Special Report | Eurodata TV | Africa

By Artem Vakaluyck, Media Resources Management

The TV markets in Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova

Prensario continues the cycle of articles Ukraine: StarLight Media (belongs to Viktor dedicated to the current situation on TV Pinchuk, operates STB, ICTV, Novy Channel, markets of the post-Soviet countries with M1, M2 and QTV channels), Inter Media the collaboration of the media consulting Group (belongs to Dmitry Firtash, runs Inter, company Media Resources Management, NTN, K1, K2, Mega, Enter-film, MTV Ukraine, organizers of Kiev Media Week Pixel channels), 1+1 Media (owned by (September 10-13, Ukraine). The Igor Kolomoiskiy, operates 1+1, region is developing rapidly 2+2, TET, PlusPlus channels), and Artem Vakaluyck, Media Resources Management both in terms of its TV market Media Group Ukraine (belongs volume and the number of to Rinat Akhmetov, runs TRK operator of 4 out of 5 DTT multiplexes in players on it led by such states as Ukraine, Football, Football+, Ukraine. Satellite TV is the third popular TV Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Donbas, Sigma TV, Sphere TV and platform in the country with more than 20% NLO TV channels). penetration (the majority of satellite households Ukraine Government-owned TV channel prefer to receive FTA channels and not to pay Ukraine is the second largest First National is not so popular, as DTH operators for the service). The rest 8-9% TV market in the CIS region private broadcasters. Nevertheless of the households use DTT or IPTV platforms after Russia. With a population it belongs to Top-10 most popular (currently there is no update statistics of these of 45.6 million people, there are TV channels in Ukraine. There is two platforms users) to watch TV. a total of 16.2 million television no public broadcasting company in From the advertising point of view, Ukraine households and approximately 24 the country yet, although the process of is the second largest market in the region million television sets in use. Ukraine is its launch on the basis of state-owned First after Russia. The total volume of its TV ad a kind of unique country in Europe from the National TV channel is currently underway. market amounted USD 483 million in 2012 point of view of the national-wide analogue Totally there are 16 national-wide broadcasters, and is forecasted to grow 9.5% in 2013 up to terrestrial TV nets quantity: there are 16 more than 200 local and regional TV stations USD 529 million, according to All-Ukrainian channels of that kind in the country. The (both private and government owned) and Advertising Coalition. situation is about to change dramatically more than 100 satellite private broadcasters. after the analogue terrestrial switch off that Cable is the most widespread television Belarus is planned for summer 2015. The number platform in Ukraine accounting for over 38% Belarus is a former USSR Republic with a of digital terrestrial networks that will have of all television households. The penetration population of 9.5 million people. It is estimated national-wide coverage will increase to 32. of cable TV has risen more than 10% over the that there are 3.7 million television households Private TV broadcasters owned by Ukrainian past several years (for instance its penetration and approximately 4.5 million television sets in tycoons play the lead role on the local market. in 2007 was 27%). The analogue terrestrial use. As the end of 2012, 227 television and radio There are four dominant TV Groups in platform yet remains the second most broadcasters were officially registered with the widespread television Byelorussian Ministry of Information, of which Ukraine: market share, per channels - 18-54 (February 2013) platform in Ukraine 158 radio broadcasters (137 governmental and and is used by 33% of 21 commercial) and 69 TV broadcasters (28 13,12 television households. governmental and 41 commercial). Currently six nationwide broadcast services 11,48 However, the constant 10,63 growth of the cable and are available on the analogue terrestrial television 9,29 satellite platforms has platform: Belarus 1 (coverage is 99.72% of the 8,73 eroded the terrestrial population), ONT (97.99%), Lad (91.78%), platform’s market share, CTV (81.06%), RTR-Belarus (63.94%) and which has decreased NTV-Belarus (64.2%). DTT platform officially 5,04 4,78 from 75% in 2007 to 63% launched on July 1st, 2005, at that time using 2,81 in 2009 and to 33% in MPEG-2 in the capital city of Minsk. Adoption 2,41 2,39 early 2013. All services on of MPEG-4 AVC standard has been approved the terrestrial platform by the Parliament. As of February 2013, DTT are currently free-to-air coverage reaches 95.65% of the population. 1+1 Inter STB Channel ICTV New NTN 2+2 TET K1 Ukraine Channel including DTT service Analogue switch off is planned for completion Source: Gfk Ukraine from Zeonbud, private by 2015. Currently eight broadcast services

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The TV markets in Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova

TV ad spending, by countries (2012) penetration is near 8% of the million people. The total number of television In million of US Dollars Moldovan households. households is slightly more than 1.5 million and A DTT trial offering services it is estimated that there are approximately 2.5 from one transmitter began million television sets in the country. Ukraine 483 in September 2003 in the city A total of seven broadcasters are available on of Chisinau. One multiplex is the analogue terrestrial platform (Government- Georgia 100 available offering access to four owned Channel 1 Georgia and commercial TV television program services. channels Rustavi 2, Sakartvelo, Adjara TV, The launch of a nationwide Marneuli TV, MZE TV and Alani TV), although Belarus 55 DTT platform is expected to not all broadcasters have full population begin in summer 2014. The coverage. The commercial broadcaster Rustavi Moldava 18 analogue switch-off is planned 2 has the largest population coverage reaching to be completed by 2015. At near 85% of the population. Currently there are that time, DTT services should Source: All-Ukrainian Advertising Coalition and others more than 60 TV channels and over 40 radio be available to 85% of the networks in Georgia. (Belarus 1, ONT, Belarus 2, CTV, RTR- population and DTT penetration should have Analogue terrestrial is the primary television Belarus, NTV-Belarus, Mir and Belarus 3) reached 80% of households. platform in the country. Cable and satellite are available on the DTT platform; they all are Currently four nationwide terrestrial platforms are insignificant and used only in such accommodated in a single DTT multiplex. television broadcasts are available in Moldova. large cities as Tbilisi and Batumi (approximately Although the vast DTT deployment the They are: Moldova 1 (coverage is 97-99% of 20-30% of households). There are less than analogue terrestrial television platform is still the population), Prime (92-95%), 2 Plus+ (87- 200,000 pay TV subscribers (less than 14% of the most widespread television delivery platform 92%) and NIT (60%). In total there are more the total number of households) in the country. in the country and is available to 99.64% of the than 270 TV channels in Moldova (including The country has begun a DTT trial, which population. Cable TV is available to 50% of the national-wide, regional, local and satellite), has been running since the summer of 2009 population. An IPTV service was launched in the majority of which are international ones in the city of Tbilisi. For digital terrestrial TV February 2009 and the number of subscribers has (they are registered in other countries but poses implementation Georgia will use DVB-T2 been growing. Satellite TV penetration is less than licenses to broadcast in Moldova). standard with MPEG4 compression. The From the advertising point of view local TV The whole volume of the TV advertising analogue switch-off should be completed in the market is rather small for such population as market in Moldova totaled about USD 18 country till June 17, 2015, although there is yet it is in Belarus today. TV advertising spending million in 2012 and it is forecasted to grow no special DTT Deployment Program approved reached last year a bit more than USD 55 million. 13-15% annually in the next few years. by the Georgian authorities. It is forecasted that the market size will grow Unfortunately, data on TV ratings and share of at least 10% this year. More precise data on TV Georgia the TV channels in Georgia is not available because advertizing market in the country and on TV Among the three countries of Caucasia, of the absence of national-wide TV researches channels ratings is not available for now because Georgia is the second largest territory: larger in this country. Nevertheless TV advertising is of the absence of national-wide TV research than Armenia and smaller than Azerbaijan. It a rapidly evolving industry – the total TV ad and measurements. has an area of 69.7 km² and a population of 4.6 spending exceeded USD 100 million in 2012.

Moldova Moldova: market share, per channels (January 2013) Moldova is a rather small country in Eastern

Europe with a population of 3.6 million people. 18,83 The total number of television households in Moldova is 1.2 million and it is estimated that there are a total of 4 million television sets in use. Cable is the most widespread television delivery platform in Moldova (near 70% of households in Moldova are subscribed for the 7,84 7,52 cable operators services), because of the county’s 5,79 small size and high population density. At this 4,5 4 3,6 3,25 3,16 stage, most households rely on analogue cable 2,45 1,78 1,74 1,16 1,07 0,85 with only a small penetration of digital cable. 0,53 0,36 The analogue terrestrial television platform Prime TV7 Moldova 1 2 Plus NIT RTR CTC Publica TNT Canal 3 Ren TV PRO TV Acasa RuTV SET Mir MuzTV is the second most used television platform, NTV Moldova TV Bravo Moldova Sony used in 20-22% of all television households for their primary television services. Satellite TV Source: TV MR MLD Prensario International < 46 > Prensario International