Newsroom

IREX/ProMedia Assists with Launch of TV Network

August 2001

Launch Tech Team In Master Control At
NTV Hayat Sarajevo


A Billboard from the nationwide promotional
campaign

A new TV network was beamed into the living rooms of Bosnians on August 20, marking the launch of Mreza Plus, the country's new multi-ethnic commercial TV network. Viewers that evening were surprised to see shows such as "ER" and HBO's hit series, "The Sopranos," subtitled in Bosnian and available for the first time. The new TV network, which uses the slogan, "Entertainment for the Whole Family," will later develop a nationwide multi-ethnic news team that will offer unbiased news and reporting from across Bosnia and the world.

From the Republika Srpska's capital city Banja Luka to the divided Muslim-Croat city of Mostar, viewers tuned in simultaneously on August 20, and, overwhelmingly liked what they saw. Alija Behram, director of Mreza Plus affiliate RTV Mostar, noted that on the evening of the launch his editorial team "received compliments from [their] audience," based on the high quality of programming.

Mreza Plus consists of five member stations, each one covering an important market segment and more often than not representing a particular ethnic group. ATV Banja Luka has worked in the past with CNN and was recently recognized for its evenhanded reporting of the controversial ethnic riots in Banja Luka last May. TV Hayat is the leading private station in Sarajevo, Bosnia's largest market. Additional network members include RTV Mostar and TV Oscar C in Mostar, two stations in this ethnically divided city that have teamed in the past to produce joint Croat-Bosnian productions. The fifth station in the network is TV Tuzla. Broadcasting together, these five stations are able to cover more than 70 percent of the total Bosnian population.

The five stations have created a blend of programming that includes movies, sitcoms, drama series, and sports. As advertising revenues grow, Mreza Plus will develop a national newscast that draws on the high-quality local news each affiliate is already producing. It is expected that the network newscast will include anchors and reports from each of Bosnia's three ethnic "capitals:" Banja Luka, Mostar, and Sarajevo.

Initial start-up grants for equipment and programming were provided by IREX ProMedia and a coalition of international donors that includes the Open Society Institute, Press Now, and the Swedish Helsinki Committee. The business model for Mreza Plus predicts that as market share increases, corresponding increases in ad revenue will be more than enough to support the network. Private investors from other countries have also expressed interest in the project.

ProMedia is a project implemented by IREX and funded by USAID.

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