In a recent interview for 24 Hours on the occasion of Nova’s 30th anniversary Dirk Gerkens talked about the strategy of the broadcaster, its content production plans and the reduced number of local original series on the market, the new fall TV season; etc. Gerkens is United Media’s Director for Programming, Production and Advertising Sales and since recently also the CEO of Nova Broadcasting Group in Bulgaria.

Gerkens commented that “the content that is produced here is good enough to be competitive in the rest of Europe. We are selling Nova’s original content, such as its series, into the international market, we are looking for co-production opportunities and we are exploring different entertainment programs that might be attractive to the other countries where United Media is present.” He added that: “Our ambition is to push Bulgaria as a strategic location for filming quality TV content. Many formats can be produced here - in Bulgaria we have already produced Who Wants to Be a Millionaire for the Serbian market.”

When asked about the reduced number of local original series on the market, the exec commented that “audiences are becoming more demanding of the series they watch, and the level has already been raised high. The storylines we are looking for should meet those expectations, that is why we are also more demanding about the quality of the initial projects we are looking at. Developing them to the desired level takes time.”

Nova keeps supporting Bulgarian film production, acting as a media partner of some of the most popular feature films in Bulgaria as well as TV series producer: "We are preparing to begin filming for numerous more film projects; the second season of the series The Cell is now under post-production. We rely on gripping and compelling storylines in various genres." He also added: “We are going to surprise viewers with the scale of the productions we are preparing. The reality format Desafio Bulgaria will be different – more extreme, with stronger participants and completely new elements. The Big Brother legend is back, as it has happened in many other countries around the world. You know very well that this is the first reality format ever in Bulgaria, which Nova introduced 20 years ago. Famous actor Dimitar Rachkov takes over the entertainment in our third format – I Can See Your Voice. Last but not least – Nova’s news and journalism will return in September in its full volume and in its usual schedule.”

In terms of sports content, Gerkens said that “the European Football Championships showed once again that the Bulgarian audience is looking for and expects the best sports content from us. Research shows that over 20% more viewers watched the final match this year compared to the previous edition of the championship. Now that the efbet League has kicked off, three more major sporting events in Europe will begin in August – the English Premier League, the French Ligue 1 and the German Bundesliga. Our investment in sports content is significant. Two years ago, we bought the exclusive rights for the next European Championships in 2028, as well as the qualifiers for both these and the 2026 World Cup. We also have a contract for the Nations League editions until 2027.”

Talking about the company’s digital strategy, Gerkens noted that “Nova has long been embedded in the digital everyday life of Bulgarians. We have not only viewers, but over 3 million digital users. They are engaged with our formats across all digital platforms – websites, apps, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and more. Our approach is not just to adapt content, but to expand it according to the interests of these new audiences. Our reality formats have official podcasts, additional series, games and challenges. Streaming for Big Brother is an additional episode specifically developed for NOVA PLAY. The platform will also give votes, podcasts with all the participants and something unique – for the first time the audience will be able to choose one of the participants in the house… More serious problem for us is the illegal distribution of programs by unscrupulous operators. We are working on introducing clear rules in this area. Piracy in general is a serious issue in Bulgaria and stunts new investment in the country.”