Piotr Żak has been reappointed President of the Management Board of Polsat Plus Group following a unanimous decision by the TiVi Foundation Council, the group’s principal shareholder.

The reappointment comes after a period of operational and financial restructuring at the Polish media and telecommunications group, which said it had reversed a decline in EBITDA, accelerated bundled service sales and simplified its consumer offers across its telecommunications and television businesses.

“We’re acting faster and bolder, making decisions more efficiently, and we’re already seeing the first results, which the market is also appreciating,” said Żak. “I thank everyone for their trust, and especially the employees of the Polsat Plus Group, who make these results possible.”

The decision provides continuity at one of Central and Eastern Europe’s largest integrated media and telecoms groups, which combines mobile operator Plus, pay-TV platform Polsat Box, streaming service Polsat Box Go, fixed-line operator Netia and broadcaster Telewizja Polsat.

Over recent months the group has focused on strengthening customer growth through simplified product bundles and deeper integration of its media and telecommunications assets. Both Plus and Polsat Box now market packages combining connectivity, television and major international streaming services including HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV+, SkyShowtime and Amazon Prime Video.

The company has also intensified its focus on premium sports rights, extending its UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League rights until 2031 while expanding its tennis portfolio. The group recently secured exclusive rights to WTA tournaments featuring Iga Świątek and Maja Chwalińska, complementing its existing ATP coverage on Polsat Sport.

Artificial intelligence is also emerging as a strategic priority. Management said it is actively exploring AI-driven solutions to improve operational efficiency, reduce costs and enhance customer experience across the group’s businesses.

The reappointment comes ahead of a wider strategic update expected this autumn. Żak said future growth would continue to focus on media and telecommunications, while maintaining financial discipline through revenue growth, EBITDA improvement and debt reduction.

Czech news and lifestyle channel TN Live has expanded its distribution through a new carriage agreement with T-Mobile’s Magenta TV platform.

The move marks the first time the 24-hour channel has been made available outside the TV Nova group’s own platforms. Since launching as a round-the-clock service in May 2025, TN Live had been distributed exclusively through Oneplay, TN.cz and HbbTV services linked to Nova’s television channels.

“TN Live has reached a stage where it has found its unique place in the market. We are happy that it has the opportunity to reach more viewers with the help of the new platform,” said Kamil Houska, Director of News and Current Affairs at TV Nova.

The channel’s programming includes live news interviews, press conferences, rolling news bulletins and analysis, including Headline TN Live and Do hlubky, which focuses on in-depth discussion of major news stories.

“For TN Live, it is important to constantly adapt to current trends, or create them, and to look for other distribution channels to get our content to new viewers,” said TN Live producer Martin Synek.

TN Live celebrated its fifth anniversary in May and has continued to invest in its operations. Since August 2025, the channel has been broadcast from a new studio complex featuring separate news and lifestyle sets, supported by a dedicated control room operating five automated cameras and four studio screens. The service also operates its own standalone playout and dispatch facilities, allowing schedules to be adjusted rapidly during breaking news stories.

English Club TV Group has expanded its distribution in Bulgaria through a new multi-channel package launched by BORYANA EOOD.

The package includes English Club TV, TinyTeen, LangLab, LingoToons and Classical Harmony, combining English-language learning, children’s programming, animation, grammar-focused education and cultural relaxation content.

English Club TV offers practical English-learning programming, while LangLab focuses on grammar and language structure. LingoToons and TinyTeen provide animated educational content for children and teenagers.

Classical Harmony adds lifestyle and cultural programming built around art, nature and classical music.

Andrii Semchenko, CEO of English Club TV Group, said the agreement reflects growing demand for content that supports “personal development, family engagement, and emotional wellbeing”.

BORYANA EOOD said the launch strengthens its offer with thematic channels aimed at family households, educational viewers and audiences looking for lifestyle programming.

The EBU has written to Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš to express concern over draft legislation affecting public service media in the Czech Republic.

In a letter, EBU director general Noel Curran warned that the proposed reforms could undermine the independence, financial stability and European compliance of Czech Television and Czech Radio.

The EBU said its central concern was a proposed move from licence fee funding to direct state budget financing. While such systems exist elsewhere in Europe, the organisation said they require strong safeguards to ensure public service media funding remains adequate, predictable and protected from political influence.

It warned that the Czech proposal risks creating financial dependency on political decision-making through reduced funding levels, limited indexation and a lack of independent oversight.

The EBU also raised concerns that the draft law would narrow the public service remit by placing greater emphasis on news while restricting entertainment programming. It said this could conflict with Council of Europe standards, which support a broad public media offer serving all sections of society.

Governance provisions were also criticised, particularly parliamentary involvement in approving editorial codes and rules for appointing and dismissing media councils.

The EBU said these mechanisms risk increasing political influence and should be strengthened in line with the European Media Freedom Act.

It added that it remains ready to support dialogue and share expertise to help ensure the final legislation protects the independence and effectiveness of public service media in the Czech Republic.

NEM Dubrovnik has unveiled the full agenda for its 2026 edition, which will bring together more than 300 companies, over 200 buyers and more than 150 exhibitors.

The event, taking place in Dubrovnik, will feature over 80 speakers and a market area that has grown by 50% compared with last year.

This year’s programme will focus on industry transformation, consolidation, new content distribution models, monetisation, technology, piracy, AI-driven discovery and changing audience behaviour.

The opening session, NEM Kickoff Three Media Trends, powered by the European Audiovisual Observatory, will examine partnerships between broadcasters and global streamers, investment in original European content, and the impact of consolidation on CEE.

Other panels will explore mega-mergers, hybrid TV distribution, the role of satellite, micro-drama in CEE, YouTube as a distribution opportunity, AI in content discovery and anti-piracy strategies.

Keynote speakers include Sam Barnett, CEO of CME; Jens Richter, CEO, commercial and international at Fremantle; and Henning Tewes, CEO of Antenna Group.

The agenda will also examine leadership and decision-making, with sessions on intuition versus strategy and long-term buyer-seller relationships.

Screenings and showcases will come from companies including A+E Global Media, Fremantle, Global Agency, Globo, ITV Studios, Lionsgate, Paramount Global Content Distribution, Audiovisual from Spain and The Walt Disney Company.

NEM Dubrovnik said the 2026 edition is designed to test and challenge current industry trends through the lens of practical business outcomes, with a particular focus on the CEE market.

Latvian technology and entertainment company Tet has launched Tet+ Classic, a new TV channel dedicated entirely to Latvian-produced content.

The company says it is the first channel in Latvian television history to offer a schedule made up 100% of domestic programming.

Tet+ Classic will combine Tet originals, local entertainment formats and Latvian film classics, bringing together both contemporary shows and archive titles in a single destination.

The schedule includes Tet original productions such as Kīlnieki, Nelūgtie viesi, Lielie muļķi and Produkts, alongside classic Latvian films including Kad lietus un vēji sitas logā, Paradīzes atslēgas and Dāvanas pa telefonu.

Reality and lifestyle programming will also feature, including Ieva’s new transformations, Četri uz koferiem and Slavenības bez filtra, alongside family and children’s content.

Uldis Tatarčuks, CEO of Tet, said the channel reflects the company’s long-term investment in Latvian original content and gives local productions a longer life beyond their premiere.

Tet+ Classic has been created in cooperation with Helio Media and forms part of the Tet+ entertainment platform.

SkyShowtime and Telewizja Polsat are to co-produce Genialna M., a new Polish original crime-comedy series starring Agnieszka Dygant.

The series is based on the French format H.P.I. – Haut Potentiel Intellectuel, which has already been adapted in several markets, including the United States as High Potential.

Dygant will play Marta, a cleaner at a police station in Bielsko-Biała whose exceptional IQ of 160 helps her uncover a breakthrough clue in a stalled investigation. She is then drawn into helping the police solve criminal cases.

Genialna M. marks the first collaboration between SkyShowtime and Telewizja Polsat.

The series will be directed by Olga Chajdas, with a screenplay by Błażej Dzikowski and Agata Malesińska. It is produced by Jake Vision DGA Studio, with Dorota Kośmicka as creative and executive producer and Jan Kępiński as executive producer.

Kai Finke, chief content officer at SkyShowtime, said Poland remains an important market for the streamer and that the combination of crime and comedy fits well within its growing slate of original series.

Edward Miszczak, programme director at Telewizja Polsat, said the project combines entertainment, emotion and a strong central character, adding that he expects it to become a popular local production.

Further details, including launch timing, will be announced later.

Live football once again proved its pulling power in Poland, with the national team’s World Cup play-off matches dominating viewing across all platforms in March.

According to Nielsen’s All Screens Video Landscape Report, the two most-watched programmes of the month were Poland’s semi-final against Albania and the play-off final against Sweden, both broadcast on TVP1 and TVP Sport.

The final against Sweden on 31 March delivered the biggest audience of the month, with an average minute rating of 5.38 million viewers, including 3.75 million on TVP1 and 1.63 million on TVP Sport. The match accounted for 45.2% of all viewing at the time.

The semi-final against Albania on 26 March was the second most-watched programme, attracting an AMR of 4.33 million and a 40.2% audience share.

Nielsen said the figures underline the continued strength of live sport as a unifying force in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.

Lucyna Koba, Market Leader at Nielsen Poland, said the data highlights football’s unique ability to deliver mass simultaneous audiences.

She said nearly 45% of viewers tuning in for the Sweden match demonstrated that live sport remains one of the few genres capable of creating “cultural synchronicity” across the country.

The report also marks the first time that results from TVP’s online platform have been integrated into the broadcaster’s total viewing figures, offering a more complete picture of consumption across TVs, PCs, smartphones and tablets.

The inclusion of digital viewing showed that around 1% of TVP Group content was consumed on non-TV devices during the period, reflecting the growing role of multi-screen viewing in Poland.

The European Broadcasting Union has expressed concern over proposals by the Czech government to change the funding model for public service media, warning that any reform must not undermine editorial independence.

In a statement, the EBU said stable, adequate and independent funding is a fundamental safeguard for both the editorial and institutional independence of public service broadcasters.

The organisation pointed to Article 5 of the European Media Freedom Act, which requires EU member states to ensure public service media have adequate, sustainable and predictable financial resources so they can fulfil their remit and adapt to social and technological change.

The EBU said any overhaul of the funding system should therefore be assessed carefully to avoid weakening broadcasters’ independence or exposing them to political influence.

It added that reforms of this scale require a transparent and inclusive consultation process, with proper regard for European standards and the long-term sustainability of the wider media ecosystem.

The EBU said it remains in close contact with its members and is ready to provide support and expertise as the situation develops.

YouTube has taken down the channels of Belarusian state news agency BelTA and television broadcasters ONT and STV, in a move that Belarusian authorities said was linked to sanctions and described as “unfriendly and unfounded”.

Belarusian state media and local independent outlets say the removals took place on April 3, 2026.

State owned news agency BelTA reported the platform cited sanctions as the reason for the takedown, while insisting that the agency itself is not under sanctions. The Belarusian Information Ministry said it had reserved the right to respond, while the foreign ministry also criticised the decision and framed the affected outlets as central to the country’s information sovereignty. 

The removals appear to be part of wider enforcement against Belarusian state propaganda outlets, though not all state-backed media have been affected. Reports from Belarus said other channels, including Belteleradiocompany’s First Information service, remained available on YouTube after the action against BelTA, ONT and STV. 

Independent Belarusian outlets said the takedowns may be tied either to sanctions on the organisations behind the channels or to broader platform enforcement. Reform.news reported that Belarusian state broadcasters reacted by warning that YouTube itself could face pressure inside Belarus, while state media also cautioned viewers against fake replacement channels. 

The move follows earlier action by Western technology platforms against Russian state media after the invasion of Ukraine, and suggests enforcement is now being applied more directly to Belarusian state broadcasters as well.