Via Media prepares to launch interactive business television
The pilot program will be distributed via a local cable operator in Ciechanow, 100 kilometers north of Warsaw, to the operator's 2,000 subscribers. The Polish-language program will run two hours and consist of four segments: business, media and general news and a 15-minute feature/entertainment segment, said Anna Kowalska, director for development at Via Media.
During the summer, Via Media plans to build up the program to eight hours, iron out technical difficulties and this fall begin full-fledged commercial operations with 24-hour programming, Kowalska said.
Via Media rolled out two business programs in spring 1998. One featured a half-hour English-language interview of business personalities broadcast bi-weekly on the Porion channel, which is based in Warsaw. That program was followed a month later in April by a daily business news broadcast in Polish in the late evening on Porion. The daily news program, which eventually was also picked up by Nasza TV, was yanked in January and the half-hour interview format continues on Porion, Kowalska said.
Under the current BTV Interactive pilot program, Via Media will transmit programs via the internet to the local Ciechanow cable operator, who will broadcast to viewers via cable hookups. Programs will later be available for viewing directly on the internet, the company said.
"We plan to introduce chatrooms to our programs so that viewers can participate in debates and present their opinions on the air," Kowalska said. "So it's much more than the regular TV can offer."
But according to Michał Duszak, member of the managing board at Aster City, one of two leading cable operators in Poland, what the BTV will offer is not really interactive.
"There is not much difference between other TV stations, which offer audio-tele services, and the BTV Interactive," he said. "It still doesn't work like the internet - a real interactive tool which enables surfers to use it independently from others by getting answers to their specific questions which cannot be seen by others."
At the same time Duszak said that Aster City could be interested in the program, "but not before it undergoes tests and a complete offer is prepared." However, Aster City was not in talks with Via Media, he said. "Still, professional business programs are worth doing because there is always a group of people that wants to watch it."
Kowalska earlier said Via Media was in talks with digital operators to carry the program but would not specify broadcasters.
Digital broadcaster Wizja TV would not confirm talks with Via. "All I can say is that we are in negotiations, with various stations, on creating an information thematic channel," said Dorota Zawadzka, director of Wizja TV's public relations office. "Business news could be part of it."
Ross Newens, managing director of Wizja TV, said earlier that Wizja was going to produce more local programs. "We are having discussions with two companies to produce an information channel. A sports channel remains our priority, though."
PepsiCo on the move
After a five-year relationship, PepsiCo has left Saachi & Saachi's media planning house, Zenith, and gone over to BBDO's Media Direction.
The move came shortly after Paweł Sawicki, now managing director at Media Direction, left Zenith at the beginning of May. In the move, Sawicki took seven co-workers, including Jacek Hendigery, who is now media director at Media Direction. When Hendigery was at Zenith, he worked on the PepsiCo account for more than two years as group media manager.
PepsiCo, which ranks among the top-10 media spenders in Poland, has a media account of approximately $15 million based on its rate card, Sawicki said.
The change in media planning houses was in line with PepsiCo's global strategy of doing media planning with BBDO, Sawicki said. Media Direction, formerly a division within BBDO, broke away from the agency as a separate media house operation three years ago.
"There was very strong pressure to move on," he said. "I think our decision to change this job was a catalyst."
Following PepsiCo was the media account of NZPT margarine, which had been with Zenith only since February and had an account worth $8 million-$9 million, also based on rate cards.
"Obviously, this was a disappointment," said Charles Sampson, chief executive officer at Saachi & Saachi, which owns 50% of Zenith.
While Sampson did not comment on what changes were going to take place within Zenith, he did say that they would continue to monitor the market for clients.
"We're certainly not going to make any quick and rash decisions," he said.
All's not lost. Tricon, a division of PepsiCo, remained with Zenith. Zenith, however, declined comment on the account. Tricon owns KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants in Poland.
Currently, Media Direction is not pitching for any new accounts. "At the moment, we are focused on stabilizing" the transition from one media house to another for both PepsiCo and NZPT, Sawicki said. In addition to PepsiCo and NZPT, Media Direction has Wrigley, Dr. Oetker, Electrolux and Zanussi in its portfolio.
Winning Panasonic
Advertising agency Grey Warszawa recently won a creative account for Panasonic, according to a spokesman for the Japanese electronics company.
The new account, which came on in early June, will focus on digital camcorders and minisystems, said Andrzej Słodki, public relations coordinator for Panasonic Polska. He refused to speak about the value of the new account.
Although the creative work will be above the line, using various mediums along with television, the company has not yet made any decision on who will do its media planning. "We are just looking for this," Słodki said.
Beyond acknowledgement of winning the Panasonic account, officials at Grey Warszawa declined further comment.
Chris Rivituso, , contributed to this story.
During the summer, Via Media plans to build up the program to eight hours, iron out technical difficulties and this fall begin full-fledged commercial operations with 24-hour programming, Kowalska said.
Via Media rolled out two business programs in spring 1998. One featured a half-hour English-language interview of business personalities broadcast bi-weekly on the Porion channel, which is based in Warsaw. That program was followed a month later in April by a daily business news broadcast in Polish in the late evening on Porion. The daily news program, which eventually was also picked up by Nasza TV, was yanked in January and the half-hour interview format continues on Porion, Kowalska said.
Under the current BTV Interactive pilot program, Via Media will transmit programs via the internet to the local Ciechanow cable operator, who will broadcast to viewers via cable hookups. Programs will later be available for viewing directly on the internet, the company said.
"We plan to introduce chatrooms to our programs so that viewers can participate in debates and present their opinions on the air," Kowalska said. "So it's much more than the regular TV can offer."
But according to Michał Duszak, member of the managing board at Aster City, one of two leading cable operators in Poland, what the BTV will offer is not really interactive.
"There is not much difference between other TV stations, which offer audio-tele services, and the BTV Interactive," he said. "It still doesn't work like the internet - a real interactive tool which enables surfers to use it independently from others by getting answers to their specific questions which cannot be seen by others."
At the same time Duszak said that Aster City could be interested in the program, "but not before it undergoes tests and a complete offer is prepared." However, Aster City was not in talks with Via Media, he said. "Still, professional business programs are worth doing because there is always a group of people that wants to watch it."
Kowalska earlier said Via Media was in talks with digital operators to carry the program but would not specify broadcasters.
Digital broadcaster Wizja TV would not confirm talks with Via. "All I can say is that we are in negotiations, with various stations, on creating an information thematic channel," said Dorota Zawadzka, director of Wizja TV's public relations office. "Business news could be part of it."
Ross Newens, managing director of Wizja TV, said earlier that Wizja was going to produce more local programs. "We are having discussions with two companies to produce an information channel. A sports channel remains our priority, though."
PepsiCo on the move
After a five-year relationship, PepsiCo has left Saachi & Saachi's media planning house, Zenith, and gone over to BBDO's Media Direction.
The move came shortly after Paweł Sawicki, now managing director at Media Direction, left Zenith at the beginning of May. In the move, Sawicki took seven co-workers, including Jacek Hendigery, who is now media director at Media Direction. When Hendigery was at Zenith, he worked on the PepsiCo account for more than two years as group media manager.
PepsiCo, which ranks among the top-10 media spenders in Poland, has a media account of approximately $15 million based on its rate card, Sawicki said.
The change in media planning houses was in line with PepsiCo's global strategy of doing media planning with BBDO, Sawicki said. Media Direction, formerly a division within BBDO, broke away from the agency as a separate media house operation three years ago.
"There was very strong pressure to move on," he said. "I think our decision to change this job was a catalyst."
Following PepsiCo was the media account of NZPT margarine, which had been with Zenith only since February and had an account worth $8 million-$9 million, also based on rate cards.
"Obviously, this was a disappointment," said Charles Sampson, chief executive officer at Saachi & Saachi, which owns 50% of Zenith.
While Sampson did not comment on what changes were going to take place within Zenith, he did say that they would continue to monitor the market for clients.
"We're certainly not going to make any quick and rash decisions," he said.
All's not lost. Tricon, a division of PepsiCo, remained with Zenith. Zenith, however, declined comment on the account. Tricon owns KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants in Poland.
Currently, Media Direction is not pitching for any new accounts. "At the moment, we are focused on stabilizing" the transition from one media house to another for both PepsiCo and NZPT, Sawicki said. In addition to PepsiCo and NZPT, Media Direction has Wrigley, Dr. Oetker, Electrolux and Zanussi in its portfolio.
Winning Panasonic
Advertising agency Grey Warszawa recently won a creative account for Panasonic, according to a spokesman for the Japanese electronics company.
The new account, which came on in early June, will focus on digital camcorders and minisystems, said Andrzej Słodki, public relations coordinator for Panasonic Polska. He refused to speak about the value of the new account.
Although the creative work will be above the line, using various mediums along with television, the company has not yet made any decision on who will do its media planning. "We are just looking for this," Słodki said.
Beyond acknowledgement of winning the Panasonic account, officials at Grey Warszawa declined further comment.
Chris Rivituso, , contributed to this story.
