A significant ownership shake-up is underway for the Barrandov television group. Clues about the future direction of the stations were revealed by the current agenda of the Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting (RRTV), where applications for new licenses have appeared. These indicate that the film channel Barrandov Kino could continue broadcasting under a new operator, thus avoiding termination due to the financial problems of the original owner.
Surprisingly, the broadcasting licenses for this station were applied for by Broadcasting Services, a.s., a company directly financially linked to the infrastructure operator České Radiokomunikace (CRA). According to official records, Broadcasting Services belongs to Broadcasting Holding, which falls under CRA Services, a subsidiary of České Radiokomunikace. This move is strategically logical, as CRA also provides broadcasting capacity in the DVB-T2 multiplex 23 for the entire Barrandov group.
“The RRTV will address the request for licenses for terrestrial and satellite broadcasting of the Barrandov Kino program at one of its upcoming meetings.”
The ownership structure of the group is thus definitively fragmenting. The original operator, Barrandov Televizní Studio, is in bankruptcy and faces administrative proceedings for the revocation of licenses for the Barrandov Kino and Barrandov Krimi stations. In contrast, the main channel TV Barrandov has its future secured through the entity S-24 akvizice II, which already holds the license for the flagship program.
If the regulator approves the applications from the company affiliated with České Radiokomunikace, the film channel will be effectively rescued under the wing of a strong technological partner. Whether a similar model will be applied to the Barrandov Krimi station is not yet clear, as the current application concerns exclusively the film branch of the television group.