Continued from Part 1

With global platforms capturing a significant share of digital ad spend, how critical is local content as a differentiator for broadcasters in markets like Slovenia and Croatia?

Local content is our strongest competitive advantage in both markets. Global platforms can scale, but they do not replicate local language, culture, and storytelling, and that emotional connection drives loyalty. We are not a commodity; we nurture a deep connection with our viewers across platforms.

The most powerful content is authentic and relatable, reflecting people’s lives, challenges, and humor, as seen, for example, with Camping Royals (aka Hidden in Paradise) on POP TV. These are the stories that move beyond the screen and become part of everyday culture.

Investment in own IP, though, does not come unchallenged. We face the issue of widespread piracy, which negatively affects the entire media and creative ecosystem we operate in. Premium local production requires significant investment, and protecting intellectual property is essential to ensure the long-term sustainability of quality local storytelling. That is also why we are pleased that CME has joined the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) as part of a broader industry effort to protect creative value and premium content. We are committed to tackling this challenge collectively as a group and in every one of our markets.


Shows like MasterChef, Slovenia's Got Talent, and The Chase remain key pillars of your schedules in Slovenia. How do you balance global formats with locally developed IP?

It’s about combining the best of both worlds. Global formats bring proven concepts and structure, while local productions and stories build identity, differentiation, and long-term value. Our strategy is to leverage global expertise while continuously investing in strong local storytelling that is monetized through effective windowing.


More broadly, how would you define your programming strategy today across both markets, and what are the key pillars driving performance in Slovenia versus Croatia?

Our programming strategy is built on three clear pillars. The first is development and production, driven by strong local content that reflects the culture, language, and identity of each market. The second is creation, combining trusted news, premium sports, and carefully curated international formats to deliver relevant and engaging content for broad audiences. The third is distribution, supported by data-driven decision-making and continuous audience insights, which allow us to refine content, scheduling, and platform reach in real time. This combination enables us to maintain a strong local identity in both Slovenia and Croatia while maximizing audience reach across all platforms.


VOYO is widely seen as a standout local streaming success in CEE. What have been the key strategic decisions behind its growth, particularly in a market where global streamers dominate? What are the numbers for Croatia and Slovenia?

VOYO’s success is built on a deep understanding of audience needs, with local content and user experience at its core. This foundation drives growth across all markets, from early investment in local originals and strong integration with linear TV, to continuous product development powered by data, personalization, and content analytics.

In Slovenia, this strategy delivers clear results. VOYO is the leading VOD platform, with around 84% of viewing coming from local content — strong proof of the power of local storytelling in a highly competitive streaming environment. In Croatia, the same approach has driven rapid growth. VOYO is today the leading local streaming platform in the region and the second-largest streaming service in the market.

To put this into perspective, in Slovenia, our local series Yes, Chef (aka Kitchen) has so far generated 46 million views on VOYO, in a country of just 2 million people. Meanwhile, in Croatia, the fifth season of The Bachelor generated 3.5 million views in a market of around 4 million people.

This approach is now expanding to Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where we are already seeing strong audience engagement to locally and regionally on relevant content. VOYO is not just entering these markets — it is actively shaping them. Content travels successfully across markets and, combined with an effective distribution strategy, is delivering impressive results that are expected to continue growing.


How do you see VOYO evolving alongside your linear channels? Are you building a fully integrated content ecosystem across broadcast, digital, and VOD?

Linear TV delivers scale and shared viewing moments, while VOYO adds flexibility, personalization, and deeper engagement. Together, they allow us to maximize the value of our content and respond to different viewing habits across audiences. At the same time, this is not about separate platforms, but about one connected media environment where linear TV, digital, and streaming reinforce each other and drive overall engagement.

To be more specific, this complementary model is clearly visible with The Farm in Slovenia. The current season, which is still on air, continues to deliver a 35% plus average audience share on linear TV, while simultaneously generating millions of views also on VOYO with video views increasing by almost 30% compared to the previous season. In Croatia, the fifth season of The Bachelor performed strongly on linear TV, while video views on the VOYO platform increased by 60% compared to the previous season.


In managing this dual-market strategy, what elements of your business do you standardize across both stations, and where is localization essential?

We are very deliberate about the localness of our business and about where standardization creates value versus where localization is essential to remain relevant and competitive. We standardize core elements that drive efficiency and scalability across markets, primarily technology, data infrastructure, and operational processes. AI already supports several areas of our operations, from production workflows and transcription to content personalization and user experience on VOYO.

At the same time, localness is critical in areas that directly touch the audience. Local audiences connect with local stories, heroes, and stars in both news and entertainment. Content, editorial decisions, and the way we build and nurture relationships with viewers must always be deeply rooted in the local market. Audiences connect with stories that reflect their own culture, language, and everyday experiences, which is why local production and editorial autonomy remain at the heart of our strategy.

Ultimately, our model is about combining international scale with local relevance — using shared capabilities to operate efficiently while empowering local teams to create meaningful, distinctive content and trusted relationships. This balance enables us to continuously improve the quality of our output, strengthen creative capabilities, deepen audience insights through personalization, and enhance the overall user experience, while preserving local culture and national identity.

By scaling content that successfully travels across the region, as recently seen with the strong performance of The Bachelor Croatia, we create efficiencies that allow us to reinvest further into local content, creating a continuous cycle of growth, relevance, and audience loyalty.

Beyond audience and business performance, we are equally focused on organizational culture and long-term sustainability reflecting strong engagement, trust, and a shared sense of purpose also across the organization.


Looking ahead, how do you see the media landscape in CEE evolving over the next five years, particularly in terms of digitalization, consolidation, and competition with global players?

As the media landscape evolves, we see an accelerated adoption of a digital mindset, more data-driven decision-making and the growing importance of strong local brands. Paradoxically, the more global the market becomes, the more valuable local relevance is.

In an age of infinite choice, audiences are not looking for volume, they are looking for connection. And that connection is rooted in local language, culture and storytelling. The companies that succeed will be those who can unite scale, technology and authentic local narratives into one seamless ecosystem.