The Czech market accommodates nearly 30 movie and series TV channels, providing a diverse range of genres and catering to a wide array of viewer demographics. “While certain movie and series channels offer their viewers a blend of genres, encompassing action films, thrillers, sci-fi, adventure and family movies, as well as romantic comedies, others do solely concentrate on specific formats and themes to tailor their content to the individual viewer preferences,” explains Tatiana Bizovová, Channel Account Manager at Atmedia, the media sales house which represents nearly 30 thematic TV channels on the Czech market.
While some movie and series TV channels focus their programming on blockbusters and mainstream films, others shine a spotlight on classic movies, independent cinema, or European productions. “This strategic approach of offering specialised movie and series TV channels is commonly employed by international TV groups in order to cater to a wide range of viewers, ensuring that everyone can discover their preferred content,” states Tatiana Bizovová. For instance, channels under the FilmBox brand name, such as FilmBox Extra, FilmBox Family, FilmBox Premium, and FilmBox Stars, do all provide a variety of options. Likewise, the AXN brand encompasses channels like AXN White and AXN Black. Similarly, HBO as a quite well-known media brand not only has its main HBO channel, but also offers additional channels HBO1 through to HBO3 to enhance their media portfolio.
The Most Extensive Category of Thematic TV Channels in Our Country
Nowadays, viewers have access to movies and series across more than two-thirds of the 58 measured TV channels, ranging from full-format to entertainment, lifestyle, or documentary channels. Nevertheless, only a fraction of these channels falls into the category of thematic TV channels that exclusively focus on movies, TV shows, and their enthusiasts. Out of these, ten channels are being part of the official electronic audience measurement. “When it comes to sheer numbers, movie and series TV channels do take the top spot among thematic TV channels in our country,” points out Tatiana Bizovová.
In the realm of the digital terrestrial broadcasting, viewers have access to two movie channels completely free of charge – Nova Cinema and Prima MAX. Nova TV Group introduced its movie channel back in 2007, while Prima TV Group followed its suit much later in 2015. A significant turning point for the measured movie and series TV channels’ market arrived in 2009 when Atmedia, the media representative of thematic TV channels, made its presence felt on the Czech market. “This pivotal year witnessed the inclusion of four Pay-TV movie and series channels – AMC, AXN, CS Film, and Film+ – into the official electronic audience measurement,” comments Tatiana Bizovová. In the years that followed, four more Pay-TV channels joined the mix – JOJ Cinema (2016), FilmBox (2017), FilmBox Stars (2022), and Canal+ Action (2023).
“While Nova Cinema and Prima MAX stand as the flagship movie channels of the Czech television groups, the rest of the movie and series TV channels are localised channels owned by multinational media companies, solely accessible via Pay-Tv operators, and viewers can only find them in the offerings of paid television operators,” explains Tatiana Bizovová. The AXN channel, which specialises in action films and series, does fall under the Antenna Group, and – in a similar vein – the French media group CANAL+ owns the latest movie and series TV channel, CANAL+ Action, which caters to the same genre. In addition, channels like FilmBox and FilmBox Stars, which also do belong under CANAL+, offer their viewers a mix of European movies and Czech/Czechoslovak classics. Movie TV channels do also play a vital role within the portfolio of AMC Networks International TV Group, which provides the Czech viewers an access to channels like AMC and Film+, featuring a wide array of Hollywood films spanning all genres. On the other hand, the Slovak television group JOJ does bring channels like JOJ Cinema and CS Film, with CS Film offering Czech and Czechoslovak movies and JOJ Cinema primarily concentrating on foreign blockbusters.
Indeed, the substantial rise in the number of measured movie and series TV channels in recent years clearly demonstrates this segment’s allure for television players. “Despite the proliferation of major players launching their own VOD services featuring vast libraries of movies and TV shows in recent years, they do continue to invest in movie and series TV channels. The primary driver behind this decision is simple – there is an ongoing demand for such stations among viewers. Notably, these channels do provide thoughtfully curated selections of quality movies, sparing viewers from the tiresome task of scouring countless minutes in search of content,” clarifies Tatiana Bizovová. She further emphasizes that numerous movie and series TV channels actively engage their viewers with original content produced in-house.
Movies and TV Series Hold a Prominent Position in the Preferences of Younger Viewers
The prominence of movie and TV channels as the largest thematic channel category is quite well-explained by the television audience viewership data. In 2022, Czech viewers aged 15–69 spent nearly half of their time in front of the TV screen by watching movies and series, amounting to 45% of their total viewing time. Movies did account for 17% of this this time, while series constituted 22%, and other dramatic programmes – such as sitcoms and other related content – made up the remaining 6%. Interestingly, younger viewers, particularly those ages 25–34, did exhibit a strong inclination towards movies and TV shows, dedicating and impressive 49% of their total TV viewing time to these genres in 2022.[1]
Among the viewers aged 15–69, movies and series TV channels themselves do account for 9% of the total audience share.[2] In contrast, FTA channels reach millions of viewers per month, whereas Pay-TV channels have a monthly reach extending to hundreds of thousands of viewers. “The channel that stands out from the norm is FilmBox, attracting a monthly average of 1,1 million viewers aged 15–69, which is remarkably impressive considering its status as a Pay-TV channel,” comments Pavel Müller, Atmedia’s Head of Research & Marketing. He further highlights that Pay-TV movie and series TV channels often occupy top positions as the most-watched Pay-TV channels across the board.[3]
Documentary and sports television channels are frequently characterised by a predominant male viewership in their productive age, whereas movie and series channels enjoy a more inclusive and diverse audience. “The type of films and series do play a crucial role in shaping the viewership results. For example, AMC, CANAL+ Action, and Film+ predominantly feature action movies, thrillers, and action comedies, which tend to draw a larger male audience,” explains Pavel Müller, noting that, on channels like CANAL+ Action and AMC, men do account for around two-thirds of all viewers aged 15–69. Conversely, other movie and series TV channels diversify their programming with a variety of film and series genres, resulting in a more balanced audience composition.[4]
Czech Content Frequently Plays a Crucial Role in the Success of Paid TV Channels
While each movie and series TV channel boasts its unique content and offers a diverse array of programming, certain genres do consistently enjoy a widespread success across these television channels. “An illustrative case in point is the consistent popularity of crime series and action films, which have enjoyed a devoted following among Czech viewers over an extended period,” claims Pavel Müller. AXN channel has seen long-standing success with series like ‘NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service’, while JOJ Cinema’s top-ranked films in the first half of this year included titles such as ‘The Gunman’, ‘John Wick’, and ‘Antigang’. AMC and Film+ channels’ viewership results further reinforce the popularity of action movies and thrillers, as successful titles during the first six months of this year comprised films like ‘The Expendables’ and ‘The Crimson Rivers’.
Beyond action films, thrillers, and action comedies – family movies, fantasy, and romantic comedies do also hold a significant audience appeal. “A particular category centres around Czech and Czechoslovak movies, which frequently play a pivotal role in the success of movie TV channels in our country,” asserts Pavel Müller, citing the example of the FilmBox TV channel. At the beginning, FilmBox’s content was primarily focused on foreign films, but it later shifted its focus and made some substantial investments in acquiring Czech content. “With the introduction of Czech movies into its lineup, FilmBox witnessed an outstanding viewership growth, exceeding twice its previous audience share. Consequently, it has now attained the distinction of being both the most-watched Pay-TV movie channel and the most-watched Pay-TV channel overall,” says Pavel Müller. The enduring popularity of Czech and Czechoslovak films is underscored by the steadfast second-place position of the CS Film channel in the ranking of the most-watched Pay-TV channels in our country. CS Film distinguishes itself by exclusively featuring Czech and Czechoslovak cinema.
[1] ATO – Nielsen, Live + TS0–3, 2022, ATS, TG 15–69, 25–34
[2] ATO – Nielsen, Live+ TS0–3, H2 2022 – H1 2023, Share, TG 15–69
[3] ATO – Nielsen, Live + TS0–3, H2 2022 – H1 2023, Reach 000, TG 15–69
[4] ATO – Nielsen, Live + TS0–3, H2 2022 – H1 2023, Profile, TG 15–69