PRO TV and Acasa, the TV stations comprised by Mediapro International (MPI), have jointly posted turnover in excess of $20 million and operating profit worth more than $4 million - by far the best in this business. These results were achieved as the advertising market climbed 15%, but also following a restructuring programme that saw a significant drop in operating costs.
"Whereas politicians are elected every four years, television means that audiences practically get to vote everyday. The greatest challenge lies in a company's capacity to reinvent itself, so that people can turn the TV on that channel and then stay there. They need to feel they are in a familiar and, at the same time, unusually glamorous and new place," says Adrian Sårbu, MPI general manager.
This feeling does exist and can be translated into exact figures. Thus, in the first six months of the year, either PRO TV or Acasa ranked first on 74.1% of the timeslots (urban, 18-49 years old). Due to Acasa TV station, things are looking even better among female viewers: 80.2% of the timeslots are ruled by PRO TV or Acasa (urban, women, 15-49 years old).
Sales followed this trend. The increase in the MPI sales volume in 2003 has outpaced (as a percentage) the general growth of the TV advertising market compared to 2002. "This is due to the increasingly better compatibility between the profile of the two TV stations' audiences and the communication needs of advertisers," says Zoe Vasilescu, sales director at MPI. In terms of sales, this year's biggest success is the increase in revenues per spot (by an average 40%) as compared to 2002. It is also worth noting that timeslots that were not generally popular among advertisers have also been filled with advertising. These trends have occurred on a market where the offer of Romanian-language programmes is becoming sensibly broader, while television successfully competes against increasingly more temptations inside and outside the home.
"Our biggest achievements in the first six months are absolute leadership for all news programmes on PRO TV's main target, profit for all the timeslots between 08.00 and 01.00 and the Romanian sitcom. The success of the PRO TV News is all the more valuable as we attained it during certain international events that triggered increased interest in news programmes," says Catinca Marinescu, PRO TV marketing director.
Both in terms of news programmes and own productions and films, PRO TV has retained its leading position in the first half of the year. The daily market share of Pro TV and Acasa, for the main target of PRO TV is 29.9 and climbs to 35.1 in prime-time and even 37.4 during the 19.00-20.00 time interval, when news, sports news and weather are broadcast. If the main target of Acasa TV is considered, these figures actually post an average 2% increase.
"In the past year, PRO TV has permanently aimed to adjust to the demands of its audiences. Research has showed us that PRO TV audiences are dynamic, inclined towards modern values and bored with traditional, 'dusty' approaches. Consequently, we are constantly striving to live up to the expectations of our viewers," says Catinca Marinescu, marketing director at PRO TV.1
Pentru alte știri, analize, articole și informații din business în timp real urmărește Ziarul Financiar pe WhatsApp Channels
