 | |
| Country | Poland |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Media Business Centre Warsaw, Poland |
| Programming | |
| Language | Polish |
| Picture format | 1080iHDTV (downscaled to576i for the SD feed) |
| Timeshift service | TVN +1 |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Warner Bros. Discovery Poland |
| Parent | TVN Group |
| Key people | Katarzyna Kieli (CEO) |
| Sister channels | |
| History | |
| Founded | May 1995 (as TVN Sp. z o.o.) |
| Launched | 3 October 1997 (1997-10-03) at 19:00 |
| Replaced | Telewizja Wisła (1995–1997) |
| Former names | TV7 |
| Links | |
| Website | tvn |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Polish Digital | MUX 2 (SD) (Channel 5) |
| Streaming media | |
| Player.pl | player |
TVN (stylised in all lowercase) is a Polishfree-to-air television station, network and a media and entertainment group in Poland. It was co-founded by Polish businessmen Mariusz Walter,Jan Wejchert and Swiss entrepreneur Bruno Valsangiacomo.[1] It is owned byTVN Group, which as of April 2022, is a subsidiary ofWarner Bros. Discovery. The current CEO is Katarzyna Kieli (who is also president and managing director ofWarner Bros. Discovery Poland).
TVN is available bysatellite, cable television anddigital terrestrial television.
In 2004, with its debut on theWarsaw Stock Exchange, the company became a public limited company. In March 2015, U.S. broadcasterScripps Networks Interactive bought a 52.7% majority stake in TVN for €584 million.[2][3] In July 2015, SNI bought out TVN's remaining owners,ITI Group andCanal+ Group, for €584 million, giving it full ownership.[4]
On March 6, 2018, SNI was, in turn, acquired byDiscovery, Inc. for US$14.6 billion.[5][6]Liberty Global, which operated pay television providerUPC Polska, is a major shareholder in Discovery. TheEuropean Commission thus required TVN to ensure thatTVN24 andTVN24 BiS remain available to third-party television providers.[7][8]
In March 1997, Grupa TVN obtained permission fromThe National Council of Radio Broadcasting and Television to broadcast in central and northern parts of Poland. A few months later Grupa TVN acquired Telewizja Wisła, which had a license to broadcast in southern Poland.
The channel was launched nationwide as TVN on 3 October 1997.[9][failed verification] In its early months, the high costs of buying foreign content led to TVN trying to find a uniquely Polish strategy for its programming, as both TVP and Polsat had occupied a significant part of the import revenue.[10] One year after its launch, the channel was plagued by low ratings, management issues and regulatory problems, such as the conflicts between ITI and CME and the rescission of its broadcasting license in northern Poland.[11] During the first four years the network was run by its founder Mariusz Walter. In 2001 Piotr Walter became chief executive officer, replacing his father.
In 2004 TVN was available in 86% of Polish households. Since 2004 TVN has been listed on theWarsaw Stock Exchange. On 29 April 2004 TVN launchedTVN International, an entertainment and news channel for Polish viewers living abroad. In 2005 TVN acquired rights to organise and broadcastSopot International Song Festival until 2010, and has acquired said rights again from 2017. In 2006 TVN launched itshigh definition version,TVN HD, which was the first HD television channel in Poland.
TVN is a supporter of theHybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) initiative that is promoting and establishing an open European standard for hybrid set-top boxes for the reception of broadcast TV and broadband multimedia applications with a single user interface, and conducted the first tests of HbbTV services in Poland in March 2012.[12]
On 16 March 2015, TVN announced a sale of a 52.7% controlling stake to the U.S. broadcasterScripps Networks Interactive (SNI) for €584 million, subject to regulatory approval.[13][2][3] In July 2015, SNI bought out the remaining owners for €584 million.[4] SNI was, in turn, acquired byDiscovery Communications (now Discovery Inc.) for US$14.6 billion, in a sale completed 6 March 2018.[5][6]
TVN tends to be strongly critical of theLaw and Justice (PiS) party, since it was sworn to power in 2015. Historian and columnistTimothy Garton Ash, writing forThe Guardian, praisedFakty TVN's critical coverage of government issues when harshly criticisingTelewizja Polska'sWiadomości (News).[14]
TheFacts is notBBC-style impartial: it clearly favours a more liberal, pro-European Poland and is strongly anti-PiS. But unlike the so-calledNews, it is still definitely professional, high quality, reality-based journalism.[14]
Since 2020 the conflict between TVN and the PiS worsened, to a degree that, by July 2021, a group of PiS lawmakers, submitted to parliament a draft amendment that would prevent companies from outside theEuropean Economic Area taking control of Polish radio and television stations. This would mean that Discovery, the owner of TVN, might be forced to divest its ownership.[15][16] TheAgreement, then PiS' coalition partner, was opposed to this, they instead proposed a change that would allow companies from countries in theOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to own more than 49% of shares in Polish media companies, which would mean no change to the American ownership of the channel.[17][18]
However, opposition, as well as representatives fromEuropean Union and theUnited States criticized the law, and international observers expressed fear that the law is threateningpress freedom in Poland.[19][20][21][22][23] The law has been criticized for "threatening the largest ever US investment in Poland".[19] This also led to protests within the country, with a number of demonstrations on 10 August.[19][24]
On 11 August 2021, the bill was passed via theSejm on a vote of 228 to 216, with 10 abstentions, as a result, TVN's licence could expire on September 26.[25][26][27]
On 30 August 2021, the Chairman of theNational Council of Radio Broadcasting and Television sent to the TV operators a decision to move the licence of sister channelTVN24 into theDiscovery Communications Benelux B.V. license, based in theNetherlands. The decision ensures the continuity of broadcasting the TVN24 program after 26 September 2021, regardless of the results of the ongoing conflict with Law and Justice government.[28] On 24 September 2021 - two days before the expiration of the previous licence - TVN24 was granted a new Polish licence.[29]
On 18 December 2021, the bill was passed via the Sejm. The Sejm voted in favor 229-212 with 11 abstentions to override the Senate's veto. Law and Justice (PiS) party and allied opposition groupKukiz'15 voted for the bill, against was the remaining opposition with the exception of far-rightConfederation, which abstained. The bill was vetoed by Polish PresidentAndrzej Duda on 27 December 2021.[30]
 |  | |
| 1997–2013 | 2013–2024 | 2024–present |
| Telewizja Polska |
|
|---|---|
| Grupa Polsat Plus |
|
| Warner Bros. Discovery |
|
| Telewizja Puls | |
| Canal+ Group |
|
| MWE Networks |
|
| BBC Studios |
|
| Comcast |
|
| Paramount |
|
| The Walt Disney Company |
|
| Polcast Television |
|
| AMC Networks |
|
| Antenna Group | |
| Other channels |
|
*broadcast on national DTT,**broadcast on MUX4 DTT (Polsat Box Pay-TV),***broadcast on HbbTV in DTT | |
