Romance TV to launch in Romania and Hungary

German media company Mainstream Media will expand the distribution of its pay-TV channel Romance TV in Eastern Europe.The channel already available in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Poland will launch in Romania and Hungary on May 3, 2016.

Targeting a female audience, the schedule will comprise movies based on novels from authors like Rosamunde Pilcher, Inga Lindström or Utta Danella, romantic comedies and series from distributors like ZDF Enterprises, Red Arrow and Global Screen. Many productions will be shown as domestic TV debuts.

Romance TV will be tailor-made for each market. In Hungary, the programmes will be dubbed in the local language while in Romania programmes will air in the original language with subtitles.

The two new markets add a potential of seven million pay-TV households to the present reach of eight million households. Within one year, the operators expect to exceed 10 million homes in which the Romance TV channel format is distributed.

“As with the German-speaking markets and Poland, we intend to integrate Romance TV into the range of leading pay-TV platforms on offer in Romania and Hungary shortly and we are in specific negotiations with major distribution partners,” Tim Werner, COO of Romance TV and board member of Mainstream Media, said in Munich.

The international Romance TV channels are operated by Mainstream Networks Holding, a subsidiary of Mainstream Media. ZDF Enterprises, the commercial arm of German public broadcaster ZDF, holds a 26% stake in the joint venture.

Tematic Media Group will be in charge of sales and marketing activities for Romance TV in Romania and Hungary. The company is specialised in Central and Eastern European markets, concentrating on local distribution of both its own and partner channels with clients including A+E Networks, AMC Networks, Scripps Networks and Viacom.