?

Tomáš Vojáček: We are tracking how our viewership is evolving not only from official measurements but also from a number of our internal surveys. That is why we knew that cleaner, clearer graphics was one of the things viewers expected from us.

Petr Závorka: It is also important to note that the results of audience perception research are evolving and that audience expectations today are different from those of years ago.

Tomáš Vojáček: Consider what the company has been through. When I came to CNN Prima News at the turn of 2019/2020, it was the pre-COVID period. What followed were two years of heavy COVID, when people’s perceptions were changing and the demand for numbers and graphs became evident in the news. They became an essential part of our lives. Then came the war in Ukraine, followed by the economic crisis, and viewers were back to watching something else. It is natural that the news coverage and its concept have changed because it reflects social developments.

Audience perception research results are evolving and today’s audience expectations differ from those of years ago.

says Petr Závorka

You have already used augmented reality (AR) in your broadcasts several times. Will you count on it in the future?

Petr Závorka: We are still using augmented reality in our news, and we are trying to accelerate its use in daily news, which means getting it ready for broadcasting in a short amount of time. And secondly, we seek to use augmented reality in live broadcasts. Pre-recording and live broadcasting are two different things.

Tomáš Vojáček: We use AR on objects that are otherwise difficult for viewers to imagine, unusual and hard to grasp, and hard to explain. For example, we used augmented reality to showcase the lost submarine Titan, which we were able to do live and get on air very quickly.

I assume the changes you have made are intended to increase viewership. Who are the viewers of CNN Prima News and how are they profiled in each region of the country?

Tomáš Vojáček: We want to have all audiences; we don’t target a specific group. We see that audiences come especially when something is happening. Compared to previous years, these increases are significantly sharper. This was well seen, for example, in the numbers of the last election night specials for the Slovak and American elections, where we managed to get to values that we could hardly imagine when the station started. In the case of the American special broadcast on the night of 5/6 March, we outperformed even our competitor ČT24 in the time from midnight to 5:45 a.m., with the average share in the 18-69 age group surpassing 6%. We are convinced that the visual concept is also absolutely crucial for viewers of all categories to tune in to CNN Prima News, not only to watch specials. However, it is true that we also believe that graphic appeal can attract younger viewers who do not consume TV as much or watch it on other platforms.

CNN Prima News’ monthly viewership share has been just under 2% since the beginning of the year – 1.96% in January and 1.86% in February. Will it manage to break the 2% mark this year?

Tomáš Vojáček: I believe so, and I believe we are not far off. Some days we are already getting over 2% in the 15+ audience. And we are well above 2% in the specials.

TOMÁŠ VOJÁČEK, EDITOR IN CHIEF, CNN PRIMA NEWS

He has been News and Journalism Editor-in-Chief in CNN Prima News since the summer of 2023. He joined CNN Prima News in 2019, and as Head of Broadcasting he was involved in the launch of the CNN Prima News multi-platform, being responsible for the television’s continuous news coverage and the development of the station’s main projects, including election specials. Prior to joining Prima, he worked for four years as the head of Střepiny on TV Nova, where he started as a reporter.

PETR ZÁVORKA, head of graphics department, FTV PRIMA

He started his professional career as a television graphic designer at Prima TV in 2007. Then he moved to a graphic design position at UPP. After two years, he returned to Prima, working as a senior graphic designer for more than four years. Subsequently, he became the art director of TV stations ČT24 and ČT sport. After five and a half years at Česká televize, he has been working as head of the graphics department of FTV Prima’s news since 2019.

Source: mediaguru.cz

INTERVIEW WITH LUCIE ORAVČÍKOVÁ: VOYO WITH ADS? NOT THIS YEAR.

Lucie Oravčíková took over the management of Nova’s digital activities , including the voyo streaming service last year, from today’s Nova CEO Daniel Grunt. At the same time, she became head of digital at a sister TV group Markíza in Slovakia.

Lucie Oravčíková has been in charge of Voyo and other digital activities of Nova since 2018 and was the closest colleague of Daniel Grunt who is now her ‘double boss’: in addition to being the CEO of Nova, he retains the position of the Chief Digital Officer of the CME group, which, in addition to Nova, includes TV groups in five other Eastern and Central European countries.

In January it was one year since you replaced Daniel Grunt as head of Nova’s digital activities. Is it an advantage or disadvantage to take over the position from the person who is now your direct superior?

I never thought of it that way, but I think it is more of an advantage. Partly because I still have the same boss. We have worked quite closely together for the past two years since he rejoined Nova. So, I am not new to him, and we didn’t have to go through that phase where the new director is finding out who can do what and what they think. We have worked together for quite a long time and on most strategic issues our views coincide, which is also an advantage these days when speed of decision making is important.

When you announced these personnel changes last year, Daniel Grunt was leaving his position as Digital Director not only at Nova but also at CME, and you were taking over activities only in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Recently, Vladimír Mužík, who is in charge of digital at CME, has returned to CME, so has that been resolved? And who led CME’s digital activities in the interim?

It wasn’t exactly like that. Dan never left his position as CME’s Chief Digital Officer, in fact, he remains there, in addition to becoming CEO of the Nova group. He is still coordinating the other countries, especially as far as Voyo is concerned. So if he was sitting on two chairs before, one was the head of digital activities in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and the other was the head of digital activities in the whole CME, he left only that one chair. Vladimir Mužík is not responsible just for digital services but for digital transformation and news, which is logical given his background.

Let’s get to some figures. CME has recently announced that Voyo has reached one million subscribers in all six markets where it operates. You have set the same benchmark for the Czech and Slovak markets by the end of 2025. But now you are talking about the end of 2026. Why the one-year shift when in all your interviews you say you have exceeded your plan with Voyo?

We have definitely exceeded our plan, but what makes you think we shift the deadline? If I remember correctly, Didier Stoessel was coming on board at CME in the autumn of 2020 and at that time it was announced that we wanted to have a million subscribers in five years. In the spring of 2021, Daniel Grunt came back to Nova, so maybe in that context, they started talking about 2026. For me, that target is still at the turn of 2025 and 2026. I don’t think there will be any shift.

You currently have approximately 700 thousand Voyo subscribers in the Czech and Slovak market…

We crossed the 650,000 mark in the autumn of 2023 and are still growing.

… is it possible to say how much of this relates to the Czech Republic?

No comment.

I have read some speculation that it is half a million.

Our objectives and project management focus on the outcome of the Czech and Slovak Voyo.

Okay. Is it realistic for Voyo to overtake Netflix in the Czech and Slovak market in terms of the number of subscribers?

Everything is realistic, the question is when. It is not our ambition at the moment.

But I suspect Voyo has already beaten Netflix in some of the markets where it operates.

Yes, in Slovenia Voyo is bigger than Netflix. In Slovakia, we have overtaken it in brand awareness, so Voyo as a brand is better known there than Netflix. However, our strategy is not to overtake Netflix but to coexist with it. We believe that subscribers can afford to subscribe to both services and we want to differentiate ourselves with local content.

Now, during the tenth anniversary of Iveta Bartošová’s tragic death, the first Voyo Originál title will be released on television. The first two series of Iveta will run on Nova, while the third series will premiere on Voyo. Does this mean that Voyo Originál programmes could start appearing more regularly on Nova’s main channel or in linear broadcasting?

Iveta is a very special case. Firstly, it is a commemoration of the anniversary of her death and also a special gift for our viewers on the occasion of Nova’s 30th birthday. Yes, I read in an interview that you should never say never, and that applies here too. Voyo Originál is intended for Voyo subscribers. But it is possible that at some stage some of the titles will make it to the screen after a few years.

When we interviewed Daniel Grunt some time ago when he was still the head of digital activities at Nova, we talked about this, and he distinguished between Voyo Originál titles, such as Roubal, and, for example, the series Ordinance v růžové zahradě, which Nova has moved from linear broadcasting to Voyo. In the interview you mentioned, I asked the same question Silvia Majeská, Nova’s Programming Director, whether the episodes of Ordinace that were made only for Voyo would ever be brought back to linear broadcasting. She said she couldn’t rule it out.

I can’t rule it out either. But at the moment, only Iveta is planned for Nova’s birthday and there is nothing else in the pipeline anytime soon.

If Iveta appears in linear broadcasting, will it also be included in the free archive on Nova.cz?

Yes, it will. In the same mode.

On Voyo, it is possible to watch some pay linear channels, namely Nova Sport 1 and 2, but not Nova Sport 3 and 4, and there are no new stations Nova Sport 5 and 6 with Formula 1. How come?

This is due to Voyo’s profile in these two markets. Although Voyo in the Czech Republic and Slovakia is very similar, it differs in content. While Voyo Originál is more targeted at the Czech viewer, in Slovakia we have gone the sports route. It started with the Niké League, the top Slovak football league. With Formula 1 it is a bit of a specific situation because the Slovak viewer wouldn’t be able to get to it otherwise. While in the Czech Republic, it is offered by some operators, in Slovakia there is no major distribution agreement for Nova Sport 5 and 6 yet.

No one agreed to your terms. Or is it because your sister service O2 TV does not exist in Slovakia?

It is there but it is significantly smaller than in the Czech Republic. At the moment, we have no agreement with operators in Slovakia, and since the Formula 1 season has successfully started, we decided to solve it this way.

And the moment Nova Sport 5 gets into the offer of a pay-TV operator in Slovakia, will Formula 1 disappear from Voyo?

I can’t say at the moment.

When I looked at the Slovak Voyo website, it says that the inclusion of Nova Sport 5 is temporary and that you give subscribers at least 30 days notice when you are taking it off.

That is right, the inclusion of Nova Sport 5 and 6 is simply a special occasion. We didn’t even change the subscription rate for it. It is just a big gift from Voyo for Slovak viewers and because we know it is a special and exceptional event, we say in advance that it is temporary.

Were you surprised at the low number of operators in the Czech Republic who were willing to include Nova Sport 5 and 6? Is this a consequence of the high fees for the possibility to broadcast these programmes?

I can’t fully comment on that, I wasn’t there for the negotiations. However, the negotiations are still going on, they are not closed. The Formula 1 season has just begun and there may be changes. However, the cost of these sporting events is getting higher and higher, we all know that very well.

Let’s move on to Voyo Originál. There is a strong cooperation between the Czech Republic and Slovakia, projects are created together. Is there any similar synergy across the other markets where Voyo operates? Or is there any such cooperation in the pipeline?

Czech-Slovak synergy is based on linguistic affinity. I think that the synergy between Croatia and Slovenia, which are also not so different in terms of language, is very similar.

Was any Voyo Originál created in collaboration of several countries at the same time?

Not yet. We share successful themes, but the implementation is local. For example, Sex O’Clock will be shown on Voyo Adria. We evaluate what could be successful where and of course we inspire each other.

Global streaming services are gradually introducing cheaper tariffs with advertising. Voyo has resisted this option but lately, you haven’t ruled it out either. Are you planning to introduce an advertising tariff and, if so, from when?

I wouldn’t say that we are outright resisting it. We are continuously analysing it, we are following trends quite closely, both in the West and in the Czech Republic with our competitors. However, in our opinion, it is not the right time now. If you look at the Western markets, Netflix, Disney+ and others started this when their growth slowed down, stagnated and decided to support further growth by introducing an advertising layer to revive it. We are thinking in much the same way, but at the moment we are growing so strongly just with paid Voyo that introducing an advertising tier wouldn’t make sense. Which is not to say it won’t come. It has to make sense to us. I can tell you it is definitely not going to be this year.

So far, the only service that has introduced an advertising tariff right from the start is prima+. In early February, it announced that it had over one million users and 125,000 subscribers in its first year of existence. What do you think of those numbers?

I would need more detailed numbers, monthly data. It is hard to assess this way because I don’t know what the structure of those who have an add-supported plan and those who don’t, what the million users consist of. Voyo has paying users only, which is not the same situation. Also, the paying user numbers we give relate to one point in time, whereas the users given by the Prima group are users who have appeared on the service throughout the year. It is not entirely comparable. Of course, we have some estimates from abroad where we see that the ad-supported plan tends to be more of a minority option.

Would Nova be willing to sell some of its titles to other streaming platforms, perhaps international ones? The question is whether these would be platforms that operate on the Czech market…

Not on the Czech market. Voyo is growing so fast precisely because it offers its premium content exclusively on the Czech market. As far as regions outside CME’s footprint are concerned, we are open to rights trading. We have recently signed a deal with an Israeli distributor for the Extractors series, and we succeeded at the Berlinale and in the London market. We are delighted that our work is world-class, and we are not at all opposed to this type of collaboration.

Metoda Markovič: Hojer is a great success. I have been informed that you are preparing a second series dedicated to the so-called “Spartakiáda Killer”.

Yes, we have good news for all fans. Legendary investigator Jiří Markovič will return with the case of the capture of the so-called Spartakiáda killer Straka. The original team of detectives – Petr Lněnička, Václav Neužil and Adam Mišík – will return with him.

Let’s move on to hybrid broadcasting (HbbTV). Nova is very active at the international HbbTV Forum, regularly receiving various awards. You work a lot with Czech Radio Communications (CRA) on HbbTV solutions. How are the award-winning solutions actually created: do you outsource them to CRA for technical processing, or do you create them yourself and CRA just deploys the finished applications to their network?

We come up with the idea, and then we give the assignment to CRA. CRA does the technical and development work.

So they create what you require as a turnkey project.

Yes.

Do you have any data on the penetration of TVs with the latest version of HbbTV 2.0, which enables the most interesting features of hybrid broadcasting?

The penetration of HbbTV 2.0 is 65%. There are therefore a total of 955,500 devices on the market.

You have recently launched TN Live as a separate linear channel and at the same time obtained a licence for it from the Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting. What are your plans for it in the future? And can it be considered a full-fledged news channel?

We want it to have as high viewership as possible. It is a specific project that was first on the internet and then we put it on HbbTV as part of our development plans and gave viewers access to it via the blue button. This allows it to develop further.

Do you plan to transform it eventually into a classic linear channel broadcast in DVB-T2?

Not at the moment.

And at a later point?

If we consider it, everyone will know in time.

You have also entered HbbTV with the Nova.cz app, so viewers can play Nova shows from the archive via the red button. In this context, I am curious how you feel about the Czechflix project, which has been dusted off by CRA. It is no longer thought of as a streaming service but as a joint archive of Czech TV stations in HbbTV. Through one interface, viewers would have access to all TV shows. Has CRA contacted you with this idea?

I don’t know exactly what the idea is, but if it really is a collection of archives in one place, I wouldn’t call it Czechflix. My user experience would be different for Czechflix. I don’t see any added value in that because as far as I know, all the TV stations have their HbbTV or streaming service with the archive shows.

It is more about the fact that the viewer would not have to search for a specific linear channel to play a programme from the archive. At the same time, it would create competition for IPTV, which is similar. The viewer opens the programme page where all the TV channels are and can play the programme they missed.

For us, this would only apply to the archive of our own programmes, which we provide in a limited mode. Not everything is there. All of our content is on Voyo.

But when you have contracts with IPTV operators, they allow their customers to replay the complete linear broadcast from several days ago. That is what these operators pay you for, isn’t it?

Yes, they are paying for the opportunity to use our content in this way.

So it is convenient for you and you probably don’t want to provide the same thing for free as part of HbbTV.

Absolutely not.

Via HbbTV you also distribute linear broadcasts of the Nova Lady channel, which does not have such good coverage in terrestrial TV. Do you plan to distribute some of your other channels this way?

No, we are not currently planning to broadcast any of our other channels via HbbTV. The question is why would we do that when they are all available terrestrially and putting them on HbbTV doesn’t make sense.

Did you try to arrange with CRA the possibility of encrypted broadcasting of pay linear channels via HbbTV? For example, you would offer Nova Sport stations in this way and the viewer would not have to conclude a contract with the operator, just buy an access card in a newsagent somewhere.

It sounds nice, but the implementation would not be so easy. You would have to buy a box to connect to your TV, so it is much easier for the user to contract with an operator.

How do you feel about the possibility of better ad targeting via HbbTV? It is actually replacing linear broadcast advertising with internet advertising that is inserted into the classic broadcast on connected TVs.

It has been discussed for quite a long time, but the technical solution has still not been fine-tuned to the point where we can say it makes sense. So far, only a few Western European countries such as Germany, Spain and the UK have implemented it. It is not unified, and there are often problems to solve so that broadcasts don’t get stuck or run accurately at the times the ad block airs. It just seems to me that it is still in the development stage, so we are waiting for these issues to be resolved.

How would you deal with such targeted ads in terms of GDPR? You would be targeting specific people. Would the audience have to confirm their consent somehow?

Given that GDPR is a European issue and Spain and Germany already broadcast this type of ads, I assume they have it covered.

At the Prague HbbTV Forum two years ago, you presented interactive projects for HbbTV, such as quizzes and competitions. Are you developing them in any way?

We introduced questionnaires that fit our strategy. Questionnaires are basically a marketing solution where we target all audiences and ask them a question. When the viewer answers, it gives them the correct answer straight away. There are also some business opportunities where the app can lead the user to the client’s app.

Source: televizniweb.cz

PRIME TIME DOESN’T CHANGE EVEN IN THE AGE OF STREAMING SERVICES

Prime time, i.e. the time when most viewers sit down at their screens and the TV stations show the news or the most attractive programmes, was always between seven and eight in the evening. With the advent of internet television, viewers have been given the opportunity to change this. According to the data from the TV channels, they continue to sit in front of their screens most often in the evening, with only the rhythm of viewing during the week differing.

For example, according to the long-term statistics of the TV operator Telly, the average highest viewing is on Sundays, while the least watched day is Thursday. The prime time for Telly is from quarter to nine and ends around ten in the evening.

The biggest Czech TV stations have a similar experience.

“The main station Prima has long had the highest number of viewers and the highest share, i.e. the share of total viewership, in the main evening time between 8 pm and 10 pm. The same is true for the Prima COOL, Prima LOVE and Prima ZOOM channels and Prima MAX. At the same time, Prima COOL and Prima MAX are also shaar strong in the later evening hours of 22:00 to 00:00,”

said Prima spokesperson Gabriela Semová.

She added that on the contrary, Prima KRIMI station has the highest viewership and share in the afternoon between 2 pm and 6 pm. The CNN Prima NEWS news station attracts the most viewers during the evening news.

The main Prima station, she said, has the strongest viewer interest between 7pm and 9pm on weekdays, when Prima broadcasts premium in-house productions. “On the main Prima station, the highest viewing figures are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when we broadcast the flagship series ZOO. The station is also above average on Wednesdays thanks to the series On the Waves of the Adriatic,” Semová calculated.

On thematic stations, such as Prima COOL, Prima MAX and Prima KRIMI, the highest viewership is at the weekend. “For most of our thematic stations, Saturday and Sunday are among the most watched days. Prima LOVE has the highest viewership on Wednesdays and Fridays,” the Prima spokesperson added.

Nova is similar, with ratings peaking just before 9pm.

“We call that segment the first prime time, it starts at 20:20. It copies the time when the most people are in front of the screens. The second prime time is after about 9:30, that’s when the second prime time segment starts, which follows the first one,”

said Silvia Majeská, programme director of Nova, in an interview with iDNES.cz.

She added that the viewership varies during the week. “The number of viewers varies. I think it kind of naturally follows the cycle of the week and historical habits. Most viewers are in front of Czech screens on Sundays, especially on Sunday evenings. Sunday is generally strong. The second most watched day in prime time is Monday,” she described.

The same experience is shared by Czech Television (CT), which has prime time defined as the time slot between 7pm and 10pm. “Most viewers watch TV around 9pm. This applies both to television in general and to the main channel CT1, where the news hour between 7 pm and 8 pm is added to it,” added public television spokeswoman Vendula Krejčová.

In the case of CT2, the peak in viewership occurs between 8pm and 9.30pm. In the case of ČT24, viewership follows the news at 12 and 18 o’clock and the news hour between 19 and 20 o’clock. “For Déček, most children are around 7am, a little later at the weekend, and in the evening between 6pm and 8pm. Viewing habits have been stable for a long time, they do not change,” Krejčová recalled.

She added that in general, most people watch TV in prime time on Sundays, and the least on Fridays and Saturdays. From Monday to Thursday, the number of viewers at the screens is quite similar. “Even in the case of Czech Television, the most people watch on Sunday evening, we register high interest of viewers, but also on Monday, Friday and Saturday, which is related to the deployment of primetime broadcasts. The weakest days are Tuesdays to Thursdays,” Krejčová added.

She noted that if CT offers viewers a premiere drama programme, an attractive sport or an extraordinary news event, the viewership is above average on any day of the week.

“In general, however, we see higher viewer interest in CT broadcasts on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. In the case of the premiere of a detective series, also on Mondays,” Krejčová noted.

Prime time remains, but quality is changing
Decades of prime time also apply in the era of streaming services. According to Netflix data, the highest number of movie or TV show viewings worldwide is at 9 p.m. In countries with long working hours such as Argentina, Mexico or Singapore, the peak streaming time is around 10pm.

“The time between 7pm and 9pm, or 7pm to 10pm, is crucial for TV and will remain so for years to come. Although rewatching will grow, the habit of watching TV directly in the evening is so strong among most viewers that prime time will certainly continue,” added Juraj Koiš from the TVKompas.cz expert server.

He warned, however, that qualitatively, prime time is not nearly as strong as it used to be. “Whereas five to ten years ago you needed at least two strong titles every night to keep the viewer’s attention, today you can rotate older reruns of established series in prime time and you can maintain the necessary viewership,” he said.

The viewer, he said, is no longer as demanding of quality and “newness” as they once were. “I think it has to do with the possibility of rewatching in IPTV, where the viewer finds the quality he wants to watch,” Koiš explained.

The average Czech spent three hours and 40 minutes watching TV every day last year, according to data from the Association of Television Organizations.

Source: idnes.cz

CZECH TELEVISION WAS THE STRONGEST IN FEBRUARY, TV NOVA LEADER IN PRIME TIME.

Czech Television stations remained the strongest in February in the universal 15+ group in all-day broadcasting. In prime time, the Nova group is still the leader. The Prima group grew the most year-on-year in prime-time in February.

Czech Television stations were the strongest in February in the 15+ group in terms of viewership. Their aggregate share was 29.71%, down 1.6 percentage points from February last year.

Nova stations remained the strongest in the 15-54 and 18-69 viewer groups. It also has the highest share in prime time in all key audience categories. Here, it improved year-on-year shares in the 15+ and 18-69 groups.

Prima Group then showed the biggest year-on-year gains in prime time across all TV groups. It also increased share in the 15+ group across the day.

However, the top three TV groups, with the exception of Prima in 15+, did not improve their all-day viewing figures compared to last February. Atmedia grew the most year-on-year in daytime viewership.

Television Seznam also continued its slight growth. The share of the Barrandov group decreased year-on-year.

Of the individual TV stations, CT Sport (broadcasting both the biathlon and cyclo-cross World Championships) grew the most this February compared to February last year. Its share rose to 4.01% in February (15+, +0.7 pp y-o-y). The second highest growing channel was the main channel TV Prima (+0.59 ppts. to 12.25%).

Source: mediaguru.cz

SILVIA MAJESKÁ: AUDIENCES WANT TO WATCH GOOD STORIES AND NOVA HAS A LOT TO OFFER

At the beginning of February, TV Nova celebrated its 30th anniversary since it began broadcasting. On this occasion, the programming director, Silvia Majeská, who is in charge of both Nova’s and the slovak Markíza’s programming revealed in an interview whether the two TV stations can be connected, what viewers in the Czech republic and Slovakia want to watch and how she sees the future of nova.

Nova celebrated 30 years. How would you evaluate this period?

This question comes up a lot. I was wondering how a person who has been here for a relatively short period compared to 30 years and who is from another country can evaluate it.

But that may be an advantage for your evaluation, you can keep your distance.

Maybe, but I may be biased as it is really an honour for me to work for Nova. I think it’s great that Nova has managed to launch television that people watched then and still watch 30 years later. I think that is a really amazing achievement and the main thanks go to the viewers who have remained loyal to us and watch our programmes. They keep giving us the energy and the desire to bring more and more things that they like. A huge humility is part of it all because we are television with a good track record.

How were you looking forward to celebrating Nova’s 30th birthday?

It is a bit strange because we have been preparing for the celebrations since last year. They have different phases, they are intertwined with the programming, marketing and communication, we will also go out to the audience. It is a very complex topic, but it is obviously a great feeling. I think 30 years is a really beautiful age, it is a kind of maturity. Really, when I think about it, I am flooded with hope that if we have made it through the 30 years up to now, we will make it through the next 30 years. Nova still has a lot to offer.

What is your vision for the next 30 years?

The world is evolving fast. The progress of digitalisation and technology is changing everything and creating new opportunities. It is naturally changing the way audiences are watching content, and we are seeing that especially with younger audiences. I think video content consumption will continue to grow and will only get fragmented based on the ways in which viewers watch their favourite shows. Everything is getting more individual and personalised, but I believe strong and quality stories will always have a place on TV.

When Nova started broadcasting back then, it brought a revolution to the market in terms of the type of programming offered and the approach to news. It has shown over those 30 years that it can keep up with trends. That is probably what we have been focusing on most recently – being ready for the challenges of the future and finding a way to continue to bring our fans stories that they enjoy watching and that they can find with us.

What are the challenges of the future? Where do you look for inspiration? In the last two or three years, Nova has expanded the number of channels, you have started making your own series… How is it going to go on, haven’t you reached your limit?

We have definitely not reached the limit of our strength and certainly not the limit of our appetite (laughs). I think we have a passion for what we do. At Nova we have a team of people who are very keen to bring things that the audience enjoys, so we are also united by a mutual desire to move forward in some way.

Of course, we often draw inspiration from abroad. It gives us some perception of what we can expect in the future. The overall consumption of video content in the world is growing, as is the interest in quality video. We have built one of the biggest creative teams for feature filmmaking here, we have a really strong production, we have multiplied the number of projects we have produced. We think we are ready for the future.

The Czech and Slovak markets are small and according to surveys, viewers spend longer looking for something to watch than they spend watching TV. Aren’t you afraid of flooding the viewer?

We are not afraid because this we think is our advantage – we are able to create series and projects that people seek out and watch en masse, whether it is on linear TV or on Voyo. People want and will want to watch something that is entertaining. The problem of too much content on the platforms actually plays into the hands of linear TV. There you will find pre-selected content that is presented to suit the audience on a given station at a given time of day. To fit in the viewer’s “life cycle”.

How did you deal with the time-shifted viewing? Or is it still true that viewers sit down to watch TV around 8 pm?

Fortunately, this is still true. Of course, the share of time-shifted viewing is also growing, but the dominant viewership is reported during the live broadcast, which means within 24 hours in our calculations. The proportion of viewers is incomparable, with the majority watching the programme within the first 24 hours. There is a slight increase in the percentage generated by time-shifted viewing but it does not seem like it is going to be vice versa soon. It is a natural moment of watching content: I wait for a new episode because I want to know what is going to happen next.

Or I wait and watch maybe two or three episodes at a time.

Exactly, and that is the advantage of the modern way of distributing content. There is the option to have the whole series together, and even viewers who don’t have the patience to wait from week to week can watch it.

Which is your most watched station? Is it still the main Nova station?

Yes, it definitely is. Nova is the most watched station in the Czech Republic among the active population, which is the age range of 15 to 54 years old, and with that comes a lot of responsibility. Today, when everyone is more concerned with their personal needs and personal consumption, it is not easy to create a programming line-up and offer programmes that can reach the masses of viewers.

NObody CAN GUARANTEE WHAT WILL WORK

What does a programming director actually do?

That is a common question (laughs). But until now I haven’t found a simple answer. Does he or she form a programme? (laughs)

Do programming directors just sign scripts or do they come up with the programme themselves?

The programming director actually prepares the programme strategy. This means that he or she is in charge of proposing solutions for each day of the week and for key time slots. That is, what and what type of programme will be broadcast on which day at which time. After that, more detailed work is required. The individual slots have some parameters and some focus. You have to work closely with the development and production department to arrange for the programmes. The programming director is also in charge of what the channel portfolio looks like. That is, which stations are in that portfolio and who they are aimed at, what programmes they offer, what their programming concept is…

As far as scripts are concerned, of course, programming directors are involved in the assessment of projects that have been in the pipeline for a long time because it is very important to set the right tone. The project is prepared and production is ordered with some idea of where it will run. We know what kind of audience we want to reach, and that is very important.

If you really like a show, do you push it through even if others are against it?

I very much welcome teamwork. Basically, there is no one in the world who can 100% guarantee that a programme will work because there are so many parameters to have an impact. That is why it is very important to really work in a team and to have a team of people who are experienced and really have insight. It is important to somehow confront and discuss your perspective with them. Then we know that together, we have arrived at the best solution that we can bring to the audience.

Of course, there are things I believe in. But it is not as easy as waking up in the morning and saying: I want to air this, and we are on the air right now.

Some series are available in both Czech and Slovak versions (for example, Zlatá labuť and Dunaj), Markíza is now running Specialisté in Czech. Have you thought of broadcasting any Slovak series in Slovak on Nova?

That is a very good question. The fact that there are Czech crime series on Markíza in Slovakia is a relatively recent change. Historically, it has not been done, but some time ago we dared to try Policie Modrava, one of the most successful series on Nova TV, and we found that the Slovak audience responded very positively to it. That is why we expanded the volume of Nova’s crime series that Markíza offers. And by launching Markíza Krimi in Slovakia, it opened up the opportunity to collaborate even more on this genre.

As far as the exchange of content in the opposite direction is concerned, Nova has already broadcast, for example, the Slovak version of Undercover Boss in the past. As for minor channels, Nova Fun broadcasts the series Súsedia, Nova Lady broadcasts the series Oteckovia, so we are trying to incorporate Slovak content into our broadcasting plans. In Slovakia, we don’t make crime series. That genre has not been successful there for a long time, we have had more success with the Slovak adaptation of the series Případy mimořádné Marty, as it is called in the Czech Republic, in Slovakia we have Výnimočná Nikol. That was actually a crime series that had more success after a long time.

STRONG EMOTIONS ARE WHAT WORKS IN SLOVAKIA

Is the Czech and Slovak audience the same? Are there any differences?

Sure, it is the same as asking if Czechs and Slovaks are the same. They are not. Every nation has its own specifics, some of its needs, some of its favourite things, and the programme has to reflect that. If they were the same, we would probably broadcast the same programmes. But they are not too different markets. We are similar in some ways, perhaps because we are drawing on a common history.

You mentioned that crime stories are more popular in the Czech Republic while in Slovakia, they are not in great demand.

Yes, I have often said that strong emotions tend to work in Slovakia, and that was our long-term explanation for why crime genres did not work there. Slovak viewers did not need to solve an equation in a series and reach a conclusion, but they needed to cry, to fall in love. They were just looking for different attributes and I think that is still true to some extent. We see it on Voyo as well. Voyo offers a lot of Czech and Slovak content and can swap some programmes. It is great that we can offer the opportunity to watch both Markíza’s and Nova’s programmes to those who are interested.

Is there any difference in viewership during the week and on the weekend?

Yes, the number of spectators varies. I think it sort of naturally follows the cycle of the week and historical habits. Most viewers are in front of Czech screens on Sundays, especially on Sunday nights. Sunday is generally strong. The second most watched day in prime time is Monday.

Is viewership still the highest between 7 and 9 pm?

Yes, it was always around 8.50 pm. That is the time when most of the spectators showed up. That is what we call the first prime time segment, which starts at 8.20 pm. It corresponds to the time when the most people are in front of the screen. The second prime time is after 9.30 pm. It is the start of the second prime time segment, which follows the first one.

Do you come to work in the morning and discuss the ratings?

Yes, each morning the previous day’s viewing figures come in, and of course, those figures are then updated with the time-shifted viewing data, so we have the viewing trends for the specific day and specific programme. We can see the whole day, all the programmes, all the stations. We can see what the viewer watched, if they switched off something, what they watched instead. That is important for us to track whether they like or dislike something, whether they are happy with us, whether the way we have served it up to them suits them within the day. We make changes based on that.

Have you always worked in television? Have you ever tried radio?

No, I haven’t because I actually got into TV right away, relatively soon after college. It was always my dream job, I didn’t even think to look elsewhere. I have been very lucky that I have always been given some kind of opportunity to move on within the company, so I have been able to learn something new, and I love that.

You once said that when you interned at MTV, you worked in two departments at the same time.

Yes, the departments were looking for students at the time, so I said I would take both and we would see how it worked out in practice. It gave me more of a chance to learn, and it was actually my first contact with television. I had an amazing supervisor who showed me how acquisitions worked, how setting up a broadcast structure worked. They were just launching a new channel at the time and I was able to learn what it was actually about. It is not easy get engaged in these matters. An outsider has to be really lucky to have some experience to even get into those departments and learn how everything works. For me, it was actually a stepping stone.

THE WHOLE FAMILY CAN WATCH ULICE

Are you looking forward to something now? For example, a new series?

I always get excited when something is launched, it is my adrenaline rush every six months. When a new season starts, I get so excited. I am filled with anticipation how it is going to turn out. Then we have some lessons learnt, which we process for a while, and soon after that, we are preparing the next season.

But you also have the programming pillars, such as the series Ulice. It has been on the air for 20 years and still has high ratings.

We are even trying to make sure that the generation of viewers is changing, meaning that Ulice should have the opportunity to attract younger generations of viewers. Because multigenerational viewing of the series works very well, there are multigenerational characters and really diverse stories. We have a very experienced team that works to make sure that the characters and the stories reflect the people and their experiences. The series is prepared well in advance to be ready for specific days, specific weeks and months. It should accurately reflect the needs and mood of everything that people are experiencing. We are extremely proud of Ulice, it is one of Nova’s flagships.

Another such series is Ordinace v růžové zahradě. Viewers made a “revolution” when you wanted to end it in 2021.

We didn’t want to cancel it, we pulled it off the main channel and moved it to Voyo. We are really happy that Ordinace is continuing because it is very popular on Voyo and it is still getting new viewers, which is great. It is produced by a very skilled and experienced team.

You are in television all day. When you get home, do you still watch TV? Are you able to perceive it as an ordinary viewer?

When I come home, I don’t watch TV because I have little children, so they are the first thing I deal with. But I love to watch programmes of any kind, anywhere. I have been a TV fan since I was a kid. TV is my dream job. Talking about what I watch at home and if I can watch it as an ordinary viewer, the answer is yes, absolutely. At the end of the day, I am watching content with some personal feelings and personal sympathies but naturally, you can’t avoid some professional deformation. But I am very happy to watch something to relax.

Do you prefer crime stories or something else?

It depends. When my husband and I are watching, we tend to choose adventure or crime series. When I am alone, I like to watch typically female content and undemanding stuff.

Being a mother of young children, are you planning a children’s channel?

We don’t have a children’s channel in the Nova Group, but we do have a beautiful children’s section on Voyo, which is full of favourite fairy tales in the local language. In that respect, Voyo is convenient for kids and moms, they can watch whenever and wherever they want to. And it is available without ads.

How do you relax when you are so busy?

I prefer to relax with my family, our activities are adapted to the age of our children. I don’t mind being busy, I keep telling myself that I am very lucky in my life, I have healthy kids and I have a job that I enjoy and find fulfilling, so I try to be grateful for that.

Source: idnes.cz