Romanian televisions market shares in 2006

The highest market share TV stations in Romania are the first channel of the public television, TVR 1 (16,8 %), and two commercial TV stations, Pro TV (15,8 %) and Antena 1 (13,6 %), according to TNS-AGB data for national, whole day, processed and provided by Antena 1.

While the public television has lost some of its audience since the beginning of the decade and has been undermined by political scandals in the meanwhile, Pro TV is the first successful commercial TV station in Romania, launched on December 1st 1995. It’s legendary success in the nineties is tied to Adrian Sârbu’s name, one of the “four big” Romanians on the market, although 90 per cent of Pro TV’s shares are owned by Central European Media Enterprises (CME), Ronald Lauder’s TV venture in Eastern Europe. Antena 1 has appeared in 1994 and started to become successful during the late-nineties, and is a part of the so-called Voiculescu media empire. While the nominal owner is Camelia Voiculescu, her father, Dan Voiculescu, controls the TV station as well as some other media ventures. He is one of the top 10 richest Romanians, an ex-secret police delator, active on various markets such as energy and also the president of the small, but however influential PC (conservative party), that has made the balance between the main two political groups in Romania, ex-communists (PSD) and reformists (the “Justice and Truth” Alliance, PNL + PSD).

Group market shares

Due to the possesion of Acasă TV, a successful mass women channel, and also of Pro Cinema and Pro TV Internaţional, Media Pro (Adrian Sârbu/CME) holds the biggest market share on the TV market, according to the same source & interpretation of data. Voiculescu (Intact) is the 2nd, with the combined audience of Antena 1 (general, commercial), Antena 3 (rolling news) and Euforia Lifestyle TV (women, glossy). Both Antena 3 and Euforia Lifestyle TV have been launched after the elections, which took place at the end of 2004, when the ex-communists lost in favor of the “Justice and Truth” reformist alliance.

SBS Broadcasting also entered the market during the first half of 2005, taking over Prima TV, an average general interest TV station, and Atomic TV, a music television, during the 2nd half of 2006.

Centrul Naţional Media is the Micula Brothers’ company, holding N 24 and National TV, a rolling news and a general TV station with a rather low rating. The Micula Brothers (Ioan and Viorel) are also among the richest Romanians and operate in the field of food. They’re nicknamed ‘The Chemical Brothers’ due to the cheap alternatives to Coca-Cola drinks they successfully sell in Romania. Realitatea Media belongs to another controversial Romanian billionaire, Sorin Ovidiu Vîntu. Vîntu is blamed by the public opinion for having started, during the 2nd half of the nineties, an investment fund that lately turned into a Ponzi scheme (pyramid phenomenon). Vîntu now owns Realitatea TV (rolling news), taken over at mid-2004, and The Money Channel (business), inaugurated last year.

Trends

During the last two or three years, the main phenomenon on the Romanian TV market has been the launching of niche TV stations. There is one quite well-shaped niche, consisting of rolling news televisions (Realitatea TV, N 24, Antena 3), where the battle takes place in the less-than-1 rating point-average-per-day area, but some revenues from advertising started to appear here.

Some other evolutions are connected to media ownership concentration. During 2006, all the Romanian media markets were subject to the so-called ‘oligarchs assault’. Three of them, Sârbu, Voiculescu and Vîntu, have significant assets and control over the TV market, while the fourth one, oil mogul Dinu Patriciu, has some postponed plans for two TV stations and during 2006 has only took over two newspapers (’Adevărul’ - quality, and ‘Averea’ - tabloid), and several culture titles among which ‘Dilema’.

While Centrul Naţional Media (The Micula Brothers) doesn’t have any known plans for expansion, SBS became the owner of two TV stations, and also of two FM radio outlets (Kiss FM & Star FM). Lagardere has some television plans in Romania, while Dogan launched on February 18th Kanal D, a mass entertainment TV station. Dogan’s evolution is interesting due to the huge financial force and also to the alliance with the ‘5th Big’ on the Romanian media market, Ringier, holder of roughly 56 per cent of the combined daily markets (general, free, sports, business). The two groups announced at the beginning of 2007 a combined board and the transfer of 25 per cent of the shares of Dogan in Romania to Ringier România.

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1. [...] Pentru amatorii de sinteze, am pus la Comanescu.ro un studiu despre cotele de piaţă ale televiziunilor în 2006, bazat pe date TNS-AGB prelucrate pe Antena 1. Primii trei clasaţi: TVR 1 (16,8 %), Pro TV (15,8 %), Antena 1 (13,6 %). La Comanescu.ro găsiţi şi cotele pe grupuri, trendurile şi o serie întreagă de alte chestii. [...]

   Pingback by Media lui Comanescu » Cotele de piaţă ale televiziunilor în 2006 — February 21, 2007 #

2. 1. Regarding “others channels” totalling more than 20% of the market it would be interesting to see the categories: local channels, foreign channels with Romanian versions or foreign channels watched in Romania.

   2. Looks like an extremely competitive market and Dogan will bring even more competition for programme acquisition and hosts, pushing the costs up and margins down. These are good days for production companies and for other providers of content (like sports, concerts, etc). A competitive market means competitive companies, even on European level. It is an opportunity for Romanian media companies to develop even further.

   Comment by Emil Stoica — February 21, 2007 #

3. [...] Dacian mi-a făcut o propunere interesantă aici, pornind de la sinteza pe care am făcut-o aici: cum va arăta piaţa TV în 2007? Faţă de ceea ce se vede, my guess e că prin decembrie anul ăsta se vor întâmpla următoarele: [...]

   Pingback by Media lui Comanescu » Televiziunile în 2007 - prognoze — February 21, 2007 #

4. Maxim:
   1. Unfortunately, I can’t provide this kind of data. I used some ready-made Antena 1 data processing.

   2. You are perfectly right. I can see it in my company’s account already I wouldn’t expect so much from Dogan on the other hand. I estimated somewhere else an average rating of 0,5-1,5 pts/whole day in December 2007. This is 2-5 % in terms of market share, I suppose. The good news will come from the advertising market: you’ll be able to live on that possibly.

   Comment by Iulian Comanescu — February 21, 2007 #

5. La Group market shares, categoria “altele”, cu 46% cota de piata, eu zic ca reprezinta viitorul industriei, care se va fragmenta tot mai mult

   Comanescu edit: English please.

   “Others”, at “Group market shares”, is the future of the industry, with its 46 % of the market. The fragmentation will increase.

   Comment by sinescu — February 22, 2007 #

6. True, but actually more than 22 % of “Others” is the public television (TVR 1 + TVR 2). Which leaves us with roughly 24 % for small stations. A comparision with the figures from 2004 would be interesting. Unfortunately, they’re not available.

   Comment by Iulian Comanescu — February 22, 2007 #

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