executive director of Czech Mediafax is Mihai Predescu [ex editor in chief and producer of Pro TV now CME] and editor in chief is Martin Švehlák who worked also as an editor of CME’s TV Nova and daily newspapers Blesk [Ringier] and Šíp [Vltava Labe Press VLP]. Main competitor of Mediafax it seems to be state owned agency Czech News Agency (CTK) and also Rebel another media start-up of germans from Vltava Labe Press VLP who is editing Denik network of local newspapers.

RING is from monday on the market and is distributed in 50,000 copies in Bucharest [capital of Romania], through a street delivery network and waiting entrance of the subways. The newspaper has 16 pages full-color, compact format [290 x 400 mm]. It has a classic structure of a moderate tabloid: events, politics, social, services, show-biz, magazine, sports and special news. Sports and show-biz sections are the most substantial. Ring is edited by Confort Media SRL a company owned by two young romanian antreprenors and brothers [Robert and Ionut Negoita] with expertize in real estate business, hospitality [few hotels] and commercial operations [carpet retail] and this is their project to enter in the media business.

Ring’s editor in chief is Alexandru David, an ex editor of gossip weekly VIP, and he is running a team of 40 people: 28 on the editorial sector and 12 on the non-editorial activities. Advertising sales information is not yet known. On the web, the newspaper’s domain is supposed to be ziarulring.ro. The investment in the media segment is was announced by owners at around 10 million euros in 2 years, and this move is first from intention to build a media trust with a radio and a TV station. In Bucharest, Ring has as competitors Compact free daily [Ringier], which was launched in 2006 and has a circulation of 158,000 copies from an average of 148,000 and with Curentul [national distribution, including press stands, with an average circulation of 100,000]. On the free daily newspaper segment there is also regional Express network [Inform Media/ Austria]: Timis, Arad, Hunedoara, Cluj.

The Romanian Public Televison owns the rights of Europe’s Supercup, a competition between the winner of Champions League and the winner of UEFA Cup. DTH Boom TV won the second option, having the rights of transmitting the games that are not included in TVR’s platform, the replays and the summaries of the football games. TVR is re-engaged in the transmitting of Champions League after 9 years (1992-1999), during which Pro TV [CME] has transmitted the games.

The public television owns the rights of transmitting some important sport competitions at European and Worldwide level: the European Football Championship in Switzerland and Austria, Confederations Cup 2009 in South Africa, World Football Championship 2010 in South Africa, World Football Championship 2014 in Brazil, Formula 1 – 2008, 2009, 2010 seasons -, Olympics Games 2008 Beijing, European Gymnastics Championship 2008, Olympic Games 2012 in London, Olympics winter games 2010 in Canada (Vancouver), Olympics winter games 2014 in Russia (Soci) and others.

Final price: 85 millions euro + VAT [102 millions] >> 28,3 millions euro per season +TVA
Starting price: 54 millions euro+ TVA [64,2 millions] >> 18 millions euro per season +TVA
Variation: + 57% from starting price.

Intact, which controls commercial TV channel Antena 1, received a license for a sports channel earlier this year [Arenna TV] and RCS-RDS has a DTH platform [Digi TV] with 600,000 subscribers. Intact [Antena 1] won in front of Kanal D [owned by Turkish group Dogan], which stopped at 75 million and Realitatea TV, which last week announced it aquired Telesport, the TV channel that had previously bought the broadcasting rights, stopped at 84.5 million euro.

See below some fragments of Ionescu’s leaving email:
“I have presented Ringier’s management my resignation from the editor in chief position of Evz. I have informed Marius Hagger, the new general director of Ringier Romania. I truly regret that I have chosen this way of announcing you that in a short period of time I will be leaving Evz. All I have to say is that it has been a difficult decision to make.

I’m leaving Evz because this newspaper hasn’t evolved, commercially speaking, in the past years.  The distribution, marketing and sales strategies of this newspaper have never been accomplished since 2005, when they were proposed. I’m leaving this position because of the major difference between management styles and conceptions regarding the competitive struggle that this newspaper is carrying.

Our editorial stuff’s solutions are good or bad, bud Ringier’s solutions don’t even exist. I only wish to send away a part of possible theories of conspiracy. The decision is 100% mine. My decision hasn’t anything to do with the latest change of position regarding the executive director, the third in two and a half years. It is just another important issue that leads to our disagreement regarding the management of the newspaper. It is needed strong individual characters in order for Evz to be run. In the last years Evz has gone through difficult times and crises. It has surpassed those difficult times with the help of a strong and united team.”

The first cinema city multiplex has been launched in Iasi [Iulius Mall, 5 screens, 830 seats] on the 16th November, the next being available in Timisoara starting 30th  November and two are being ongoing in Cluj [Iulius Mall] and Baia Mare [Gold Plaza/2.300 mp/8 halls]. The company has announced the opening of another three multiplex cinemas in shopping galleries in Arad, Bistrita and Galati and five in Bucharest, developed by real-estate Globe Trade Center. On the international level, Cinema City has in its portfolio 61 multiplex centers [508 screens], recording incomes of 80, 3 million euros in the first quarter of 2007.

In Romania [european country with lowest number of spectators], most important players are Movieplex Cinema [ subsiadiary of movieplex italy] and Hollywood Multiplex [part of local Media Pro Group, owned by COO CME, Adrian Sarbu]. Also greek operator Odeon [85 screens/ 9,000 seets in greece] anounced an investment of  20 million euro in Cluj [4 multiplex/ 8 screens/ 1,640 de seats].

Movieplex Cinema [2006]: turn-over 3,7 million euros, profit 400.000 euro, over 2.500 seats, 11 halls – probably the biggest multiplex in the Balkans; launching date: febrary 2005, investment value – over 4,7 million euros.

Hollywood Multiplex [2006]: turn over 4,96 million euros, over 660.000 euros income. Three cinemas [Bucharest – 11 halls, Oradea – 5 halls]. 930.000 viewers, tickets’ salles: 3,3 million euros.

the fourth edition of Romanian free daily Expres, was launched in Cluj, one of the biggest city in Romania. Inform Media printed the newspaper in 25 000 copies and the next week will reach 30,000 copies, and from November, to 35,000 copies, being distributed through paperboys and by boxes. Andrea Lukic, the publisher, says that the gradual circulation is necessary in order to establish the proper way of distributing the newspaper. Cluj Expres is the second free paper launched in 2007 (after Hunedoara Expres launched in september); the first titles were launched in 2005: Timis Expres (35,000 copies distributed in march 2007) and arad express (10,000 copies distributed in march 2007).

Inform Media, one of the most important romanian local media groups and part of the austrian group Vorarlberger Medienhaus, has announced few months ago the opening of a new printing house in Alba Iulia (after the one in Timisoara); their portfolio includes both free and paid newspapers. Inform has four newspapers in top 10 local paid newspaper, two of which are Magyar and is competing with germans form EMI/ArboMedia and local Publimedia [part of Media Pro Group]. the annual average sales of inform products are:
Adevarul Arad [23,266]/romanian language
Jurnal Bihorean  [13,293]/ romanian language
Bihari Naplo [12,906]/ hungarian language
Szatmari Fiss Usjag [10,404]/ hungarian language
Timpul [7,307] / romanian language
Cuvantul Liber [6,042]/ romanian language

One more movement after the one in Serbia from ringier who buys also the czech daily newspaper Aha! from Ebika and in the same time the whole editorial team, consolidating its position as leader on the dailies market in the country. Ringier also owns the most successfully sold daily in Czech Republic, Blesk, which has a sales average of 444,000 copies and an audience of 1,548,000 readers (2006) and the sports daily Sport with sales of 67,000 and audience of 297,000 readers (source: wan/world press trends). Aha was launched in October 2004 and has recorded average sales of 140,022 copies per edition in august 2007, due to a circulation of 211,477 and an audience of 347,000 readers.