Content overview in the CEE region

CEE Overview is developed by CEETV

Many CEE TV executives commented that 2009 proved one of the worst for their respective markets, mainly due to the recession that hit the world economy last year. TV, however, remained the most popular advertising medium in Eastern Europe and suffered the least from the global drop in ad spend, at least compared to traditional media like press, radio and outdoor.

CEE broadcasters decided to play it safe in 2009, casting their vote of confidence to proven formats and series, trying to limit the introduction of new and potentially risky projects. This, of course, did not mean that no one launched new shows, simply a predominant number of stations in the region decided to go for major formats that have a proven track record in other countries or simply renew existing ones. Most stations continued to invest in local fiction, which proved a good decision, a nice example being Slovak TV JOJ, which increased its shares significantly in the past few years and claimed leadership when it comes to Slovak fiction. On the other hand, the value of Turkish fiction production, which is the most lucrative sector in TV business there, dropped with nearly 50% compared to 2008.

It is no surprise than when we look at the most successful international formats that have been produced in the region, big reality projects top the list. Flagship formats like Endemol's Big Brother (and celebrity spin-off Big Brother VIPs), BBC's Dancing with the Stars (and similar Televisa format Dancing for a Dream), FremantleMedia's Idols and Got Talent, Castaway's Survivor, Strix' The Farm (including the celeb version), ITV Global's Kitchen Nightmares; etc dominate the scene – the list of successful formats is very long.

There are also, of course, game shows like 2waytraffic's Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Sandy Frank's Name that Tune, CBS' Wheel of Fortune, Lion TV's Cash Cab, Eyeworks' Beat the Blondes; etc. Bulgaria, for example, will see its first official licensed adaptation of the CBS-distributed mainstay Wheel of Fortune this January 2010.

Court shows and docu-crime series also play an important role in countries like Poland, Slovakia, Russia, etc. Then we also have emotainment formats like Italian You Got Mail, Endemol's All You Need is Love, various dating shows like Talpa's Dating in the Dark, etc. Comedy formats are very popular in numerous countries in the region and they are often inspired by international formats without local producers paying a license, Bulgaria being a good example. Of the formatted shows, we can note Russian and Ukrainian versions of Little Britain, local Russian shows like Big Difference and Comedy Club but there are also successful programs with acquired rights like the Czech version of FremantleMedia's What's My Line, which has been one of Prima's most-watched shows and recently saw the launch of a spin-off.

If we look at local formats, we won't be surprised to find that all kinds of shows are being produced in all countries: from cooking and magazine shows, to current affairs formats and even big reality projects. Unfortunately, producers in the CEE region cannot pride themselves on exporting many locally devised shows abroad; in most cases, it is about international formats being adapted in the region. Nevertheless, there are shows that have been exported elsewhere like Croatian talk-show format Pyramid, aired in Serbia, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Slovenia; ATM Grupa's game show Clueless (Greece and Poland), Hungarian format Real World – the alleged rip-off of Big Brother (which Endemol failed to prove after several years in court) was aired also in the Czech Republic and Slovakia several years ago; etc.

There are original local shows that have been very successful in their respective countries. Those include comedy shows which have been topping the charts for their broadcasters (Comedy Club in Russia with its rip-off the Comedians in Bulgaria, Even the Wise One Errs in Slovakia, Divertis show which recently moved from Antena 1 to Pro TV in Romania; etc.), small or major realities like Unsafe Mission in Slovakia, May I Call You Mom in Turkey which has also been adapted in Romania; etc.

In countries like Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, etc. local fiction is dominant, with this trend becoming increasingly important and spreading throughout the region. Moreover, it is not an isolated case of local content from one country to become hit in another, i.e. the recent boom of Turkish telenovelas in Bulgaria and Macedonia; Russian fiction is often key primetime content for neighboring countries like Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltics. The same goes for series produced in former Yugoslav territories, which often air in more than one country. These regional distribution hubs are partly determined by common history (i.e. the former Yugoslav federation, the USSR, Czechoslovakia; etc.) which has more or less put a mark on viewers' taste but sometimes is determined by other factors, like for example the case of Bulgaria where local fiction has had very little tradition after 1989.

Adapted fiction formats include: The Nanny (adapted in Russia and Poland), Married with Children (adapted in Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, with similar series airing in Poland, and rumors circulating that Bulgarian leader bTV has also acquired the format), Ugly Betty (Croatia, Russia, Greece, Poland and the Czech Republic), Forbidden Love (Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece); Cold Feet (debuted in the Czech Republic this fall and soon to premiere in Poland), Love Bugs (Bulgaria, Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine), Lalola (aired as Margosha in Russia and Ukraine); etc. Russia is the undisputed leader when it comes to adapting foreign formats.

A serious problem for major distributors, especially in countries like Russia, Turkey and Ukraine, but also gaining force in other countries in the region, is the increasing popularity of local fiction and local content as a whole, which occupies a major part of leading broadcasters' primetime schedules. Franchises like CSI, Law and Order; series like Fringe, The Mentalist, Lost, Prison Break, House M.D.; etc. are still popular with viewers in many CEE countries but there's a clear trend of scheduling them in less attractive slots than before, leaving place for local fiction and local formats which deliver higher ratings. There are countries which have a balanced mix of local and acquired content in primetime, namely Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Greece, Slovakia; etc. and even countries like Slovenia and Macedonia where primetime consists mainly of acquired fiction. CEE's broadcasters are also introducing new niche channels, with most of them operating movie/series-skewed ones.

Bulgaria Fall 2009

The Bulgarian free TV market is dominated by three major players: two commercial nets: bTV, owned by News Corp and Nova TV, acquired in 2008 by Modern Times Group as well as the state broadcaster Bulgarian National TV (BNT) which operates only one terrestrial channel: BNT1.

bTV continued to be the undisputed market leader in fall 2009, with a 38-40% share, followed by Nova TV with around 18-20% and BNT1 with around 8-10% share, all in the commercial 18-49 demo. There is a fourth FTA national broadcaster - PRO.BG, owned by Central European Media Enterprises, but despite heavy investments, it hardly reaches 3-4% average audience share and is often outplayed by cable bTV Comedy and Diema.

The fall season was marked by several trends, namely bTV relying on proven formats rather than risking with new shows, while main competitor Nova experimented with some new projects, none of which threatened bTV's dominance. Once again, BNT1 had little to offer and remained unnoticed by viewers.

In fall 2009, bTV decided to launch new seasons of proven shows like Castaway's Survivor, which saw its fourth installment, as well as BBC's Dancing with the Stars, which got its sophomore season, airing on weekends. Also worth mentioning is bTV's total domination in prime time with the Turkish series Gumus (Pearl), originally produced by Kanal D and D Productions.

Pearl, which launched in the summer, remained bTV's headliner well into the fall season, easily beating all offerings of main competitor Nova; bTV later replaced its Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday slot with another Turkish series (Yaprak Dokumu) which performed worse but still secured the station with the leadership position.

Nova TV decided to take some risks with its primetime programming, introducing a couple of new shows this fall: ShineReveille's the Moment of Truth and Endemol's Strictly Dancing. Both of them came short of making a ratings splash, and were clearly outperformed by bTV's Turkish series Pearl. Both shows delivered shares around Nova's average and the Moment of Truth has been reportedly renewed but this is still to be confirmed by the network.

The Swedish-owned broadcaster also experimented with a couple of novelties later in the season, by launching an 8-hour block show on Saturdays and a late night show on weekdays called Ivan and Andrey's Show, both proved unsuccessful. Nova also returned with a new season of mainstay Who Wants to be a Millionaire but the show saw some of its worst results this fall.

BNT1 recorded once again one of its least memorable fall seasons, despite celebrating its 50 th anniversary this year, which was accompanied by several campaigns like the Big Watching and Events of the Century.

Struggling PRO.BG introduced several new shows as well, namely Eyeworks' Beat the Blondes and a local adaptation of Romanian access talk show Happy Hour, as well as the second season of RDF's Wife Swap but none of those helped it get better results.

Recently announced major new shows for spring 2010 include the fifth season of Nova's flagship show Big Brother, tapped BB Family and the debut for FremantleMedia's Got Talent on bTV. Nova will also launch a new daily game show in January – the local adaptation of US mainstay Wheel of Fortune.

Fall 2009 proved especially interesting for Bulgarian independent TV producers. There were several major shifts and redistribution of power, marked by the total domination of two related producers over Nova: OldSchool (former SIA) and Medium Station. The two companies produced all of Nova's major shows this season but none of them turned into a hit. On the other hand, GlobalVision and GlobalFilms, owned by Magardich Halvadjian, left Nova with all of its shows and moved to bTV, resulting in a big blow for the MTG-owned station. Its mainstay Lords of the Air (Italian format Striscia la notizia) and new popular sketch show Total Madness delivered solid results for bTV as soon as they started airing on their new home.

Fall 2009 was also marked by very intensive rumors of bTV being sold to CME. bTV also changed its on-air graphics package and launched two new channels: bTV Comedy (rebranded GTV) and bTV Cinema. Nova, on the other hand, recorded one of its worst fall seasons, accompanied by reported losses of 300 million Euros.

Czech Republic Fall 2009

There are three major players on the Czech free TV market, namely market leader TV Nova (owned by Central European Media Enterprises), Prima (jointly owned by Modern Times Group and local GES Media Holding) and state Czech Television with its flagship CT1. Fourth is CT2 with around 6% share in 2009.

TV Nova, which is one of the most successful TV stations in Central and Eastern Europe, remained the undisputed leader in fall 2009. The network posted 38.16% market share among total viewers in 2009 (source: ATO), with even better results in prime time (42.63% share). The second place was occupied by state CT1 with 19.14% average share, while Prima was third with 16.71% share. The Czech Republic is well ahead in the process of digitalization of terrestrial TV compared to other countries in the region and there are already several successful DVB-T stations. All of them are posting increasing results, namely generalist TV Barrandov and movie channel Nova Cinema (2.65% for Barrandov in June-December 2009 and 1.73% share for Nova Cinema in 2009). Prima also operates a DVB-T channel called Prima COOL, attracting 1.11% share (June-December 2009).

The fall 2009 season in the Czech Republic was marked by the launch of the first Czech/Slovak version of FremantleMedia's talent format Idols. The show, which aired on both TV Nova and TV Markiza in Slovakia (both owned by CME) proved the hit of the season, bowing to a 60.54% share (total viewers) on December 20. The show, however, failed to repeat the huge success of the first seasons of the show in the the CR where the first season of The Czech Republic is Looking for a SuperStar recorded the amazing 88.5% share for its first season finale in 2004. This fall, Nova also recorded one of its worst flops in prime time since Big Brother four years ago, namely the highly unsuccessful local version of Chatterbox' Under Construction, locally called Dream Home. The station also decided to postpone the launch of its four new series, which were already shot, for 2010: new episodes of Insuring Happiness, comedy Local Tournament, fashion-based drama Perfect World and crime series Special Unit. Nova continued to get above average results from its mainstays: soap opera The Street and primetime long-running drama series Rose Garden Clinic.

Prima's new major prime time offering this fall was the adaptation of ITV Global's Cold Feet under the local title of Mistakes. The show about three mid-age couples proved a success for the station and it has already commissioned a second season. Prima also decided to cancel its very successful PT long-running drama Very Fragile Relationships. The series, which launched back in 2004 as Family Ties, was in fact the first long-running local PT series, which paved the way to competitor Nova's later offerings. Prima launched a spin-off show of its highly successful adaptation of FremantleMedia's What's My Line (in Czech: Guess Who I Am) called Guess Who Lies. The station also aired a second season of its adaptation of Kitchen's Nightmares called Yes, Chef! and continued with its popular celebrity magazine Top Star Magazin.

Czech state broadcaster CT could pride itself on launching two successful new PT programs, namely new drama series Tell Me and the local adaptation of BBC's singing format Just the Two of Us, locally tapped as Duets…When Stars Sing. Tell Me became a hot topic even before its launch as producer Dramedy was accused by Spanish prod co/distributor Grupo Ganga of stealing its format Cuantame Como Paso (Tell Me How it Was). CT1 quickly re-commissioned the series, which told the trials and tribulations of a Czech family in the totalitarian era up until modern times for a second season, following very high viewership numbers. Its second major format for this fall: Duets, which replaced another highly successful format from BBC's portfolio: Dancing with the Stars (StarDance in the CR), also provided above average results. The show, however, never managed to reach StarDance's record viewership figures.

Fall 2009 proved especially good for new DVB-T channel Barrandov (owned by Moravia Steel). The station managed to reach the goals it set before its launch, namely 2-3% average share, often going over the 3% mark. The station, skewed towards older audiences, launched with a local sitcom (Cyrano's Island), talk shows, acquired programming; etc. Worth noting is its cooperation with Slovak commercial net TV JOJ; both stations produced PT drama Sentenced which proved successful in Slovakia but delivered average results in the CR. Nevertheless, the show was re-commissioned by both nets.

New projects for 2010 include a possible first joint version of another FremantleMedia format for Nova and Markiza: Got Talent, most probably in fall 2010. As we already mentioned, Nova has at least four new series to air, including the Czech adaptation of Spanish format UN paso adelante, which debuted first in Slovakia on Markiza but proved a flop there. Other unconfirmed projects include series, based on Romanian fiction format Tears of Love, and Spanish comedy/crime series Paco's Men as well as local versions of ITV Global's Stars on Ice and SevenOne's Beat Your Host. The Czech market leader will also return with a second season of hit sitcom Comeback, new season of popular crime series CSI Andel, etc.

Prima has announced several new shows, namely a casting reality looking for two leads to star in a local musical and a makeover reality called Several Years Younger – a local adaptation of Target Entertainment's 10 Years Younger. The station will also debut with a local version of ITV Global's Come Dine with Me and a new dating show called Blind Date. Prima is also working on a new medical drama about a clinic for infertility and a new sitcom but is yet to confirm this officially.

CT1 has prepared a slate of new series, some of them shot in HD. Some of the titles include Pastry Shop, Long Live the Knights that debuted in January, etc. The station is also working on a co-production crime series with Slovak state channel STV.

Poland Fall 2009

Poland is one of the few CEE countries where the state broadcaster remains the market leader (in total viewers) and is also one of the most competitive TV markets. All four main players TVP1, TVP2, TVN and Polsat get close viewership results.

The combined average share of TVP's (state Polish Television) two channels: TVP1 and TVP2 was 36.62% in 2009 (total viewers, source: TNS OBOP), with flagship TVP1 also being the market leader (21.42% share in total viewers). The second place was occupied by sister channel TVP2 with 15.20% share, closely followed by private net Polsat (owned by Polsat Group) with 14.79%. Fourth was TVN (owned by ITI Group) with 13.94%. The four major players are followed by news channels like TVP Info and TVN24, which get shares below the 5% mark. 2009 will be mostly remembered with the ordeal of the Polish state broadcaster. TVP witnessed numerous scandals, related to the selection of its new board and president. The broadcaster finally saw the appointment of new management, literally in the last days of the year. It also forecasted a $71 million loss for 2009.

TVP's flagship channel TVP1 prepared a slate of new series this fall, featuring novelty A House by the Pool, which tells the story of a woman who loses her job with an advertising agency in the big city and relocates to the village. The show proved successful and has been re-commissioned for a second season. Another new series is Harbor, showcasing the work and personal life of coast guard officers. Comedy series Nuns, with its storyline revolving around five ‘crazy' nuns, who are always happy to help people with whatever they can, also brought TVP1 above average results. The series acted as the weekend companion to another hit series: Father Mateusz, the local adaptation of Italian format Don Matteo. The station also debuted a new mini-series Little Big Love that did not make it big. In terms of new formats, TVP1 launched a local adaptation of Endemol's Love Letters called Ready for the Wedding.

Polish state broadcaster's second channel TVP2 decided to rely on its established fiction series this fall, without any new fare in this category. TVP2 returned with a second season of its dance drama Dancers, based on Spanish format ‘Un Paso Adelante'. The station also launched a new season of period drama ‘Times of Honor' and new episodes of ‘The Zlotopolish Family'. TVP2 prepared a raft of entertainment shows: new talk show ‘Laskowik & Malicki Show', which takes the form of a TV cabaret, filled with sketches and music and ‘Travelling with a Blonde' which is a new traveling show with elements of a geo quiz. The station also launched the local version of game show ‘The Guillotine', known as a segment of Italian RAI's adaptation of Telefe's ‘The Legacy'. ‘Say Yes' was a new entertainment show, done in a docu-reality style. It followed men's preparation for their weddings – from choosing the ring to preparing different scenarios in case something goes wrong. TVP2 also launched the second season of popular Talpa format ‘ I Love My Country' which kept its leadership position in its time slot.

Crime series ‘ Marked', sitcom ‘Sinful and Rich' and a new travel show made up the new offerings in Polish TVN's fall grid. ‘Marked' is a new crime series, telling the story of a timid teacher of mathematics called Tadeusz. His quiet life is shattered after the appearance of a mysterious stranger who brings back painful and dangerous sins from the past. Sitcom ‘Sinful and Rich' is based on Canadian format ‘Sins of Love'. The show is virtually a parody of famous US daytime series like the ‘Bold and the Beautiful' and ‘Santa Barbara'. The show did not attract many viewers, though. TVN also offered a new traveling show ‘A Woman on the Edge of the World'. The show was a series of ten reports showing the most unusual places around the world. The station returned with new seasons of its local adaptations of Fremantle's ‘ Got Talent' and BBC's ‘Dancing with the Stars', both of them delivering high results. Returning local series included ‘At Wspolna Street', ‘Now or Never', ‘39 and a Half', ‘Brzydula' (Ugly Betty) and ‘Niania' (The Nanny). Returning shows include late night talkers ‘Szymon Majewski Show' and ‘Kuba Wojewodzki', game show ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire', talk show ‘In the Course of Talking', docu crime series ‘W11' and ‘Detectives', court shows ‘Judge Wesolowska' and ‘Family Court'.

This fall Polsat had just one scripted offering - action drama ‘ Corrupted'. The series offered the best from the action genre: fights, car chases, drug dealing, etc. ITV Global's ‘Soapstar Superstar' was back for a sixth season, taking up its regular Saturday night slot. The show won't return next year, following its weak ratings results for its latest installment. The network also launched its take on the latest Guinness World Records. The station relied heavily on sports programming this fall, with boxing and handball providing top ratings for the network. Polsat is also airing the Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.

TVP1 continues to work on a slate of new fiction projects, one of which is called ‘ Preserve' (based on the feature movie by the same name). The show, however, will most likely debut in fall 2010. The station will also start production of a new season of its hit series ‘Ranch' which is slated for 2011 and a new season of emigrant drama ‘ Londoners' which was recently picked for international distribution.

TVP2 will most probably debut the local version of Shine International's ‘ Clash of the Choirs', a project it has been postponing for a couple of years. The station will also offer a new fiction slot and one of the new series slated to air in it is a 13-episode series called ‘Appetite for Life'.

One of TVN's novelties for 2010, which already launched is local soap opera ‘ Majka', initially tapped as ‘Simply Majka', indicating it was being inspired by Latin-American telenovela Simply Maria. The show is replacing successful adaptation of another Latin-American format: Ugly Betty. The broadcaster has planned new seasons of BBC's ‘Dancing with the Stars' (its record 11 th season), 2waytraffic's ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire' and RDF's ‘So You Think You Can Dance' as well as the anticipated local version of ITV Global's ‘Cold Feet' which will be called ‘ Mouth to Mouth'. The station has also officially announced the launch of the local adaptation of CBS's ‘America's Next Topmodel', slated for fall 2010.

Polsat decided to postpone its version of ShineReveille's ‘ Moment of Truth' to spring 2010; the station will also launch a local version of 2waytraffic's ‘Mr. and Mrs'. The station is working on a new slate of new fiction projects. This fall the network will shoot pilots for two new drama series: ‘Hotel 52' (UK format ‘Hotel Babylon') and ‘Heals on Top'. The channel is planning a crime-comedy series with Cezary Zak, as announced by Nina Terentiew, Polsat's Head of Programming. New docu-soap series ‘Purpose' will tell the story of a fairy, helping people. This fairy is real and is called Malgorzata Trzaskoma, with all stories in the show based on real events and played by amateurs and less known actors. Polsat is also planning a local adaptation of Spanish format ‘Paco's Men', currently aired on AXN; the show will be adapted also in the Czech Republic and was already produced and aired in Russia and Romania. It will be produced by the same crew, which works on TVP1's hit series ‘Ranch'. There are unconfirmed rumors that the station is preparing a local adaptation of FremantleMedia's ‘X Factor' which is to replace Endemol's ‘Operation Triumph'.

Russia Fall 2009

Russia is by far one of the most dynamic, vibrant and interesting TV markets in Central and Eastern Europe that attracts significant volume of investments.

The country's market is dominated by two state channels: C hannel One Russia, which is 51% owned by the state and the rest property of private investors, and TV Channel Russia, which was recently rebranded into Rossiya 1 (operated by the state via the All-Russian State Tele-radio Company). C hannel One Russia and Rossiya 1 are direct successors to Soviet First and Second programs, respectively and together accumulated 36% audience share last year (18.9% shr for C hannel One Russia and 17.1% shr for Rossiya1, total viewers, source: TNS Russia). Third is Gazprom-controlled NTV (13.9% shr in 2009) which is also considered a federal net (e.g. supported by the government), followed by CTC (8.8% shr in 2009), which is owned by a group of shareholders, including Swedish MTG, local Alfa Group and popular media expert Aleksandr Rodnyanskiy. The top 6 chart is completed by TNT (also owned by Gazprom) with 6.9% shr and REN TV (National Media Group with 68% and RTL Group with 30%) with 4.9% shr in 2009.

One of the most-important events not only in the Fall of 2009 but also in the past year as a whole, was the decision of Russia's government to end the monopoly of the biggest local sales house – Video International. The approved changes in Media Law caused major shifts in the advertising business, which is expected to continue in the upcoming years as well. According to the amendment, no sales house has the right to take up more than 35% of the annual TV advertising spend on the territory of Russia. Changes will greatly affect the business of Russia's largest TV advertising sales house, which currently holds an estimated 60% share of the market.

In 2009, Nevafilm and RFilms released official results of their survey on the development of the TV movie and cinema sectors in Russia. Results show that television was hit the hardest by the financial crisis. According to the report's estimates, 2009 saw a total of 70 full-length TV movies produced, which is more than two times lower when compared to 2008, which had a total of 147 features. Local cinema companies were expected to produce a total of 80 cinema films (106 in 2008), which will mark the first time since 2006 with more cinema than TV movie productions in Russia. In the period between 2007 and 2008, an average of 30-40% more TV productions were shot. Experts noted also that the market has seen a significant reduction in production costs. While in the past few years the average budget grew by 30% per year, in 2009 alone it shrank by 50%. The value of a short series (up to 26 series) was lowered from $300.000 to $150.000 per episode, while that of a longer TV skein was down from $100.000 to $50.000 per episode. The average cost of a TV movie decreased from $600.000 to $300.000.

Russia's Fall TV season was filled up with premiering shows, series and entertainment programs. Perviy (Channel One) prepared a new music project called ‘National Treasure', looking for country's favorite song and comedy show ‘Southern Butovo', local adaptation of ‘Schiller Street'. The network brought back popular ice-skating format ‘Ice Age' as well as the successful local adaptations of ‘Got Talent' and ‘Intercities'. Perviy also premiered new series ‘Landing Party', which showcases the adventures of three friends-paratroopers, who go to some of the hottest conflict zones in the world. The net also returned with new editions of its highly popular parody show ‘Big Difference' and launched another new comedy show: parody cartoon program ‘Cartoonities'. The Russian market leader aired the continuation of drama series ‘General Therapy' – based on Italian format ‘Medicina Generale'. In August, Perviy premiered its new comedy talk show ‘Rubik Almighty'. The new show is based on British format ‘The Kumars at No.42', owned by Hat Trick Productions. Also worth noting, is the series ‘Admiral' that is based on the popular movie by the same name which sparkled mixed reactions among Russian society.

Fiction series that premiered on Rossiya (now Rossiya1) include the story of several friends taking on the challenges of tough life in the 90s in the new series ‘The Story of the Pilot'. The net also aired the TV adaptation of Akunin's novels showcasing the adventures of detective nun Pelagia; the first edition of the series is called ‘Pelagia and the White Bulldog'. Adventure series ‘Issaev' told the story of popular secret services agent Otto von Stirlitz, while major pan-European production ‘Wolf Messing' revolved around the life of the famous hypnotist, psychic and Stalin's personal astrologist and was shot in Russia, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany and Argentina. The show turned into a real audience magnet with its debut episode. Rossiya's new entertainment project was called ‘You and I' and tested how well celebrity couples know each other. The show is the local version of 2waytraffic's ‘All Star Mr. & Mrs.' The station also launched the local adaptation of Endemol's The Best Years of Our Lives and 2waytraffic's Turn Back Your Body Clock.

NTV's highlights included Kashpirovsky's new show called ‘Kashpirovsky's Session'. In it, he acts as an expert explaining various paranormal events taking place all over Russia. The show also aired on 1+1 in Ukraine. The channel brought back music show ‘Superstar' and revamped long running shows ‘Main Character' and ‘Maximum'. Another new format was ‘Stupidity Collection', which showcased a variety of absurd situations from everyday life. The new fall season saw a slate of new factual series as well as the continuation of popular crime shows ‘Glukhar', ‘Liteyniy 4' and ‘The Streets with Broken Lights'.

REN TV's new season focused mainly on news, current affairs and factual programming, mixed with a spice of series and entertainment. REN TV offered new episodes of cult comedy series ‘Soldiers' as well as the continuation of the local version of ‘Top Gear'. The channel's grid saw almost no changes in the new season. The net has renewed all of its trademark shows, including talkers ‘Tonight with Tigran Keossayan', airing in a late night slot from Monday to Thursday; talk show ‘Three Corners', hosted by Pavel Astakhov continued to discuss the most important current affairs and social issues on Monday nights; as well as similar talk projects ‘Unreal Politics' and ‘Steps to Success'. REN TV continued to rely on its slate of internally developed factual programming, including shows ‘Military Secret', ‘Private Stories', ‘Reporter Stories', ‘Fantastic Stories', etc. Renewed programs include also analytical show ‘Peak Hour' and Moscow lifestyle/social project ‘Surviving in the Megapolis'. Court format ‘Court Hour' celebrated its 1000th episode this season.

Entertainment channel TNT prepared a new sitcom titled ‘Barvikha'. The series tells the stories of the students at a local school and the clash between the high society and people from ordinary families. The network started airing new episodes of cult comedy show ‘Comedy Club'. It also offered new seasons of ‘Women's League', ‘Identity' and ‘Psychic Challenge'. The station premiered a new musical sitcom called ‘Two Antons' on New Year's Eve. The two main characters are played by Comedy Club members. TNT also continued airing its reality show Dom 2 which was ordered by authorities to be moved to a later slot where it actually improved its results. The net also launched a documentary series called ‘Mystic Travels'.

CTC's main offering for the fall season was the local version of Dori Media format ‘Lalola', locally titled ‘Margosha'. The channel also launched new comedy program ‘Video Battle'. The channel has also prepared new episodes of hit sitcom ‘Daddy's Girls', sketch show ‘Give Youth' and teen series ‘Ranetki'. The absolute hit of the season is the local adaptation of DMG's telenovela format ‘Lalola'. The Russian version generated a 4.4 rating and a 13.4% share in the target demo 6-54. Among women aged 18-54, the series got 5.6/16.2% share. The affinity for the format in this category is 157%. Another premiere – infotainment show ‘I Want to Believe', also scored nicely. One of the highlights of the fall season was the premiere of CTC's new sitcom ‘The Voronin Family' that is the local adaptation of popular US sitcom ‘Everybody Loves Raymond'. CTC also launched three new reality entertainment projects. The biggest one is called ‘The Russian Tenors'. The show sees 15 young men from Russia traveling to Los Angeles, where they get a chance to launch their international career. The goal of the format is to form the next world-renowned tenor quartet. ‘The Big City' sees a bunch of young and already popular people gather in their favorite cafй to talk about their week – work, friends, main highlights, funny stories, etc. The format also includes reality docu-segments, showcasing the adventures of the storytellers. ‘Unpaid Leave' presents the travel adventures of a young family couple, which takes a trip from Saint Petersburg to Vladivostok. The project showcases their experiences as they take on the road from the one side of the country to the other. ‘Infomania' is the name of a new show, headed by popular presenter Tina Kandelaki. The format sees the host discussing the important news, events and hot topics on the internet. Another novelty is ‘Ural Dumplings' - a sketch show which features comedy pranks based on everyday life. The Ural Dumplings are known from the KVN stand-up competitions, where they first appeared in 1995.

New season 2010

New shows in 2010 that have already premiered or have been announced include new quiz on Russian public broadcaster Rossiya 1 (Channel Russia). The show is based on German format ‘5 Against the Quizmaster' and will see popular ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire' host Maxim Galkin try to answer the questions of five contestants. ‘5 Against the Quizmaster' is expected to become a hot title in 2010 as channels which have previously produced ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire' are willing to produce the new spin-off show. Rumors indicate that TV2 in Hungary is also set to make its own version of the show with former Millionaire host Istvan Vago.

Following a two-week long holiday period in Russia, federal nets REN TV and Perviy launched two brand new series in mid-January – the first focusing on crime and the second on school life. ‘Reflections' is the name of REN TV's new mystical/crime series. It tells the story of Igor, who has been suffering from terrible headaches ever since he was a child. He decides to enroll in medical school and find a cure for his pains as no doctor or drug could help him. He enters an experimental group to test a new pill against headache. The medicine helped but has also caused a side effect – Igor started seeing weird reflections. It turns out those marks were left by people; soon Igor arrives in the Police Academy and starts investigating crimes… ‘Reflections' will air Monday to Friday at 20.00. The series is produced by Rhythm TV.

Perviy's new offering is called ‘School'. The series talks about the hard experiences of a group of Moscow high school students. Following the summer holidays, Class 9A is back to school and welcomes a new classmate – Ilya Epifantsev, whose arrival changes everything. He offers the granddaughter of the class head to get rid of her grandpa. After the teacher ends up in hospital, things get really serious… ‘School' is directed by scandalous director Valery Gai Germanik in cooperation with prodco Profit. The series airs in a daily access slot at 18.20, and has already caused controversy.

The first ever Russian-Chinese joint TV project is expected to premiere on REN TV this year. The new detective series is called ‘The Last Secret of the Warrior' and is directed by Chinese director Yu Syaogan and Russian producer Igor Prokopenko. The tragic-comedy detective series has already been sold to broadcasters in Japan, South Korea and France.