Launched by the Association of Commercial Television Broadcasters in 2021, ScreenVoice has been providing the Czech media market with up-to-date information, inspiration, research and original content focused on television, total video and TV advertising for five years.
ScreenVoice celebrates its fifth anniversary this autumn. The Association of Commercial Television Broadcasters (AKTV) launched the website with the aim of creating a platform that would bring together relevant information from the worlds of television, media, video and TV advertising in one place. Over the past five years, ScreenVoice has established itself as an industry resource that combines the latest developments in the Czech and international markets with original editorial content, research and data.
The platform has consistently focused on the evolving television, media and video landscape, advertising trends and topics related to the effectiveness of television as an advertising medium and its role in brands’ media mixes. In addition to its own articles, ScreenVoice provides access to international industry studies and research made available to AKTV through its membership in the international organisations egta and The Global TV Group. Through ScreenVoice, AKTV exclusively translates and adapts selected case studies into Czech, making them accessible to local readers. These studies cover topics such as new advertising technologies and formats, audience measurement, creativity and innovative advertising strategies.
An important part of ScreenVoice’s mission is the long-term education of the market and the sharing of insights that help industry professionals better understand the role of television today. The platform therefore offers not only regular monthly focus topics but also a data- and research-based section entitled TV Myths and Facts, a glossary of media terminology, an industry events calendar and an event archive featuring recordings of speakers’ presentations and materials from webinars, professional conferences and other industry gatherings organised by the association.
Over the past five years, ScreenVoice has also expanded its activities beyond online content. For example, it has collaborated with GroupM on joint industry articles and participated as a partner in major industry events, including the NextGen TV conference, the HbbTV Symposium and Forum Media. Under its own ScreenVoice Talks brand, the platform has also organised professional conferences focusing on topics such as audience attention and the effectiveness of television advertising.
Five years on, ScreenVoice is therefore more than just a source of industry news and inspiration. It also provides evidence-based arguments, supported by research and placed in a broader context, for including television in advertising campaigns.
“Through ScreenVoice, we want to continue providing the Czech market with relevant information and contributing to a better understanding of television’s role in the media ecosystem. AKTV’s tenth anniversary, which we will celebrate next year, represents an ideal opportunity to present our future vision and the next chapter in ScreenVoice’s development. Our goal is for the platform to continue evolving as a key space for professional discussion and education in the dynamic world of total video,”
Oneplay is used regularly by 41 per cent of the Czech population, which, according to the Kantar Lifestyle 2026 survey, puts it ahead of Netflix, which stands at 35 per cent. On average, it reaches 3.6 million viewers per month. This is according to a presentation by TV Nova at the Forum Media 2026 conference. More than half of Czechs now use pay-TV and video-on-demand services.
41 per cent of the Czech population regularly uses Oneplay, whilst 35 per cent use Netflix. Among the youngest generation, however, Netflix remains in the lead with 53 per cent, whilst 48 per cent of this group use Oneplay. This is according to data from Kantar Lifestyle 2026, presented by Renata Týmová and Hung Nguyen from TV Nova as part of their presentation at this year’s Forum Media conference. Over the last two years, Oneplay’s usage among the Czech population has increased by 16 percentage points.
Among other services, iVysílání by Česká televize also has a significant share, with 22 per cent of the population watching it regularly. This is followed by the free version of Prima with 11 per cent and HBO Max with 10 per cent.
According to data from TV Nova and ATO measurements, Oneplay was watched by an average of 3.6 million viewers per month between January and October 2026. In October, this figure reached 3.8 million. The figure is based on a conversion using a coefficient of 1.8.
According to the data presented, 54 per cent of the Czech population uses paid television services and video-on-demand platforms. Their popularity is highest among younger generations, reaching 63 per cent among Generation Z and 59 per cent among Generation Y. It is also significant among baby boomers, at 44 per cent.
The presentation also highlighted changes in viewing behaviour. Traditional television is watched daily by 47 per cent of the population and weekly by 68 per cent. For paid online television and video-on-demand services, these figures stand at 34 per cent and 60 per cent respectively . The television screen thus remains a significant medium, but an ever-increasing proportion of viewing is shifting towards online services, and the range of services on offer varies significantly between different viewer groups.
TV Nova also presented the profile of the Oneplay audience from an advertiser’s perspective. Users aged 15 to 44 account for 45 per cent of the platform’s users, whilst this figure stands at 15 per cent amongst regular television viewers. 19 per cent of the Oneplay audience have a university education, compared with 15 per cent of television viewers. In socio-economic groups A and B, 24 per cent of platform users belong to these groups, compared with 18 per cent of the television audience.
Nova to launch the Onereach advertising product
The new Onereach advertising product, which Nova will begin rolling out gradually after it stops ad-skipping in catch-up viewing from 18 November, is set to offer advertisers a combination of reach on Oneplay and in linear television broadcasting. Nova is building it on five pillars: premium content, audience size, viewing on a television screen, data-driven targeting options, and additional reach beyond linear television.
At the same time, during the first quarter, it will launch an advertising package for Oneplay. This new Komfort package with adverts will feature adverts in both video content and television broadcasts. For the existing Komfort, Extra Zábava, Extra Sport and Maximum, adverts will only appear in content on TV Nova channels. However, even with these packages, it will not be possible to skip adverts placed within TV Nova broadcasts when watching them on catch-up via Oneplay (nor with other operators).
You can read more about the Onereach advertising product, unveiled at Forum Media, here.
The Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting has extended TV Nova’s licences for the online broadcasting of four channels. The main Nova channel and the stations Nova Action, Nova Cinema and Nova Fun will hold these licences until 21 June 2042.
The decision was taken by the Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting at its 15th meeting on 3 November, according to its press release. TV Nova’s licences relate to broadcasting via special transmission systems, i.e. distribution via the internet. The channels concerned are Nova, Nova Action, Nova Cinema and Nova Fun. The Council has extended them by twelve years.
TV Nova submitted applications for the renewal of all four licences to the Council on 19 October. The Council originally granted the licences for the Nova Action and Nova Cinema channels on 21 June 2018. The licences for the main Nova channel and for Nova Fun date from 5 June 2018. All four licences will now expire on the same date: 21 June 2042. This decision therefore ensures stability for the entire media group for years to come.
All four channels are available online via the Oneplay service, which is provided by TV Nova. It entered the market on 10 March last year, merging the previously separate O2 TV and Voyo services. However, online distribution is not limited to Oneplay. It also includes all the online TV services operating on our market, of which there are many. Nova operates its channels across all platforms.
British broadcaster ITV has renewed its partnership with Friend MTS for another two years, strengthening its efforts to combat digital piracy and protect premium television content. The extended agreement expands anti-piracy monitoring to additional major events broadcast on ITV4.
Under the renewed partnership, ITV will continue using Friend MTS’ Global Monitoring service, providing round-the-clock protection for its main linear television channels across traditional broadcasting and streaming platforms.
The technology enables the identification and takedown of unauthorised streams while supporting the removal of links to pirated content from major search engines. The solution combines content fingerprinting, AI-powered automated detection and a dedicated 24-hour operations team to identify and respond to illegal distribution.
The agreement builds on a partnership first announced in 2024. Neither company has disclosed the financial terms of the renewed contract or figures relating to the number of illegal streams removed during the initial agreement.
“Our partnership with Friend MTS has played an important role in our ongoing work to make piracy unsustainable and protect the value of our content for viewers, advertisers and rights holders,” said Akhila Khanna, Distribution Director at ITV.
Khanna added that the expanded partnership supports ITV’s broader strategy to optimise its broadcasting operations and accelerate streaming growth.
Shane McCarthy, CEO of Friend MTS, highlighted the companies’ joint efforts to protect premium content across both linear broadcasting and digital distribution. A key element of this strategy is also protecting advertising impressions, whose value can be undermined by the unauthorised redistribution of television content.
The extended agreement will also help ITV meet its contractual obligations to content rights holders while strengthening the protection of the broadcaster’s own programming portfolio.
Notably, ITV4 operates as a free-to-air television channel. Nevertheless, protecting its content remains essential, particularly to prevent unauthorised redistribution in international markets where the same events are available exclusively through pay-TV services.
This highlights the growing importance of anti-piracy technologies not only for subscription-based streaming platforms but also for traditional commercial broadcasters, whose business models depend on advertising revenues, distribution agreements and the commercial value of licensed content.
Dutch flight instructor Sam Guichelaar believed he had little to worry about when downloading TV series via torrents. According to his own account, he had been obtaining content this way for 24 years without ever receiving a copyright infringement warning from an internet service provider. However, after downloading an episode of Dexter: Resurrection using Starlink, he encountered an unexpected surprise.
On November 1, Guichelaar shared a message on social media platform X revealing that Starlink had forwarded him a copyright infringement notice from Paramount. Less than two days had passed since he downloaded the episode. The incident was subsequently reported by technology publication PCMag.
Guichelaar admitted that he had never used a VPN when downloading torrents. He assumed that Dutch internet service providers generally did not comply with similar requests from copyright holders. He expected the same approach from the US-based Starlink, operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Starlink Can Disconnect Users Over Copyright Piracy
However, Guichelaar had overlooked a crucial detail. Starlink has been issuing copyright infringement notices since 2021, and its terms of service explicitly prohibit using the connection for the illegal distribution of copyrighted content. Repeated violations can result in the suspension or permanent termination of internet service.
The assumption that Dutch internet providers automatically protect all their customers is also inaccurate. In May 2023, a Dutch appeals court ruled that internet provider Ziggo was required to forward a warning from the anti-piracy organisation BREIN to one of its customers. If the customer continued to infringe copyright laws, the operator would also be required to disclose their identifying information under specified conditions.
BitTorrent technology itself is not illegal. The legal issue arises when users distribute copyrighted movies and television series without authorisation. During conventional torrenting, other participants can also see the connection’s public IP address, making it possible to monitor the distribution of specific files.
Guichelaar now plans to use a VPN for the remaining month of his subscription before switching to a Dutch internet provider. So far, the incident has resulted only in a warning, rather than a fine or service disconnection. Nevertheless, the case highlights that even European Starlink customers cannot automatically expect the same approach to copyright enforcement as they experienced with their previous internet service providers.
Global traffic to piracy websites declined by 5.72% in 2024 compared with the previous year. Television content continued to dominate, while film piracy recorded a year-on-year decline of almost one-fifth. According to MUSO, these contrasting trends are attributable, among other factors, to the fragmentation of streaming services, the availability of legal content and a smaller number of major film releases.
Global trends in digital piracy in 2024 are examined in MUSO’s report, 2024 Piracy Trends and Insights. The study analyses traffic to piracy websites across five major content categories – television, film, publishing, software and music – focusing on year-on-year developments, geographical distribution and methods of accessing unauthorised content.
Overall Piracy Is Declining, but Television Retains Its Leading Position
Piracy websites recorded 216.3 billion visits worldwide in 2024. Although the overall figures indicate a decline in digital piracy, trends across individual categories are far from uniform. Some sectors experienced substantial reductions in traffic, others remained relatively stable, while the publishing sector recorded an increase in demand for unauthorised content.
Television piracy remained the largest category, accounting for almost 97 billion visits. Despite a year-on-year decline of 6.8%, it maintained a considerable lead over the other sectors. Film piracy experienced a significantly sharper decline, with traffic falling by 18% to 24.27 billion visits.
The decline was slightly greater in the music category, whereas software piracy recorded only a modest decrease. Publishing content, by contrast, moved against the overall trend and was the only one of the five categories to register year-on-year growth.
The overall decline in piracy was also reflected in the average number of visits to piracy websites per internet user, which fell from 68.15 to 64.25. According to MUSO, this development was primarily driven by changes in the film, music and software sectors, where more sophisticated legal distribution models are gradually gaining ground. Television and publishing content, by contrast, have demonstrated greater resilience to the overall downward trend.
Streaming and Downloading Account for Almost Equal Shares
Although online piracy is primarily associated with the illegal streaming of films and television series, streaming is by no means the only significant means of accessing unauthorised content. In 2024, it accounted for just over half of global piracy traffic (50.4%), with the remainder attributable to downloading. The two methods therefore represented almost equal shares.
The ways in which users access piracy websites are also noteworthy. Almost six out of ten visits originated from direct traffic, while approximately three out of ten came from search engines. Social media, referrals from other websites, email and display advertising played a considerably smaller role, collectively accounting for less than one-tenth of total traffic. Importantly, these figures relate to piracy as a whole rather than exclusively to television and film content.
Television’s dominance is further illustrated by its share of overall piracy traffic. Television content accounted for 44.6% of all recorded visits, representing almost half of the total. Film piracy accounted for a further 11.3%. Together, these two audiovisual categories generated more than half of all traffic to the piracy websites monitored.
Television Piracy Is Dominated by TV Programmes, Anime and Live Sports
Approximately 60% of television piracy traffic falls within the subcategory comprising films and television programmes. However, anime also maintains a notably strong position. At the same time, the study assesses film piracy as a separate major category. Live sports broadcasts also account for a significant share of traffic, representing approximately one-tenth of the television category. Other forms of live broadcasting have a substantially smaller presence.
According to MUSO, anime is particularly susceptible to unauthorised distribution because of the high frequency of new episode releases and delays in the availability of officially localised versions. Differences in release schedules across markets consequently create opportunities for unauthorised distribution.
The relative shares of individual types of television content fluctuated throughout the year. In July and August, for example, the share of films and television programmes temporarily increased, while anime’s share declined. Nevertheless, anime retained second place over the year as a whole.
Which Countries Generate the Most Traffic to Piracy Websites? The United States Leads
In 2024, the United States generated the largest volume of traffic to piracy websites, accounting for approximately 12% of the global total. India and Russia followed at some distance. Other major countries included Indonesia, Vietnam and Turkey.
The fifteen largest sources of traffic also included developed Western economies such as Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Piracy therefore remains a global phenomenon rather than one confined to less economically developed regions.
When the analysis focuses exclusively on television piracy, however, the country rankings change considerably. The United States retained its leading position in this category, recording 14.33 billion visits, equivalent to almost 15% of global television piracy traffic. Russia ranked second and Ukraine third, followed by the United Kingdom and Canada.
The differences between the two rankings are among the study’s notable findings. India, which ranked second globally in overall piracy website traffic, placed only eleventh in the television segment. Conversely, Ukraine, which ranked tenth overall, rose to third place for television content.
The geographical distribution of piracy therefore varies substantially depending on the type of content involved.
Why Does Television Piracy Persist? Fragmentation of Legal Services Is a Key Issue
According to MUSO, one of the main factors sustaining high demand for unauthorised television content is the fragmentation of the legal streaming market. Films, television series and other programmes are distributed across different platforms, meaning that viewers may need multiple subscriptions to access the content they wish to watch.
The study’s authors therefore argue that piracy persists partly because legal access to all desired content is not always straightforward.
The situation is further complicated by geographical restrictions and release windows, which result in titles becoming available in different markets at different times. While a television series may already be widely available in one country, viewers elsewhere may still be awaiting its official release.
For episodic content, particularly anime, MUSO highlights the importance of the combination of regular new episode releases and delays in the availability of officially localised versions.
According to MUSO, some users consequently turn to unauthorised sources when legal access requires multiple subscriptions or when content becomes available only after a delay.
Film Piracy Has Declined Significantly
While television piracy remains at a high level despite a moderate decline, the film sector has experienced a substantial change. Traffic to film piracy websites fell year on year from 29.61 billion to 24.27 billion visits, representing an 18% decrease.
According to MUSO, however, this development cannot be attributed solely to improvements in the availability of legal distribution options. Changes in film production itself also played an important role.
A significant factor was the 2023 Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes, which delayed numerous highly anticipated film projects. Their effects continued into the following year, when fewer major films were released in cinemas.
The release of highly anticipated blockbusters is typically associated with pronounced peaks in piracy website traffic. According to MUSO, the smaller number of such titles therefore contributed to lower demand for unauthorised films.
In addition to reduced production output, the study also highlights the transformation of film distribution, including the possibility of releasing films simultaneously in cinemas and on digital platforms.
According to MUSO, the decline in film piracy therefore reflects not only improved access to legal content but also the fact that fewer new releases with strong audience appeal entered the market.
How Much Revenue Could the Film Industry Be Losing to Piracy?
Although traffic to film piracy websites is declining, unauthorised viewing continues to represent a significant commercial challenge.
MUSO has therefore developed a tool called the Film Piracy ROI Calculator, which enables the potential economic impact of film piracy to be modelled.
Its calculations take into account traffic to piracy sources in individual countries, local cinema ticket prices and differences between theatrical and digital film distribution.
The aim is to estimate the additional revenue that could be generated by converting a proportion of unauthorised demand into legitimate viewing.
In one 2024 case study, MUSO estimated that converting all unauthorised viewing of an unnamed major film into legal consumption could generate an additional USD 440 million in revenue. This is, of course, a hypothetical scenario rather than a demonstrably incurred financial loss.
According to MUSO, piracy traffic data are not used solely for economic estimates. They can also support copyright enforcement strategies, for example by helping to prioritise the blocking of illegal websites or identify the most significant piracy sources.
In this context, the company uses its Piracy by Industry platform, which provides monthly updated information by country and content category. MUSO also states that it monitors active piracy domains in real time.
Other Sectors: Manga Is Growing, While Music and Software Piracy Are Declining
The publishing sector has followed an entirely different trajectory from television and film. Traffic to websites offering pirated publishing content increased by 4.3% in 2024, reaching 66.38 billion visits.
This was not an isolated fluctuation. MUSO’s long-term data indicate that traffic to publishing piracy websites increased between 2020 and 2024, exceeding 261 billion visits over the five-year period.
The principal driver of this growth is manga, Japanese comics that account for more than 70% of all traffic to publishing piracy websites.
General publishing content, web fiction and books follow at a considerable distance.
According to MUSO, growth is being driven primarily by global demand for manga, the rapid availability of unofficial fan translations and the expansion of serialised online literature.
The largest volumes of traffic in this category originated from the United States, Indonesia and Russia.
Music and software piracy, by contrast, have followed a downward trend, reflecting what MUSO identifies as more pronounced changes in legal distribution models.
Music piracy recorded a year-on-year decline of 18.6%, the largest decrease among all five categories monitored, while software piracy traffic fell by 2.1%.
The study’s authors primarily associate these developments with the widespread adoption of licensed music services such as Spotify and Apple Music, the declining practice of illegally obtaining copies of content from streaming platforms, and the software industry’s transition towards cloud-based subscriptions and secure application ecosystems.
However, mobile software piracy and regional pricing disparities remain persistent challenges, particularly in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe.
Key Findings
The study demonstrates that the overall decline in digital piracy conceals substantially different trends across individual content categories.
According to MUSO, these developments are linked not only to the existence of legal alternatives but also to their pricing, regional availability and release schedules.
Several key findings emerge from the analysis:
Television piracy remains the dominant category. With almost 97 billion visits, it accounted for 44.6% of global piracy traffic. Alongside films and television programmes, anime plays a significant role within this category.
Film piracy declined considerably more sharply than television piracy. MUSO attributes the 18% year-on-year decrease partly to the smaller number of major film releases following the Hollywood strikes and improvements in the availability of legal distribution channels.
The fragmentation of streaming services contributes to sustained demand for unauthorised television content. According to MUSO, the distribution of titles across multiple platforms, geographical restrictions and delayed international releases represent significant barriers to legal access.
Trends in other sectors confirm that piracy is not a uniform phenomenon. While publishing piracy, particularly manga, continues to grow, music and software piracy are declining. MUSO links these differences, among other factors, to the evolution of legal distribution models.
Piracy traffic can also serve as an indicator of unmet demand. According to MUSO, data on unauthorised access to content can help identify opportunities that the legal market has not yet fully exploited, contributing to more effective distribution and copyright protection strategies.
About the Study: MUSO published its report, 2024 Piracy Trends and Insights, in May 2025. The publication draws on data on global piracy website traffic in 2024, analysed through the company’s Piracy by Industry data platform. It covers five major content categories – television, publishing, film, software and music – providing year-on-year comparisons, geographical breakdowns and information on methods of accessing unauthorised content. The report also includes longer-term data on publishing piracy and modelling of potential film revenues. The published website visit figures should not be confused with the number of individual users or the number of titles viewed or downloaded illegally.
Where does TV sit when a brand is entering markets at speed and still needs to build recognition and trust locally?
BYD sold 4.6 million vehicles worldwide in 2025. More than one million were sold outside China for the first time, up 145% year on year.
On 17 November, José Miranda, CMO of BYD for Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa, will join Elliott Millard for a Global TV Group conversation on how BYD makes its marketing choices market by market. They will look at TV alongside BYD’s football partnerships and the DENZA launch with Daniel Craig, and at how local market understanding shapes the role each channel and partnership is asked to play.
Date: Tuesday, 17 November 2026
Time: 15:30 CET
Duration: 60 minutes
Format: up to 5 min welcome from Otavio Bocchino + approx. 40 min conversation between José Miranda and Elliott Millard + 15 min audience Q&A moderated by Anne-Laure Dreyfus-Coutinho
From 21 October, Digital Broadcasting has been broadcasting the nationwide Multiplex 24 from Černá hora in the Krkonoše Mountains from a new site and using a new antenna system. This will significantly extend coverage to the south-west of the transmitter.
Digital Broadcasting, the operator of the nationwide Broadcasting Network 24, had previously been broadcasting Multiplex 24 from Černá hora from the Rozhledna site on channel 45 with a radiated power of 20 kW in a single direction, namely at an azimuth of 150 degrees. At the new site, designated Trutnov TM, it has installed an antenna system on the same Channel 45, which, at a power of 20 kW, transmits in two directions: 150 and 240 degrees.
The original Rozhledna site, transmitting at 150 degrees, continues to broadcast at a power of 490 W. This ensures that sufficient coverage of the Broumov region is maintained. According to the operator, the area to the south-west of Černá hora will experience significantly improved reception of Multiplex 24. This includes, amongst others, the towns of Mladá Boleslav, Jičín, Poděbrady, Kolín and Kutná Hora. According to the company, reception is guaranteed in the best-covered areas regardless of the antenna’s orientation, including indoor antennas within buildings.
“Our strategy is to continually make the terrestrial platform more attractive, enabling viewers in the Czech Republic to watch dozens of television programmes without having to pay any licence fees,” said Jakub Juhas, Managing Director of Digital Broadcasting. Multiplex 24 currently comprises 89 transmitters and covers 97.8 per cent of the Czech population, meaning over ten million people can tune in to it.
The Nova Group’s channels broadcast on this multiplex include Nova, Nova Cinema, Nova Action, Nova Fun, Nova Krimi and Nova Lady. In August, the Prima sport channel was added to the multiplex. It also includes, amongst others, JOJ Family, CS Mystery, Relax, Rebel, ABC TV, Šlágr Originál and Šlágr Muzika, as well as the radio stations Radio Čas and Radio Čas Rock. Viewers in eastern Bohemia can watch the regional television channel V1. All programmes are broadcast exclusively in standard definition.
Dutch broadcasters and industry associations have called on the government to give greater priority to tackling illegal IPTV, warning that private enforcement is insufficient against increasingly organised international operators.
NPO, Talpa and DPG Media, alongside Streamingdiensten Nederland and telecoms industry association NLconnect, have written jointly to four ministers seeking a coordinated action plan.
The appeal, first reported by AD, calls for stronger criminal enforcement, closer cooperation between public authorities and industry, and improved consumer information.
“This has grown into a professional, cross-border and commercial business model. It undermines the legal media offering,” the organisations said in the letter.
Their concerns extend beyond dedicated streaming boxes to apps and websites offering unauthorised access to television channels, films, series and live sport through low-cost subscriptions.
The signatories argue that lost revenue threatens investment in programming. They also warn that users can be exposed to malware, fraud and data theft.
According to Marketing Report, the proposed enforcement effort would target illegal IPTV providers, resellers, payment flows and associated criminal networks. The organisations want police, prosecutors and the Dutch financial investigation service FIOD to give these activities greater priority, alongside stronger European cooperation.
The industry is also seeking collaboration involving anti-piracy organisation BREIN, broadcasters, streaming services, distributors, telecoms operators and payment providers. The aim is to improve intelligence sharing and coordinate interventions.
The letter was addressed to ministers responsible for education, culture and science; economic affairs and climate; health, welfare and sport; and justice and security.
Criminal enforcement has previously led to major Dutch IPTV operations being dismantled. In May 2023, FIOD and prosecutors shut down a service distributed from a Den Helder data centre, affecting hundreds of thousands of subscribers and arresting four people.
The current appeal seeks a more systematic approach to that enforcement. The organisations acknowledge that the size of the illicit IPTV market remains difficult to establish because operators largely work outside public view.
Nova Group is preparing new advertising products that will link linear television with video advertising on Oneplay and make it possible to measure campaigns’ incremental reach. From November, it will also restrict ad skipping in catch-up viewing, a move expected to generate around 5% more gross rating points (GRPs). It plans to launch a new ad-supported tier on Oneplay in the first quarter of 2027.
Nova Group is exploring new ways to develop its advertising business as television viewing habits and the composition of its revenues evolve. Alongside a rise in advertising prices of 12% on its free-to-air channels for 2027, the broadcaster intends to monetise catch-up viewing more effectively and integrate television advertising with advertising on its Oneplay streaming platform. Nova is also developing an ad-supported Oneplay subscription tier, which it plans to launch in the first quarter of 2027. Chief Executive Daniel Grunt expects that, over the longer term, streaming revenue could overtake television advertising revenue by 2031. “We still believe we are nowhere near reaching the ceiling for subscriber numbers,” he says in the interview.
Nova will introduce restrictions on skipping commercial breaks during catch-up viewing on 18 November 2026. According to Commercial Director Honza Ulrych, the change could deliver around 5% more GRPs. Nova also plans to replace the original adverts with targeted video ads from the fourth to the seventh day after a programme is broadcast, creating a new advertising product it can sell to advertisers. “Restricting ad skipping will give us additional advertising inventory to offer our clients,” he says.
Nova will raise advertising prices on its audience-measured television channels by 12% next year. That is a smaller increase than the 16% announced last year. What is the main reason for the increase?
Honza Ulrych: One reason for another double-digit price increase next year is our production costs. We continue to invest more in production and are creating a growing volume of premium content for our viewers. We have a packed programming season ahead, with plenty of new shows in the pipeline. These will appeal to the target audiences most attractive to our clients.
In previous years, you attributed price increases primarily to stronger demand and sold-out advertising inventory. Is that not the case this year?
Honza Ulrych: This year, we have benefited from an expansion in advertising inventory thanks to the measurement of out-of-home viewing. Viewing habits are changing, and audience measurement needs to reflect today’s reality. That is why we decided, together with the other members of ATO, to fund out-of-home measurement. The more accurate measurement has resulted in an 8–9% increase in recorded viewing figures.
Next year, we are also factoring in the impact of restricting ad skipping in the 0–3-day catch-up window, alongside higher advertising prices. Since the start of the year, Nova Group’s advertising inventory has been, on average, 82% sold. Our aim is to bring that average sell-through rate to 87% next year. We believe this will enable us to meet our clients’ demand in full and deliver on their campaign requirements at any time of year.
So far we have been talking about the audience-measured channels. What about advertising prices on Nova Group’s pay-TV channels, where you have a strong portfolio of sports channels?
Honza Ulrych: Advertising prices on our pay-TV channels will rise by 5–10%, depending on the product. Alongside sponsorship and conventional advertising, we will focus on ad insertion and special formats, such as split-screen advertising during Formula 1 coverage. We are also working on studio programming around sport and creative product-placement opportunities for our clients. Overall, we are developing sports advertising packages that combine different formats in ways designed to deliver the best results for advertisers. On the sports programming side, we are preparing to broadcast the Rugby World Cup.
How do you assess developments in the television advertising market so far this year?
Honza Ulrych: The television market in the first half of the year was shaped primarily by major sporting events, including the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup. These encouraged clients to increase their advertising investment and helped offset a drop in spending by advertisers in the travel and fuel sectors, which were affected by the crisis. Retail and financial services clients, in particular, increased their investment in television advertising with us. Overall, I see the Czech television advertising market as stable, and we expect growth of around 1%.
Honza Ulrych, Commercial Director at TV Nova; Source: TV Nova
Advertising sales at Nova Group next year will be affected by the introduction of restrictions on ad skipping in catch-up viewing. How will this work technically on Oneplay and on other operators’ platforms?
Dan Grunt: We will introduce the change on 18 November, preventing viewers from skipping commercial breaks when watching catch-up television via IPTV. On Oneplay, viewers will be able to skip the adverts after three minutes. For other operators, it will depend on whether they take up the option of replacing the original adverts with dynamically inserted advertising. If they do, viewers will be able to skip the adverts after three minutes. If an operator does not implement this option, the adverts will not be skippable.
On Oneplay, we will retain the conventional adverts from the linear broadcast on the day a programme airs and for the following three days. From the fourth to the seventh day, we will replace them with targeted video advertising, because from day four onwards, content is no longer monetised in the same way under the current model. We want to apply the same principle to smaller screens, where viewing is not normally measured.
How are the other operators responding to the change? Have they indicated which approach they will take?
Dan Grunt: They are currently considering it, and the proposal is on the table. The key question will be how they can implement it technically. We have not yet received their final confirmation.
Why are you introducing restrictions on ad skipping now?
Dan Grunt: Because we have been investing heavily in original productions over the past four or five years. Our focus spans entertainment, original drama, reality television and news. This is helping us strengthen our offering of content that appeals to viewers. At the same time, IPTV is becoming the main way Czech households receive television content. We are therefore reaching a point where we need to broaden our revenue streams, as we continue to increase our investment in original programming significantly. And although television advertising accounts for a gradually declining share of our overall revenue mix, it remains our largest source of revenue.
Prima, which introduced restrictions on ad skipping several years ago, said at the time that the change would deliver a 5–6% increase in GRPs. How many additional GRPs do you expect?
Honza Ulrych: Our estimate is similar. We believe we could gain approximately 5% more GRPs. We see this as an opportunity to generate additional advertising revenue, particularly in months when demand is high and inventory is scarce.
On Oneplay, we will retain the conventional adverts from the linear broadcast on the day a programme airs and for the following three days. From the fourth to the seventh day, we will replace them with targeted video advertising.
As connected TVs and IPTV become more widespread, new advertising products are emerging. Nova already offers advertisers Max Reach 1.0 and is now introducing Max Reach 2.0. How do the two differ?
Honza Ulrych: Max Reach 1.0 is already available in the HbbTV environment. It allows advertisers to extend a campaign’s reach through HbbTV to viewers who were not reached by the linear television advert. Max Reach 2.0 extends this approach to Oneplay. It will link linear television advertising with video advertising on Oneplay and make it possible to measure the additional, or incremental, reach. This will give us a better understanding of how many extra viewers we have reached beyond the linear television audience alone.
How much incremental reach can Oneplay add to a linear television advertising campaign?
Honza Ulrych: The incremental reach Oneplay can deliver will depend on the specific campaign set-up, its target audience, the extent of the television campaign and the period in which it runs. We now have initial estimates showing Oneplay’s potential to extend the reach of linear television campaigns effectively. However, a more precise assessment of incremental reach will only be possible once advertising campaigns are running in practice.
And Premium Reach, which I assume also links linear television and digital advertising – what does that involve?
Dan Grunt: It is a premium advertising product that connects linear television with Oneplay. This will allow us to calculate and measure incremental reach and evaluate it using the standard television metric of gross rating points, or GRPs. We will also be able to measure reach among online audiences more effectively.
Premium Cross will measure the cross-platform reach of premium video advertising views. It is based on the AdmoSense measurement script, which collects information from users’ devices about what content is being played or which websites are being visited. We are developing this measurement system with Admosphere. Premium Cross is being designed for Oneplay and will go beyond the capabilities and quality of the existing Adcross system. We have established strict criteria for what qualifies as a premium-quality ad view. For example, the measurement only counts television content watched in full-screen mode for at least 17 minutes or playback initiated on demand by the user. We have adopted these criteria from international markets, where they are used to define high-quality video content. Our main focus is on large screens, as these are where Oneplay is predominantly watched.
Will you also launch Max Reach 2.0 on 18 November, alongside the restrictions on ad skipping?
Dan Grunt: The product will be rolled out gradually, with the launch following several weeks after 18 November. We will be using it in the first quarter of 2027. We will begin the pilot phase alongside the launch of advertising on Oneplay in the first quarter.
So when will you introduce an advertising tier – an ad-supported subscription plan – on Oneplay?
Dan Grunt: We can confirm that it will launch during the first quarter of 2027. We are not announcing an exact date yet. It will be an entirely new subscription tier that includes advertising.
Given these products, which combine television and digital advertising, can you put a figure on the respective audiences for linear television on Nova and for streaming and video on demand on Oneplay?
Dan Grunt: In terms of reach, the television market as a whole reaches roughly 63% of the population aged four and over each day. Nova’s free-to-air channels reach around 40% of the population daily, with additional viewing on channels that are not included in audience measurement, namely our sports channels. On top of that, there is the Oneplay audience. We will be able to assess the actual overlap between the two environments – Nova viewers and Oneplay users – more accurately next year, following the launch of Premium Reach, which will allow us to combine and measure their reach.
To give you an idea of the scale, this week Oneplay recorded a new peak of 910,000 devices connected simultaneously at a single point in time. We generally work on the basis of an average of 1.8 viewers per household. Multiply those figures and you get just under two million viewers. Certain programmes and genres perform better on streaming than others. Typical examples include Love Island, Champions League matches, SuperStar and early-access releases of some drama series. For instance, the series Boží plán attracts around 700,000 television viewers aged four and over, but once we add early-access viewing, viewing on Oneplay and catch-up viewing, the figure reaches 1.3 million. With SuperStar, we can go from approximately half a million television viewers to as many as 1.25 million viewers across platforms. More than 95% of Love Island viewing takes place on Oneplay. By contrast, viewers are more likely to watch detective dramas on linear television.
Of course, that does not mean we can reach all these viewers with advertising. However, ad replacement will work across content for customers watching linear television through supported platforms.
For instance, the series Boží plán attracts around 700,000 television viewers aged four and over, but once we add early-access viewing, viewing on Oneplay and catch-up viewing, the figure reaches 1.3 million.
And when do you expect to introduce Premium Reach?
We are currently working intensively on it so that we can unveil it as soon as possible.
How many new subscribers could you attract with the planned ad-supported tier on Oneplay? Netflix, for example, has doubled the number of subscribers on its ad-supported plan over the past three years, and it is now the most popular option in countries where it is available. Do you believe an ad-supported tier will help Oneplay attract new subscribers, or is the platform already approaching the ceiling of its subscriber base?
Dan Grunt: We still believe we are nowhere near reaching the ceiling for subscriber numbers. In developed markets, such as Scandinavia, Western Europe and the Benelux countries, penetration of paid streaming services is around 75–85%. In Czechia, penetration of paid subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services is roughly 45%. We see no reason why we should not be able to approach the levels seen in more developed markets over the longer term.
There is still a large group of people here who are not accustomed to paying for high-quality video content. Reception of television via terrestrial broadcasting is gradually declining, although that trend has slowed somewhat this year, partly because Oneplay has absorbed some of the potential growth in internet television. I believe the shift will accelerate again next year, because the advantages of paid video content are undeniable. So we do see room for further growth, potentially of up to 40 percentage points. And yes, the ad-supported tier should act as an entry point to Oneplay for new subscribers who have not previously paid for video content.
How will all these changes affect TV Nova’s revenues? What developments do you expect in linear television advertising, online video advertising and video-on-demand advertising in terms of their shares of total advertising revenue?
Dan Grunt: Although television advertising’s share of our total revenue is declining, the amount it generates is still growing in absolute terms. I expect it to continue to grow, albeit perhaps more slowly. As our overall revenue increases, however, its composition is changing. In 2021, television advertising accounted for approximately 85% of our revenue, whereas this year its share is expected to fall to around 50%. Revenue from distribution fees, or carriage fees, continues to rise. But streaming is the main driver of the change in our revenue mix. We expect streaming revenue could overtake television advertising revenue by 2031.
We see potential for further subscriber growth of up to 40 percentage points. And yes, the ad-supported tier should act as an entry point to Oneplay for new subscribers.
Following changes to the organisational structure of FTV Prima, spol. s r. o., the composition of the Board of Directors of the Association of Commercial Television (AKTV) is also changing. Prima Media Group will now be represented on the Board by Aleš Pýcha from Prima SOLOOTIONS s.r.o., replacing Marek Singer. Klára Brachtlová will also succeed Marek Singer as President of AKTV, acting under a power of attorney granted by the Board of Directors.
The five-member Board of Directors of AKTV, which serves as the Association’s statutory body and oversees its activities, continues to consist of two members nominated by TV Nova, two representatives of FTV Prima and one representative of Stanice O. Nova Media Group is represented on the Board by Klára Brachtlová, Deputy CEO & Chief External Affairs of CME Media Group, and Štěpán Peichl, Managing Director and Head of the Legal Department at TV Nova. Prima Media Group is represented by Aleš Pýcha, Director of Prima SOLOOTIONS, and Pavel Kubina, Director of Media Legal Affairs. The Óčko music television channels are represented by their CEO, Štěpán Wolde.
“Since its establishment, AKTV has become an important and respected stakeholder in a number of areas. I would like to build on its achievements to date and contribute to its further development, particularly in our priority areas, such as copyright protection and the promotion of television as an advertising medium,”
says newly appointed Board member Aleš Pýcha.
Changes are also taking place at the management level of AKTV. After nearly ten years, Secretary Marie Fianová has decided to conclude her work with the Association. From November, she will be succeeded as Executive Director by Jana Břeská, who brings experience from public administration, the Association for Internet Development, and the digital industry.
“We would like to thank Marie for her hard work and the energy she has devoted to building AKTV and representing the interests of commercial broadcasters. On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, we wish her every success in the next chapter of her career,”
adds Klára Brachtlová, member of the AKTV Board of Directors.
Prima is planning a fourth series of the reality show Zrádci featuring an all-celebrity cast. The television group is also aiming to grow its streaming platform prima+ to one million subscribers. At a presentation for its commercial partners, it also highlighted the importance of streaming in reaching younger audiences.
Prima Group is planning to produce a celebrity edition of the fourth series of the reality show The Traitors. The plans were unveiled to commercial partners last week at a presentation hosted by its advertising sales house, Media Club. However, the group has yet to reveal which celebrities it intends to approach to take part. Alongside the new series of Zrádci, next year’s programming line-up will also include forthcoming drama series such as Vraždy v Kutné Hoře (Případy komisařky Anny, starring Eva Podzimková) and the six-part drama Táta.
The streaming platform prima+ plays a significant role in the distribution of the reality show The Traitors, which is currently airing its third series. According to figures presented by Media Club, viewers aged under 40 account for a considerably larger share of the audience for major entertainment formats on the streaming platform than on linear television. For the third series of Zrádci, this age group represented 61% of viewers on prima+, compared with 29% on television. The media group added that the third series had reached a total of 4.45 million unique individuals across television, prima+, social media, radio and cinemas.
Media Club reports a similar pattern in the age profiles of audiences for other programmes available on both prima+ and linear television. For Asia Express, under-40s accounted for 55% of the audience on prima+, compared with 25% on television. For Are You The One?, the corresponding figures were 66% on the streaming platform and 19% on television. The tenth series of Ano, šéfe! attracted an under-40 audience share of 59% on prima+, against just 15% on television.
According to Media Club, prima+ therefore provides an effective means of reaching younger audiences who are increasingly difficult for advertisers to target through traditional television broadcasting. The group offers its commercial partners a range of opportunities associated with its programmes, including product placement, sponsorship and bespoke branded projects.
One of Prima’s objectives is therefore to increase the number of prima+ subscribers to one million. This summer, Prima announced that the platform had 333,000 subscribers. That figure is likely to have risen somewhat since then.
