On Tuesday, September 26, CEETV organized and hosted the THE HEART OF CEE FORMATS panel at the Heart of Europe Festival & Forum in Warsaw. It brought together industry experts to discuss this evolving landscape in the region. Moderated by CEETV’s SVP Stanislav Kimchev, the panel discussion featured three distinguished experts: Aleksandra Kazmieruk, Head of International Sales at TVP, Katie Pike, Director of European Formats at Paramount, and Kristof Dombovary, Production Director and Partner at Paprika Studios.

Stanislav opened the conversation with a general overview of the CEE format industry's history, challenges and prospects, focusing on several factors that have contributed to this surge in original formats in CEE; including the increased content spending, the rise of international and local streaming platforms, a new generation of experienced creators and production teams, and the attractiveness of cost-effective productions for international players.

The panelists addressed a range of critical questions as the main challenges facing the CEE TV formats market today, highlighting issues such as content piracy, the need for creative talent development, and market fragmentation, as well as the importance of collaboration and the growing interest of partners in CEE. Aleksandra Kazmieruk attributed the increasing importance of the Polish TV market to its commitment to producing and adapting high-quality content. Katie Pike discussed how the reduction in content spending by some streamers might affect the CEE market and how local players can seize opportunities in this changing landscape. Kristof Dombovary mentioned the success of the Hungarian adaptation of Banijay’s The Bridge, shot in Romania for HBO Max, as a proof of the potential of non-scripted formats on streaming platforms.

In closing, the panelists discussed the significant role of both international and regional streaming platforms in the development of the CEE format business.