RTV BK Telecom
Encyclopedia
Radio-televizija Braća Karić Telekom (Serbian Cyrillic: Радио Телевизија Браћа Карић Телеком, RTV BK Telecom) was a privately-owned radio-television company based in Belgrade
, Serbia
. It functioned as a privately-owned, revenue generating media outlet with a "G" rating (general audiences or general interest station) and without editorial or content restrictions.
Prior to its license revocation in late April 2006 and subsequent folding during May 2007, BKTV had significant viewership all over Serbia. According to Nielsen Research data for the calendar year 2005 (its last full year of regular terrestrial broadcasting), BKTV held 11.2% of the Serbian TV audience with a daily average of 3.2 million people tuning in to its programmes, which meant it was the third most watched TV network in Serbia at the time behind Pink
(22.5% market share and 3.7 million daily viewers on average) and RTS1 (22.4% market share and 3.9 million daily viewers on average). BK was well ahead of fourth placed B92 (6.8%) and fifth placed RTS2 (6.3%).
The station's most watched programme ever was the live broadcast of Slobodan Milošević
's funeral on March 18, 2006 when 2,688,622
viewers (25.2% of the Serbian television market) tunid in to BK.
As of April 2004, BKTV covered more than 90% of the territory and reached about 90% of the entire population.
It aired the Serbian versions of the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
quiz (Želite li da postanete milioner?
), The Weakest Link
(Najslabija karika), as well as two seasons of the local Idol series
- Idol
.
Additionally, during 2000s, the network started producing its own comedy, drama, and soap-opera content such as Crni Gruja (historical comedy), and Jelena (soap).
Telefakt, BKTV's main news programme was shown several times a day, while a shorter news bulletin programme Naslovi ran every hour on the hour. BKTV's morning show was named Budilnik.
BKTV also bought rights for 2006 FIFA World Cup
in Germany
, but had to forfeit them because a month before the competition was to start, the station's licence got revoked. The rights were then bought out by public broadcaster RTS
.
RTV BK Telecom was on the cusp of new technologies. It was the first TV station in Serbia to start broadcasting on the internet by making selected news programmes available for download and streaming on their website. It eventually introduced the BK Player, a media player designed to play BK TV program live on the Internet 24 hours a day. The latest version was BK Player 2.
in Belgrade
for passers-by to watch.
May 2006 allocations of broadcasting frequencies by the Republican Broadcasting Agency's (RBA) of Serbia sparked a national controversy, and many called foul play. RBA did not award a frequency to several companies, including RTV BK Telecom. The company's bank accounts were blocked and BKTV had been taken off the air terrestrially.
BKTV commenced transmission over satellite with stripped down programming consisting mostly of SMS messages and music videos. Throughout 2006, most of BKTV's staff and on-air personalities left. The station eventually folded for good on May 9, 2007.
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. It functioned as a privately-owned, revenue generating media outlet with a "G" rating (general audiences or general interest station) and without editorial or content restrictions.
Prior to its license revocation in late April 2006 and subsequent folding during May 2007, BKTV had significant viewership all over Serbia. According to Nielsen Research data for the calendar year 2005 (its last full year of regular terrestrial broadcasting), BKTV held 11.2% of the Serbian TV audience with a daily average of 3.2 million people tuning in to its programmes, which meant it was the third most watched TV network in Serbia at the time behind Pink
RTV Pink
RTV Pink or Radio-Television Pink is a popular, privately-owned, national TV network in Serbia. Pink is the leading commercial station in the Serbian television broadcast market. TV Pink has gained a strong reputation for its entertainment programming...
(22.5% market share and 3.7 million daily viewers on average) and RTS1 (22.4% market share and 3.9 million daily viewers on average). BK was well ahead of fourth placed B92 (6.8%) and fifth placed RTS2 (6.3%).
The station's most watched programme ever was the live broadcast of Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
's funeral on March 18, 2006 when 2,688,622
viewers (25.2% of the Serbian television market) tunid in to BK.
History
The company started broadcasting a TV signal on December 5, 1994.As of April 2004, BKTV covered more than 90% of the territory and reached about 90% of the entire population.
It aired the Serbian versions of the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a television game show which offers large cash prizes for correctly answering a series of multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The format is owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Television International. The maximum cash prize is one million pounds...
quiz (Želite li da postanete milioner?
Želite li da postanete milioner?
Želite li da postanete milioner? is a Serbian game show based on the original British format of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. The show is hosted by Ivan Zeljković. The main goal of the game is to win 5 million Serbian dinars by answering 15 multiple-choice questions correctly...
), The Weakest Link
The Weakest Link
The Weakest Link is a television game show which first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and will end its run in 2012 when its host Anne Robinson ends her contract. The original British version of the show airs around the world on BBC Entertainment...
(Najslabija karika), as well as two seasons of the local Idol series
Idol series
The British talent search television series Pop Idol has spawned spin-offs in 42 territories, in what is now referred to as the "Idols" format, as described by FremantleMedia...
- Idol
Idol Serbia, Montenegro & Macedonia
Idol was a reality TV contest produced in Belgrade, Serbia and aired from 2003 until 2005.Based on the popular British show Pop Idol, it was its local version for young singing hopefuls in the then still existing state union of Serbia and Montenegro...
.
Additionally, during 2000s, the network started producing its own comedy, drama, and soap-opera content such as Crni Gruja (historical comedy), and Jelena (soap).
Telefakt, BKTV's main news programme was shown several times a day, while a shorter news bulletin programme Naslovi ran every hour on the hour. BKTV's morning show was named Budilnik.
BKTV also bought rights for 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, but had to forfeit them because a month before the competition was to start, the station's licence got revoked. The rights were then bought out by public broadcaster RTS
Radio Television of Serbia
Radio Television of Serbia or Serbian Broadcasting Corporation is the public broadcaster in Serbia. It broadcasts and produces a variety of news, drama, and sports programming through radio, television and the Internet. RTS is, since July 2001, a member of the European Broadcasting Union. RTS is...
.
RTV BK Telecom was on the cusp of new technologies. It was the first TV station in Serbia to start broadcasting on the internet by making selected news programmes available for download and streaming on their website. It eventually introduced the BK Player, a media player designed to play BK TV program live on the Internet 24 hours a day. The latest version was BK Player 2.
License Revocation and Shutdown
On April 25, 2006, the Serbian state agency for airwaves control (Republička radiodifuzna agencija) decided to revoke BKTV's broadcasting license for 30 days. The reason given was "violation of broadcasting regulations". Shortly after midnight on April 26, BKTV's physical location was raided by the police and the station ceased broadcasts. Around 11 a.m. the same day, most of the cable operators stopped carrying the station. It nevertheless continued to broadcast via satellite, and television sets have been set out televising the channel in Knez Mihailova StreetKnez Mihailova
Knez Mihailova Street or Prince Michael Street is the main pedestrian and shopping zone in Belgrade, and is protected by law as one of the oldest and most valuable landmarks of the city...
in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
for passers-by to watch.
May 2006 allocations of broadcasting frequencies by the Republican Broadcasting Agency's (RBA) of Serbia sparked a national controversy, and many called foul play. RBA did not award a frequency to several companies, including RTV BK Telecom. The company's bank accounts were blocked and BKTV had been taken off the air terrestrially.
BKTV commenced transmission over satellite with stripped down programming consisting mostly of SMS messages and music videos. Throughout 2006, most of BKTV's staff and on-air personalities left. The station eventually folded for good on May 9, 2007.
Channels
- BKTV (BK 063) - terrestrial channel
- BK Sat - Available in the USA via GlobeCast World TVGlobeCast World TVGlobeCast World TV is a direct-to-home provider of free-to-air and Nagravision-encrypted ethnic television and audio channels via the Galaxy 19 satellite received in North America...
(uses Intelsat Americas 5 satellite) and Dish NetworkDish NetworkDish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
via Intelsat Americas 5 satellite, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
via TV Plus, and EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
via Hot Bird 3, Atlantic Bird 2, and Euroasiasat 1 satellites. (BKTV Sat is broadcasting FTA (unencrypted) via Hot BirdHot BirdHot Bird is the name of a popular family of satellites operated by Eutelsat, located at 13°E over the Equator and with a transmitting footprint over Europe, North Africa and the Middle East....
) - DTV (Dečija Televizija, in English: Kids TV); this channel was originally called Eksperimentalni (Experimental) and was the first channel oriented towards kids in Eastern Europe.