Czech Republic

The Czech television viewing ratings are led by private channel TV-Nova, followed by public CT1 which has recently increased its share of the audience and overtook private broadcaster Premiera, leaving CT2 on the last place. According to recent opinion polls, these changes are due to the style of TV journalism in the Czech Republic. The objectivity of the public broadcaster’s news service is rated more highly by 66% of viewers who have been through higher education, whereas younger viewers opted for the news service of TV-Nova.

In 1995 TV-Nova reported a gross profit of $ 39 million, an increase on the previous year by 300 %. $ 9 million will be paid to American Central European Media Enterprises, which holds a 66 % majority in TV-Nova’s shares, in order to cover most of its losses in Germany and other European Countries. TV-Nova’s programming is mainly American style (entertainment, action films, thrillers, crime series and sex films). Although nearly 60 % of Czech viewers regard these programmes as their main source of entertainment, the opinion poll unveiled that three quarters of them demand tougher controls of the programming because they are concerned that this sort of entertainment can have a harmful influence on children and teenagers, leading to a rise in crime.

Eastern Europe’s first multiplex cinema has been opened in Prague this spring. There are eight screens with 1,126 seats, cafes, restaurants and video shops available. The three largest screens are equipped with Dolby stereo. However, due to a decline in cinema admissions (21.9 million in 1993 compared to 9.3 million in 1995) the Czech Film Fund cut its level of funding feature films by more than half in 1996, down to $ 500,000.

AB Barrandov is developing a post-production centre with facilities for digital visual effects (Eastern Europe’s first), film labs, editing suites and Dolby sound. The prices for processing negatives are said to be 40 % - 50 % cheaper than at German Babelsberg Studios or Austrian Rosenhuegel Studios. With investments of $ 10 million, the new facilities are due to be launched in 1997.

© September 1996 by Jens Barkemeyer