Lenka Szántó, Creative Producer at TV Nova/VOYO in the Czech Republic, offered recently an insights into the dynamics of media alliances and the competitive landscape with international streaming platforms. The executive emphasized the critical role of strong internal partnerships while cautioning against overly ambitious co-productions that may not resonate with diverse local audiences.
Szántó highlighted that the most valuable partnerships for TV Nova/VOYO, part of Central European Media Enterprises (CME), are those within the company’s network. She cited TV Markíza in Slovakia as their closest ally, with whom they share operational capacities, such as IT development, to streamline bureaucratic processes.
However, content co-creation presents a different challenge. Despite the linguistic and geographical proximity between the Czech Republic and Slovakia, cultural nuances and audience expectations often hinder 50-50 content co-productions. Szántó noted, ‘As close as we are it doesn’t always work when we do content 50-50… We can understand each other but still The the cultural differences are there and the expectations of the audience are different’. This divergence frequently leads to such projects ‘falling flat’ in their respective domestic markets.
She also dismissed geography as a primary factor for successful content alliances, reiterating that even with the close ties between Czechia and Slovakia, 50-50 projects often underperform. Instead, she emphasized the importance of a ‘common narrative language’ that can be shared across projects.
She suggested that successful co-productions might lie in less mainstream genres or specific niches, rather than in major drama series. For instance, children’s movies, fairy tales, or animated series could be viable. Szántó also proposed genres like horror, where a shared narrative understanding is more universal. She explained, ‘The narrative language of horror series, it’s something we share, all of us. So I can imagine that on some not so mainstream genres, it could work’. For larger, mainstream projects, the optimistic view of cost-sharing often leads to domestic market failures.
VOYO’s stance against global streaming giants
Regarding the competition with major international streamers like Netflix, VOYO, a prominent local streaming service in the Czech Republic, views them as direct competitors. Szántó unequivocally stated, ‘The streamers are direct competitors for us, because we care about the local market we have, and we want to dominate our domestic market’. She debunked rumors of a unified Czech streaming alliance against these global players, characterizing them as ‘fake news’.
Szántó affirmed that the only effective way for local streamers to compete is to achieve significant market presence themselves, backed by strong investment. She expressed confidence in VOYO’s position, noting their impending achievement of 1 million subscribers across Czechia and Slovakia. She concluded, ‘We became really significant on our market, and that’s the way to fight them’. While acknowledging that international streamers can inflate content acquisition prices, Szántó emphasized VOYO’s commitment to its audience and its strategy of growth through delivering quality local content without compromise.
