The new nationwide channel, Prima Zoom, will be focused on a somewhat male-skewed audience over 35 years of age. The channel complements MTG?s existing free-TV channel portfolio in the Czech Republic, which today comprises ?Prima Family?, ?Prima Cool? and ?Prima Love?.

Prima Zoom will be broadcast daily between 08:00 and 02:00 and feature high quality documentary and factual entertainment programmes from the BBC and other international leading content providers. The channel will premiere hugely successful documentary formats like Ocean Giants, Shark Hunters, The Birth of Europe and Superstorm USA.

In addition, the structure of the daily programming will be divided into three-hour topical segments, focusing on topics like Amazing Oceans, History Uncovered, and Animal Kingdom.

Prima Zoom will be available in the Czech digital terrestrial network, as well as in the basic packages of a number of satellite, cable, and IPTV pay-TV operators, and will have a household penetration of well over 90 per cent from launch.

MTG entered the Czech free-TV market in November 2005 by acquiring 50 per cent plus management control of the company operating the TV Prima channel, which was rebranded as Prima Family in 2012.

The Prima Cool channel was launched in April 2009 and Prima Love in March 2011.

The Group is also launching a new web platform, Prima-zoom.cz. The platform will offer a selective catch-up service with documentaries, and also offer editorial content, information and interesting articles related to the content and topics featured on Prima Zoom. The service complements the already existing popular Prima Play free catch-up service, which features a wide range of content from Prima Family, Prima Cool, and Prima Love.

MTG President and CEO J?rgen Madsen Lindemann said, ?The launch of Prima ZOOM continues the development of our highly successful Prima brand in the Czech Republic. The substantial increase in audience share in recent years is a testament to the effectiveness of our media house strategy, with a number of complementary channels offering a wide range of high quality content to all types of viewers. Prima ZOOM enables us to offer our viewers an even wider range of entertainment, in order to provide our advertisers with incremental reach in the Czech Republic.?

MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide has licensed a raft of dramas to broadcasters in Central & Eastern Europe.

In total, over 530 hours have been licensed in deals to ETV, LTV, RTV, STV and TV Barrandov.

BBC Worldwide Sales and Distribution territory manager, Eastern and Central Europe and CIS Heike Renner commented, ?We?re continuing to build strong relationships with our clients in Central and Eastern Europe, and we?re very pleased to work with them to bring so many high-end programmes to viewers across the region.?

‘Parade?s End‘ has been licensed to 17 territories in the region, with HBO, a co-producer on the series, set to give the drama its territory premiere on its pan-regional feed.

The epic drama has also been licensed as part of package deals to RTV in Slovenia, LTV in Latvia, ETV in Estonia and STV in Slovakia, as have Sinbad to TV Barrandov in the Czech Republic, STV, and Call the Midwife to LTV, STV.

Other dramas picked up range from ‘Scott And Bailey; series one and two to RTV, ‘Inside Men‘ to STV and TV Barrandov, and the second season of ‘Upstairs Downstairs‘ to LTV and ETV.

The deals also take in factual titles such as Earthflight (ETV), natural history show ‘Deadly 60‘ (series 1 to STV) and entertainment programmes including ‘Beyonc?: Live at Roseland‘ (ETV).

Renner said, ?The programmes licensed in these deals reflect the breadth of our catalogue, from top quality dramas to some exciting new female-skewing lifestyle and music titles.?