Telekom Srbija’s Expansion Plans
In recent years, Telekom Srbija has emerged as one of the leading content creators in Southeast Europe with its productions traveling to every corner of the world. Building on its strong international reputation, the media arm of the telecom company, TS Media, is actively expanding its operations thru new partnerships and ventures with major media players and content creators. Aleksandra Martinović, Director of the Multimedia Division, talks with Stanislav Kimchev about the company’s new ambitions and latest projects.
Aleksandra Martinović, Director of Multimedia Division
Aleksandra, Telekom Srbija is one of the largest telecommunications operators and one of the biggest content creators in Southeast Europe. Can you tell us a little bit more about the company’s media portfolio and in which territories you currently operate?
Yes, Telekom Srbija is the largest content distributor and producer in Central and Eastern Europe, with over 1.7 million multimedia users. In our media portfolio, alongside more than 100 titles of original scripted content, of which 60 are ready for global distribution, you can find well-known news channels through our partnership such as Euronews, Bloomberg and Newsmax. Apart from the outstanding scripted and news content, TS offers premium sports content through its Arena Sport channels, broadcasting elite sports leagues like the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, Lega Seria A… Along with all other associated assets, this positions us as the leading telecom and content provider in this part of Europe. Telekom Srbija operates in 6 territories beyond Serbia, including Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany, and the next one in line will be the United States of America.
Telekom Srbija’s Superstar TV is the most-watched cable channel in Serbia and is among the Top 10 national channels. What is the channel offering in terms of programming and what is its winning strategy in this very busy market, with lots of local and international channels?
Superstar offers by far the highest-quality film and series content, both through top foreign series and movies as well as domestic ones. What is distinctive about Superstar is its exclusive premiere of titles from our TS Media’s Production, which achieve the best results, as its original local-regional content that everyone is eager for. Our strategy revolves precisely around this exclusivity, and that is what yields results.
Have you planned launching new channels in Serbia and in the region?
Our plan is to always offer viewers the best and highest quality content on the market. Sometimes, this is reflected through launching of new specialized channels or through partnerships with international partners, and at times, it involves further boosting the quality of existing channel content. We consistently invest in quality.
What are the latest trends in Southeast Europe in terms of content and how are viewers/users consuming this content? Can we say that markets in CEE are catching up with the leading markets in this respect?
I am confident that the CEE market represents the next significant opportunity when it comes to content production. This market offers originality on one hand, and on the other, clear global standards in terms of production, as evidenced by the sales of our titles to major streaming platforms. Viewers across our region are “hungry” for local and regional content, that they can identify with, and can “trigger” their emotions – and as you know, the entire entertainment industry relies on evoking emotions. We are talking about the entire Adria region here, with diverse languages but perfect mutual understanding, which then opens an entirely new Adria market for producing scripted content and catering to such demand.
The Golden Boy, The Civil Servant, The Black Wedding are some of your most-popular titles. You have numerous deals for your content, i.e. with international streaming partners like Amazon Prime Video, Disney+; etc. You also work with distributors like GoQuest and Beta Film. Viewers from which territories can watch your content and what is your distribution strategy for 2023 and beyond?
The achieved collaboration with all the major global players in film content distribution is yet another proof that our content is high quality and in line with the latest trends. Our strategic goal undoubtedly includes content internationalization and its exposure worldwide. International collaborations and co-productions will contribute to the expansion of our content on a global scale.
During NEM Dubrovnik it was announced that you have joined the TV adaptation of Juan Gomez-Jurado’s Cicatriz (Scar) novel, with your partners being Plano a Plano, Dopamine and Asacha Media Group. Could you reveal more details about the project - the storyline, cast, how did you come on board this project?
Scar is especially important for TS Media, given that we are part of a renowned team hand in hand with Amazon Prime. This serves as both confirmation and an obligation to continuously enhance our capabilities. Scar will be filmed in Serbia and Spain, with well- known Serbian and Spanish cast and I am confident that together we will create a significant global story full of emotions, passion, tension... The series’ creators are the writers of the Netflix series Money Heist, which is another confirmation of a project with guaranteed success.
Telekom Srbija is attending many trade events, including MIPCOM and NEM Zagreb. What are your expectations for the two upcoming market events?
The TS Media team strives to always be present at the forefront of the biggest regional and global multimedia events, not only to showcase our achievements but also to stay abreast of new trends. From both mentioned events, we expect positive outcomes, successful presentations, panels, connections, and certainly a significant leap and progress in competition with the largest European and global players. ′
Yes, Telekom Srbija is the largest content distributor and producer in Central and Eastern Europe, with over 1.7 million multimedia users. In our media portfolio, alongside more than 100 titles of original scripted content, of which 60 are ready for global distribution, you can find well-known news channels through our partnership such as Euronews, Bloomberg and Newsmax. Apart from the outstanding scripted and news content, TS offers premium sports content through its Arena Sport channels, broadcasting elite sports leagues like the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, Lega Seria A… Along with all other associated assets, this positions us as the leading telecom and content provider in this part of Europe. Telekom Srbija operates in 6 territories beyond Serbia, including Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany, and the next one in line will be the United States of America.
Telekom Srbija’s Superstar TV is the most-watched cable channel in Serbia and is among the Top 10 national channels. What is the channel offering in terms of programming and what is its winning strategy in this very busy market, with lots of local and international channels?
Superstar offers by far the highest-quality film and series content, both through top foreign series and movies as well as domestic ones. What is distinctive about Superstar is its exclusive premiere of titles from our TS Media’s Production, which achieve the best results, as its original local-regional content that everyone is eager for. Our strategy revolves precisely around this exclusivity, and that is what yields results.
Golden Boy
Have you planned launching new channels in Serbia and in the region?
Our plan is to always offer viewers the best and highest quality content on the market. Sometimes, this is reflected through launching of new specialized channels or through partnerships with international partners, and at times, it involves further boosting the quality of existing channel content. We consistently invest in quality.
What are the latest trends in Southeast Europe in terms of content and how are viewers/users consuming this content? Can we say that markets in CEE are catching up with the leading markets in this respect?
I am confident that the CEE market represents the next significant opportunity when it comes to content production. This market offers originality on one hand, and on the other, clear global standards in terms of production, as evidenced by the sales of our titles to major streaming platforms. Viewers across our region are “hungry” for local and regional content, that they can identify with, and can “trigger” their emotions – and as you know, the entire entertainment industry relies on evoking emotions. We are talking about the entire Adria region here, with diverse languages but perfect mutual understanding, which then opens an entirely new Adria market for producing scripted content and catering to such demand.
Civil Servant
The Golden Boy, The Civil Servant, The Black Wedding are some of your most-popular titles. You have numerous deals for your content, i.e. with international streaming partners like Amazon Prime Video, Disney+; etc. You also work with distributors like GoQuest and Beta Film. Viewers from which territories can watch your content and what is your distribution strategy for 2023 and beyond?
The achieved collaboration with all the major global players in film content distribution is yet another proof that our content is high quality and in line with the latest trends. Our strategic goal undoubtedly includes content internationalization and its exposure worldwide. International collaborations and co-productions will contribute to the expansion of our content on a global scale.
During NEM Dubrovnik it was announced that you have joined the TV adaptation of Juan Gomez-Jurado’s Cicatriz (Scar) novel, with your partners being Plano a Plano, Dopamine and Asacha Media Group. Could you reveal more details about the project - the storyline, cast, how did you come on board this project?
Scar is especially important for TS Media, given that we are part of a renowned team hand in hand with Amazon Prime. This serves as both confirmation and an obligation to continuously enhance our capabilities. Scar will be filmed in Serbia and Spain, with well- known Serbian and Spanish cast and I am confident that together we will create a significant global story full of emotions, passion, tension... The series’ creators are the writers of the Netflix series Money Heist, which is another confirmation of a project with guaranteed success.
Black Wedding
Telekom Srbija is attending many trade events, including MIPCOM and NEM Zagreb. What are your expectations for the two upcoming market events?
The TS Media team strives to always be present at the forefront of the biggest regional and global multimedia events, not only to showcase our achievements but also to stay abreast of new trends. From both mentioned events, we expect positive outcomes, successful presentations, panels, connections, and certainly a significant leap and progress in competition with the largest European and global players. ′
