TVP Kultura is the first TV theme channel to be run by thePolish public broadcasterTVP. It was launched on 24 April 2005 and is dedicated toarts andculture. Every day of the week, the channel concentrates on other disciplines; e.g.,cinema,music, etc. It is broadcast from theTVP headquarters inWarsaw and is available on cable networks and on digital platforms inPoland.
April 24, 2005, 5:00 p.m. – TVP Kultura began regular broadcasting. On its launch day, it was available to subscribers of thePolsat Box andCanal+ platforms as well as to individual satellite viewers using unencrypted transmissions from theHot Bird (13°E),Astra 2C (19.2°E), andEutelsat W3A (7°E) satellites.[1]
September 20, 2005 – The first live broadcast of a theater performance took place. The first play shown in this way wasMade in Poland, directed by Przemysław Wojcieszek, from theHelena Modrzejewska Theatre inLegnica.[2]
December 2, 2005 – Telewizja Polska signed an agreement with the Polish Chamber of Electronic Communication for the free distribution of the channel to cable networks. This was the result of a boycott of the station by many cable networks due to a conflict between Telewizja Polska and cable operators. TVP demanded additional fees or the creation of a free package consisting solely of TVP channels, which was technically and financially unfeasible, or an additional fee of PLN 1.50 per outlet.[3][4] In its first months of broadcasting, TVP Kultura recorded very low viewership. According to AGB Polska, about 812 people watched the station per minute. For comparison:TVN Turbo andTVN Meteo – about 10,000 viewers,TVN24 – over 63,000 viewers, andTVP1 – 1,200,000 viewers. AGB could not record such a low result as a percentage.[5]
December 16, 2005 – TVP Kultura became available to subscribers of the Aster cable network.[6]
January 23, 2006 – TVP Kultura became available to subscribers of theTelewizja Kablowa Poznań S.A. cable network.[7]
January 31, 2006 – The channel became available to Vectra subscribers.[8]
September 1, 2006 – TVP Kultura began broadcasting commercials.[9]
October 22, 2007 – The channel appeared in the test multiplex of digital terrestrial television (DVB-T/MPEG-4 standard) in Warsaw, Poznań, Wisła, Rajcza, and Leżajsk.[10]
November 3, 2008 – TVP Kultura extended its broadcasting hours, starting its programming at 7:00 a.m.[11]
May 24, 2009 – The channel began broadcasting selected programs in16:9 format.[12]
October 27, 2010 – TVP Kultura started broadcasting its programs in the third digital terrestrial television multiplex (MUX 3).
September 2, 2013 – February 15, 2014 – The evening cartoon programWieczorynka was moved to TVP Kultura.[13]
January 1, 2015 – The transmission of TVP Kultura from theAstra 1KR (19.2°E) satellite was switched off.[15]
April 11, 2015 – TVP Kultura received a new logo and visual design.[16]
October 23, 2019 – The station began broadcasting in HD on the eighth digital terrestrial television multiplex (MUX 8), which led to the discontinuation of its SD version on MUX 3.[17]
April 6, 2020 – June 2, 2020 – Together withTVP Sport,TVP Rozrywka, andTVP HD, TVP Kultura broadcastSzkoły z TVP (TVP School) lessons for secondary school students who could not attend school due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[18]
June 26, 2020 – The online channel TVP Kultura 2 was launched as a supplement to the main channel.[19]
September 3, 2020 – The station began HD broadcasting on the test terrestrial television multiplex in the DVB-T2 standard.[20]
November 9, 2020 – TVP Kultura began HD broadcasting on satellite digital platforms.[21]
February 14, 2022 – TVP Kultura became available for free through the TVP GO app foriOS andAndroid systems.[22]
January 3, 2023 – TVP Kultura and TVP Kobieta began HD broadcasting on the sixth digital terrestrial television multiplex (MUX 6).[23]
January 13, 2023 – The channels TVP Kultura and TVP Kobieta were removed from MUX 8.[24]
June 1, 2023 – TVP Kultura became available for free on the TVP VOD website and app.[25][26]
December 19, 2023 – TVP Kultura in HD quality returned to MUX 3.[27]
January 13, 2024 – The channel was removed from MUX 6.[28]
From April 11, 2015, the channel’s visual design was created by Julia Mirny.[16] On that day, a new logo was also introduced, replacing the one used since the channel’s inception.
Another design was introduced on January 7, 2018,[29] and the sixth and current version was launched in 2020.
