CME CEO: TV BROADCASTERS IN CENTRAL EUROPE MUST GO DIGITAL, OR THEY WILL BE OVERRUN BY NETFLIX

10. 6. 2026 | 3 min read According to CME CEO Samuel Barnett, traditional media companies in Central and Eastern Europe have a unique opportunity to harness the power of local content and the distinct characteristics of individual markets. However, if they fail to rapidly develop their digital services, they risk becoming irrelevant in the face of global platforms.

ONEPLAY TO BE SPIN-OFF INTO CME SERVICES

10. 6. 2026 | 2 min read CME is spinning off Oneplay into a new company, CME Services, with the aim of centralising streaming.

SCHEDULE OF LIVE BROADCASTS FROM THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP ON ČT SPORT, NOVA ACTION AND TV NOVA

8. 6. 2026 | 3 min read We have put together a guide to the live broadcasts from this year’s World Cup, which will be shown on the sports channel ČT sport, the Nova Action channel, and – for several matches – the main Nova channel. Around half of the more than one hundred competitive matches played will be shown on ČT or Nova, with all of them available on the Oneplay platform.

DIGIMEDIA: ONEPLAY IS PREPARING AN ADVERTISING PACKAGE, IVYSÍLÁNÍ IS LOOKING FOR A MODEL, ÓČKO REMAINS WITH MAFRA

3. 6. 2026 | 7 min read Oneplay is preparing to launch an advertising package and will provide data on user behaviour, Czech Television is exploring options for user registration on iVysílání, and Óčko remains under the ownership of the Mafra media group. These topics were also discussed at Wednesday’s Digimedia conference.

CME, THE COMPANY BEHIND TV NOVA, INCREASED BOTH ITS REVENUE AND PROFIT LAST YEAR

1. 6. 2026 | 3 min read The CME media group, which operates television stations and streaming services in Central and Eastern Europe, including TV Nova in the Czech Republic, reported year-on-year growth in its financial results for 2025.

NOVA FOLLOWS IN PRIMA’S FOOTSTEPS. SKIPPING ADS WILL NO LONGER BE POSSIBLE ON ITS CHANNELS EITHER

28. 5. 2026 | 7 min read From autumn onwards, it will no longer be possible to skip ad breaks on Nova Group channels. TV Nova is including this requirement in its new terms and conditions with operators who offer catch-up services on their pay-TV platforms. This has been confirmed to Lupě by the broadcaster and also by some of the operators who have already received the contractual documentation. “The change is due to take effect on 16 November 2026. Negotiations with operators are ongoing,” wrote Zuzana Křížková, TV Nova’s corporate communications manager, to the editorial team.

NOVA ESTABLISHES AN ETHICS PANEL FOR PROGRAMMES BASED ON REAL EVENTS

25. 5. 2026 | 4 min read Nova is establishing an Ethics Panel, an advisory body to the Chief Executive, focused on the ethical aspects of audiovisual productions inspired by real events.

OTO KLEMPÍŘ VS. MARTIN BAXA: THE DIGIMEDIA 2026 CONFERENCE WILL FEATURE A ‘MINISTERIAL’ DEBATE ON PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA

19. 5. 2026 | 4 min read The 21st edition of the DIGIMEDIA 2026 conference, taking place on Wednesday 3 June 2026 in the Congress Hall of Czech Television in Prague’s Kavčí Hory district, will feature a debate between the current and former Ministers of Culture: Oto Klempíř of Motoristé sobě and Martin Baxa of the ODS. Both politicians will take part in the opening discussion session focusing on the funding of public service media, specifically Czech Television and Czech Radio. It is precisely these media organisations that are affected by the draft Public Service Media Act, which was submitted by the Ministry of Culture in April and for which the inter-ministerial consultation process concluded last week. Continuation of the heated debate from TV Nova Oto Klempíř and Martin Baxa had already clashed during Saturday’s discussion on TV Nova’s ‘Za pět minut dvanáct’, with the new bill being the main topic on which both politicians did not mince their words. The debate at the DIGIMEDIA 2026 conference will offer more scope for discussion and confrontation with other guests: Marit af Björkesten, Director-General of the Finnish public service broadcaster YLE, Milan Fridrich, Deputy Director-General of Czech Television; Martina Májíček Poliaková, Director of Strategic Development at Czech Radio; Marek Singer, President of the Association of Commercial Television Stations; Jiří Hrabák, Chairman of the Association of Private Broadcasters; and David Smoljak (STAN), Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Media.

CME LAUNCHES A PLATFORM FOR SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE CONTENT

18. 5. 2026 | 2 min read During the Cannes Film Festival, the CMEmedia group unveiled a new centre dedicated to the creation of socially responsible content.

PRIMA TV TO TAKE ‘POLDA’ AND ‘POLABÍ’ OFF THE AIR DURING THE ICE HOCKEY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

15. 5. 2026 | 3 min read Prima TV is adjusting its evening schedule to accommodate the ice hockey world championship. Films will be replaced by the series Polda and Polabí.

TN LIVE HAS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF VIEWS PER WEEK AND IS SET TO EXPAND ITS DISTRIBUTION

6. 5. 2026 | 5 min read After five years on the market, TV Nova Group’s TN Live has evolved into a 24/7 news and lifestyle channel. It aims to drive further growth through more intensive content production and distribution on social media and its own platforms.

CZECH TELEVISION RETAINED THEIR LEAD IN APRIL, WHILE NOVA LEADS IN PRIME TIME AND AMONG YOUNGER VIEWERS

6. 5. 2026 | 2 min read The rankings in the television market remain unchanged. In April, Czech Television once again topped the ratings among viewers aged 15 and over, whilst Nova retained first place among younger viewer groups and during prime time.

SVENGALI AND TV NOVA HAVE THE MOST NOMINATIONS AT THE LEMUR AWARDS

30. 4. 2026 | 3 min read The record-breaking CzechPR Awardshas announced its finalists. A total of 116 projects have made it onto the shortlist from 350 entries, with Svengali Communications and TV Nova receiving the most nominations.

PPF IS BUILDING A MEDIA ECOSYSTEM. ONEPLAY IS OUTPACEING GLOBAL STREAMING PLATFORMS AND SETTING THE STANDARD FOR EXPANSION

29. 4. 2026 | 5 min read PPF Group is developing a strategy for interconnected media and telecommunications platforms. The Oneplay streaming service serves as a model for other markets in Central and Eastern Europe, explained Didier Stoessel, co-CEO of PPF Group, at the Shifts conference.

THE ASSOCIATION OF COMMERCIAL TELEVISIONS HAS ENTERED ITS TENTH YEAR OF EXISTENCE; MAREK SINGER REMAINS AS PRESIDENT

28. 4. 2026 | 3 min read This spring marked the ninth anniversary of the Association of Commercial Television, which, during its existence, has become a respected voice for commercial broadcasters and a reliable partner in both professional and legislative debates. The AKTV continues to participate in key legislative processes that affect the operations of commercial television, is actively involved in the fight against internet piracy, and promotes awareness of television as a trustworthy and effective advertising medium. Marek Singer remains at the helm of the Association of Commercial Television, which brings together the Nova, Prima and Óčko television groups, for another year.

SAMO JAŠKO: WITH OUR REALITY SHOWS, WE WANT TO CREATE A COMPREHENSIVE WORLD THAT COVERS ALL KINDS OF EMOTIONS

23. 4. 2026 | 1 min read He is regarded as one of the most experienced managers in the reality TV sector on the Czech and Slovak TV markets. Last year, he caused a stir when he moved from TV Nova – for which he had worked on programmes such as Survivor and Love Island – to rival broadcaster Prima. The guest on the První liga podcast was Samo Jaško, Prima Group’s director of reality and entertainment.

TV NOVA IS MERGING WITH O2 TV, WHICH WILL CEASE TO EXIST AFTER THE MERGER

23. 4. 2026 | 2 min read The Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting (RRTV) has approved the merger of TV Nova and O2 TV. As a result of the merger, O2 TV will cease to exist and its activities and liabilities will be taken over by TV Nova, which will also make changes to its ownership and capital structure.

ONEPLAY JOINS PPF’S UNITY LOYALTY PLATFORM

15. 4. 2026 | 2 min read From 20 May, the PPF Group’s ecosystem of benefits will also be extended to Nova Group customers who use the Oneplay service.