List of television stations in Bulgaria
Encyclopedia
Television
in Bulgaria
was introduced in 1959
. Although the Bulgarian media market is small, it is one of the most vibrant and highly competitive in Eastern Europe. Global players such as News Corporation
, Modern Times Group
, Central European Media Enterprises
and ProSiebenSat1 and others operate the biggest and most popular media outlets in the country.
) started experimental television broadcasting with two antennas (one for sound and one for image) on the roof of a building near the Vasil Levski
monument in the city, after having previously conducted successful cable test transmissions. These experimental broadcasts aroused the interest of the Ministry of Communications, which decided to build a broadcasting tower in Sofia, with a state-controlled channel to air from it. The new channel started with an unofficial broadcast on November 1, 1959, and made its first official broadcast several days later with the live coverage of the November 7 manifestation, commemorating the Russian Revolution of 1917. The experimental channel of the MEI did not air anything but a test chart on that day, although it did show a greeting to the new Sofia Television Station three times after 19:05. The MEI channel continued to operate until late 1960, when the team started working on the future introduction of color television.
The new channel, later referred to as " Bulgarian Television" (BT) used the OIRT standard of 625 lines and 25 frames per second. It also used the D/K audio system, which was generally done to prevent reception of Western European stations in Eastern Bloc
countries. Public attention was quickly caught by the new medium, and the number of bought and registered television sets increased gradually. In 1960, a powerful 20 kilowatt transmitter was installed at Botev Peak
, covering a large area of the country. Later, more transmitters and retranslators were placed in various cities, towns and villages around the country.
Programming was controlled and influenced by the Bulgarian Communist Party
-run government in this time, as was usual in the Eastern Bloc. The first popular program were the news, which were titled "Around the World and at Home" ("По света и у нас", with "at home" meaning in this case "in our country"), a name which is used to this day. The news' trademark "spinning globe" opening, first animated in 1961, is also still used (albeit highly modified). Other popular shows started around this time were the children's block "Good Night, Children" ("Лека нощ, деца", still in use), television theatre programs, the various sport events which were broadcast live from around the world, and music programs like the regular New Year celebration shows. Foreign programming in the early years was limited to mostly Soviet Union
productions, as well as some direct rebroadcasts of Soviet television programming.
In 1972, the first color broadcast was made, again of a manifestation
. The SECAM
color system was used, because PAL
was used in most western countries (except for France
, where SECAM was invented). After several years, the entire programming was broadcast in color.
In 1974, the second channel of the Bulgarian Television was launched, with the original channel being called simply "first channel". Later, they were given on-screen logos and were named "BT1" ("БТ 1") and "BT2" ("БТ 2"). In the late 1980s, some western programming was allowed, including Pink Panther cartoons and the television series La piovra
(Октопод) and Escrava Isaura (Робинята Изаура). With the fall of the communist rule in 1989, the two channels changed dramatically. They started airing a lot of US films and TV series, one of the first being The Flintstones
(Семейство Флинтстоун). Their names were also changed, BT 1 became Kanal 1
(Channel1) (Канал 1) and BT 2 became Efir 2
. The television organisation's name was changed to Bulgarian National Television
. In the 1990s, BNT changed the color television system to PAL
, while keeping compatibility with older TV sets by using the DK audio standard (on such sets, only black-and-white
picture is seen). Efir 2's frequencies were sold in 2000 to News Corporation
for the country's first over-the-air national channel: bTV. In 2008, Channel 1 was again renamed to BNT 1. The second programe started again in 2011 under the name BNT 2. It merged the regioanl BNT
programes.
Privately owned television channels started to appear immediately after the regime change. Most were associated with a cable television (CATV) network run by the same parent company. Around 1994-1995 private over-the-air broadcasters also appeared, but they usually only operated within a single area. Nova Television and 7 Dni TV (7 дни, meaning 7 days) were two of the first such channels, available only in Sofia
. After bTV took over Efir 2
's frequencies, another competition selected Nova Television, already popular in cable networks around the country, as the second privately-owned national channel in Bulgaria. The authorities currently refuse to license further analogue terrestrial channels (including local ones), until DVB-T
broadcasting is started.
The Bulgarian Telecommunications Company
provides one experimental DVB-T
transponder in Sofia since 2004. While DVB-T broadcasting in other large cities such as Burgas
, Varna
, Plovdiv
and Stara Zagora
is expected to start in near future, it is not known when exactly this will happen, although the frequencies for the transponders are already set.
appeared in the early 1990s, with some of the earliest networks starting operation in 1991 and 1992. Satellite channels from other countries were one of the main features of cable television at the time and in the following years channels like Cartoon Network
Europe, MTV European and Discovery Channel
became very popular, as more people subscribed to the (relatively cheap) cable TV operators. Many (if not all) cable companies created their own television channel
s, which were available only to their subscribers. Due to technical limitations, it was initially difficult for such channels to be distributed to other populated places in the country, but in the late 90s several channels started to appear in the entire country using Bulgarian Telecommunications Company
cables as the distribution method. In 1998, M SAT (then known as Mustang Sat) became the first Bulgarian channel available via satellite. The local terrestrial channel Nova Television from Sofia became available all over the country in 1999 using cable transmission. Around 2000-2001, some foreign broadcasters such as Discovery Channel
and the Hallmark Channel
(now DIVA Universal started Bulgarian translations of their channels using DVB subtitles. Currently, most cable networks carry a large selection of local and foreign channels, both translated and untranslated. Translation of foreign networks has since expanded from subtitles to voice dubbing, with channels like AXN
and Jetix
(formerly FOX Kids
) (now Disney Channel
) having a Bulgarian audio track.
Analogue broadcasting is still used by operators, and it was the only method used before 2004-2005. Since then, many of them started lowering the number of analogue channels in order to launch DVB-C transponders. However, because the monthly fee for the digital packages is higher, some subscribers choose to continue using the analogue service, although with less channels than before. Currently, the biggest cable operators provide DVB-C
channels in the major cities and towns. As of 2009, analogue channels are usually the only service available in villages.
(then known as Mustang
Sat, after parent company Mustang) in 1998, operating from Varna
. Before this, the Mustang channel was distributed through cable lines, maintained by the Bulgarian Telecommunications Company
. The following year, the Bulgarian National Television
launched a special channel, TV Bulgaria (now known as BNT World), dedicated to Bulgarians living abroad. Several other channels followed, including the musical channel MM.
Then, in 2003, Bulsatcom became the first Bulgarian DTH operator, offering initially a limited amount of channels on Hellas Sat 2. The next year, ITV Partner (now TotalTV
) was launched as a DTH service by Interactive Technologies PLC, broadcasting on Eutelsat W2. Both supply DVB-S
satellite television in Bulgaria
and most Europe
an countries, with some of the TV channels using the two DTH operators as their main distribution medium (so that the channels are easily available to cable operators without the use of long-distance wires). The second half of 2010 is expected to see the long anticipated launch of the third Bulgarian DTH provider, operated by Bulgaria's Vivacom. There is also a small package operated by Telenor
on Thor 3
, which has for a long time distributed certain Bulgarian TV and radio channels.
Generally, Bulgarian television companies do not require a high fee for their channels' availability to viewers (some have no fee at all), but because of licensing restrictions of foreign programming, most satellite channels are encrypted, so that distribution outside Bulgaria can be limited. Free-to-view channels carry less (or none at all) such programming, airing for example music or locally produced programs only. Currently, most channels that broadcast nationally are available via satellite.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
was introduced in 1959
Timeline of the introduction of television in countries
This is a list of when the first publicly announced television broadcasts occurred in the mentioned countries. Non-public field tests and closed circuit demonstrations are not included....
. Although the Bulgarian media market is small, it is one of the most vibrant and highly competitive in Eastern Europe. Global players such as News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
, Modern Times Group
Modern Times Group
Modern Times Group is a Swedish media company. MTG was formed out of the media holdings of investment company Kinnevik, which in 1997 was distributed to the company stockholders. Among the assets were Viasat and Metro International...
, Central European Media Enterprises
Central European Media Enterprises
Central European Media Enterprises is a Bermuda-based vertically integrated company. Founded by Ronald Lauder, it owns broadcast, content and new media operations in Central and Eastern Europe...
and ProSiebenSat1 and others operate the biggest and most popular media outlets in the country.
Terrestrial
In 1954, a team at the Machine and Electrotechnics Institute in Sofia (today called the Technical University of SofiaTechnical University of Sofia
The Technical University of Sofia , based in Sofia, is the largest technical university in Bulgaria.Founded on 15 October 1945 as part of the Higher Technical School , it is an independent institution since 1953, when the Polytechnic was divided into four separate technical institutes...
) started experimental television broadcasting with two antennas (one for sound and one for image) on the roof of a building near the Vasil Levski
Vasil Levski
Vasil Levski, born Vasil Ivanov Kunchev, , is a Bulgarian revolutionary and a national hero of Bulgaria. Dubbed the Apostle of Freedom, Levski ideologised and strategised a revolutionary movement to liberate Bulgaria from Ottoman rule...
monument in the city, after having previously conducted successful cable test transmissions. These experimental broadcasts aroused the interest of the Ministry of Communications, which decided to build a broadcasting tower in Sofia, with a state-controlled channel to air from it. The new channel started with an unofficial broadcast on November 1, 1959, and made its first official broadcast several days later with the live coverage of the November 7 manifestation, commemorating the Russian Revolution of 1917. The experimental channel of the MEI did not air anything but a test chart on that day, although it did show a greeting to the new Sofia Television Station three times after 19:05. The MEI channel continued to operate until late 1960, when the team started working on the future introduction of color television.
The new channel, later referred to as " Bulgarian Television" (BT) used the OIRT standard of 625 lines and 25 frames per second. It also used the D/K audio system, which was generally done to prevent reception of Western European stations in Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
countries. Public attention was quickly caught by the new medium, and the number of bought and registered television sets increased gradually. In 1960, a powerful 20 kilowatt transmitter was installed at Botev Peak
Botev Peak
Botev Peak is, at 2,376 m above sea level, the highest peak of the Balkan Mountains. It is located close to the geographic centre of Bulgaria, and is part of the Central Balkan National Park....
, covering a large area of the country. Later, more transmitters and retranslators were placed in various cities, towns and villages around the country.
Programming was controlled and influenced by the Bulgarian Communist Party
Bulgarian Communist Party
The Bulgarian Communist Party was the communist and Marxist-Leninist ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from 1946 until 1990 when the country ceased to be a communist state...
-run government in this time, as was usual in the Eastern Bloc. The first popular program were the news, which were titled "Around the World and at Home" ("По света и у нас", with "at home" meaning in this case "in our country"), a name which is used to this day. The news' trademark "spinning globe" opening, first animated in 1961, is also still used (albeit highly modified). Other popular shows started around this time were the children's block "Good Night, Children" ("Лека нощ, деца", still in use), television theatre programs, the various sport events which were broadcast live from around the world, and music programs like the regular New Year celebration shows. Foreign programming in the early years was limited to mostly Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
productions, as well as some direct rebroadcasts of Soviet television programming.
In 1972, the first color broadcast was made, again of a manifestation
Manifestation
Manifestation may refer to any one of the following:* Manifestation of God, the prophets of the Bahá'í Faith* Avatar, manifestation of God in Hinduism...
. The SECAM
SECAM
SECAM, also written SÉCAM , is an analog color television system first used in France....
color system was used, because PAL
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
was used in most western countries (except for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where SECAM was invented). After several years, the entire programming was broadcast in color.
In 1974, the second channel of the Bulgarian Television was launched, with the original channel being called simply "first channel". Later, they were given on-screen logos and were named "BT1" ("БТ 1") and "BT2" ("БТ 2"). In the late 1980s, some western programming was allowed, including Pink Panther cartoons and the television series La piovra
La Piovra
La Piovra is an acclaimed Italian Television drama miniseries about the Mafia.The story was by Sandro Petraglia. The production was designed by Luigi Perelli...
(Октопод) and Escrava Isaura (Робинята Изаура). With the fall of the communist rule in 1989, the two channels changed dramatically. They started airing a lot of US films and TV series, one of the first being The Flintstones
The Flintstones
The Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...
(Семейство Флинтстоун). Their names were also changed, BT 1 became Kanal 1
Kanal 1
Kanal 1 can refer to:*BNT Channel 1, a Bulgarian-language public television station*TV1/Kanal 1/SVT1, a television channel broadcast by Sveriges Television in Sweden*Kanal 1 , a Turkish-language public television station...
(Channel1) (Канал 1) and BT 2 became Efir 2
Efir 2
BNT 2 is a Bulgarian state-owned TV channel, operated by the Bulgarian National Television. It is the successor to the defunct second program of the national television - Efir 2. Launched on October 16, 2011 the channel replaced the four regional television centers of BNT - BNT Pirin, BNT More, BNT...
. The television organisation's name was changed to Bulgarian National Television
Bulgarian National Television
The Bulgarian National Television or BNT is the public broadcaster of Bulgaria. The company was founded in 1959 and began broadcasting on December 26 of the same year. It began broadcasting in color in 1970...
. In the 1990s, BNT changed the color television system to PAL
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
, while keeping compatibility with older TV sets by using the DK audio standard (on such sets, only black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
picture is seen). Efir 2's frequencies were sold in 2000 to News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
for the country's first over-the-air national channel: bTV. In 2008, Channel 1 was again renamed to BNT 1. The second programe started again in 2011 under the name BNT 2. It merged the regioanl BNT
BNT
BNT may refer to:*Bantu languages *Bicentennial National Trail - A walking/horse-riding trail along most of the eastern side of Australia.*Bikya language *Bulgarian National Television...
programes.
Privately owned television channels started to appear immediately after the regime change. Most were associated with a cable television (CATV) network run by the same parent company. Around 1994-1995 private over-the-air broadcasters also appeared, but they usually only operated within a single area. Nova Television and 7 Dni TV (7 дни, meaning 7 days) were two of the first such channels, available only in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
. After bTV took over Efir 2
Efir 2
BNT 2 is a Bulgarian state-owned TV channel, operated by the Bulgarian National Television. It is the successor to the defunct second program of the national television - Efir 2. Launched on October 16, 2011 the channel replaced the four regional television centers of BNT - BNT Pirin, BNT More, BNT...
's frequencies, another competition selected Nova Television, already popular in cable networks around the country, as the second privately-owned national channel in Bulgaria. The authorities currently refuse to license further analogue terrestrial channels (including local ones), until DVB-T
DVB-T
DVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
broadcasting is started.
The Bulgarian Telecommunications Company
Bulgarian Telecommunications Company
VIVACOM , previously named Bulgarian Telecommunications company is the largest telecommunications company in Bulgaria and a former state-owned monopoly...
provides one experimental DVB-T
DVB-T
DVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
transponder in Sofia since 2004. While DVB-T broadcasting in other large cities such as Burgas
Burgas
-History:During the rule of the Ancient Romans, near Burgas, Debeltum was established as a military colony for veterans by Vespasian. In the Middle Ages, a small fortress called Pyrgos was erected where Burgas is today and was most probably used as a watchtower...
, Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
, Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
and Stara Zagora
Stara Zagora
Stara Zagora is the sixth largest city in Bulgaria, and a nationally important economic center. Located in Southern Bulgaria, it is the administrative capital of the homonymous Stara Zagora Province...
is expected to start in near future, it is not known when exactly this will happen, although the frequencies for the transponders are already set.
Cable
Cable television (CATV) in BulgariaBulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
appeared in the early 1990s, with some of the earliest networks starting operation in 1991 and 1992. Satellite channels from other countries were one of the main features of cable television at the time and in the following years channels like Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
Europe, MTV European and Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
became very popular, as more people subscribed to the (relatively cheap) cable TV operators. Many (if not all) cable companies created their own television channel
Television channel
A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
s, which were available only to their subscribers. Due to technical limitations, it was initially difficult for such channels to be distributed to other populated places in the country, but in the late 90s several channels started to appear in the entire country using Bulgarian Telecommunications Company
Bulgarian Telecommunications Company
VIVACOM , previously named Bulgarian Telecommunications company is the largest telecommunications company in Bulgaria and a former state-owned monopoly...
cables as the distribution method. In 1998, M SAT (then known as Mustang Sat) became the first Bulgarian channel available via satellite. The local terrestrial channel Nova Television from Sofia became available all over the country in 1999 using cable transmission. Around 2000-2001, some foreign broadcasters such as Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
and the Hallmark Channel
Hallmark Channel
The Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts across the United States. Their programming includes a mix of television movies/miniseries, syndicated series, and lifestyle shows that are appropriate for the whole family...
(now DIVA Universal started Bulgarian translations of their channels using DVB subtitles. Currently, most cable networks carry a large selection of local and foreign channels, both translated and untranslated. Translation of foreign networks has since expanded from subtitles to voice dubbing, with channels like AXN
AXN
AXN is a Pay television, cable and satellite television channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which was first launched on May 22, 1997. The network is now spread across several regions in the world, including Japan, Europe, other parts of Asia and Latin America...
and Jetix
Jetix
Jetix was a worldwide children's television programming brand owned by The Walt Disney Company. The Jetix brand was used for blocks and channels featuring action-related and adventure-related live-action and animated programming. It was also what Disney eventually turned Fox Kids into...
(formerly FOX Kids
Fox Kids
Fox Kids was the Fox Broadcasting Company's American children's programming division and brand name from September 8, 1990 until September 7, 2002. It was owned by Fox Television Entertainment airing programming on Monday–Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.Depending on the show, the...
) (now Disney Channel
Disney Channel Bulgaria
Disney Channel is a Bulgarian language children's television channel that began broadcasting on September 19, 2009 , after replacing Jetix CEE...
) having a Bulgarian audio track.
Analogue broadcasting is still used by operators, and it was the only method used before 2004-2005. Since then, many of them started lowering the number of analogue channels in order to launch DVB-C transponders. However, because the monthly fee for the digital packages is higher, some subscribers choose to continue using the analogue service, although with less channels than before. Currently, the biggest cable operators provide DVB-C
DVB-C
DVB-C stands for Digital Video Broadcasting - Cable and it is the DVB European consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital television over cable...
channels in the major cities and towns. As of 2009, analogue channels are usually the only service available in villages.
Satellite
Satellite channels from Bulgaria appeared prior to the existence of a DTH operator. The first channel to start broadcasting via satellite was MSATMSAT
MSAT, short for Mobile Satellite, is a satellite-based mobile telephony service developed by the National Research Council of Canada. Supported by a number of companies in the US and Canada, MSAT hosts a number of services, including the broadcast of CDGPS signals...
(then known as Mustang
MSAT
MSAT, short for Mobile Satellite, is a satellite-based mobile telephony service developed by the National Research Council of Canada. Supported by a number of companies in the US and Canada, MSAT hosts a number of services, including the broadcast of CDGPS signals...
Sat, after parent company Mustang) in 1998, operating from Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
. Before this, the Mustang channel was distributed through cable lines, maintained by the Bulgarian Telecommunications Company
Bulgarian Telecommunications Company
VIVACOM , previously named Bulgarian Telecommunications company is the largest telecommunications company in Bulgaria and a former state-owned monopoly...
. The following year, the Bulgarian National Television
Bulgarian National Television
The Bulgarian National Television or BNT is the public broadcaster of Bulgaria. The company was founded in 1959 and began broadcasting on December 26 of the same year. It began broadcasting in color in 1970...
launched a special channel, TV Bulgaria (now known as BNT World), dedicated to Bulgarians living abroad. Several other channels followed, including the musical channel MM.
Then, in 2003, Bulsatcom became the first Bulgarian DTH operator, offering initially a limited amount of channels on Hellas Sat 2. The next year, ITV Partner (now TotalTV
TotalTV
TotalTV is the first Serbian Direct To Home platform, offering over 80 digital TV channels via satellite. Owner of platform is the largest Serbian cable operator Serbia Broadband - Srpske kablovske mreže ....
) was launched as a DTH service by Interactive Technologies PLC, broadcasting on Eutelsat W2. Both supply DVB-S
DVB-S
DVB-S is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Satellite; it is the original Digital Video Broadcasting forward error coding and demodulation standard for satellite television and dates from 1994, in its first release, while development lasted from 1993 to 1997...
satellite television in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and most Europe
Europe
Europe 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...
an countries, with some of the TV channels using the two DTH operators as their main distribution medium (so that the channels are easily available to cable operators without the use of long-distance wires). The second half of 2010 is expected to see the long anticipated launch of the third Bulgarian DTH provider, operated by Bulgaria's Vivacom. There is also a small package operated by Telenor
Telenor
Telenor Group is the incumbent telecommunications company in Norway, with headquarters located at Fornebu, close to Oslo. Today, Telenor Group is mostly an international wireless carrier with operations in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Asia, working predominantly under the Telenor brand...
on Thor 3
Thor 3
Thor 3 is a satellite used by Canal Digital in the Nordic areas for DTH services. It has 14 Ku band transponders, and is currently situated at 1 degree west...
, which has for a long time distributed certain Bulgarian TV and radio channels.
Generally, Bulgarian television companies do not require a high fee for their channels' availability to viewers (some have no fee at all), but because of licensing restrictions of foreign programming, most satellite channels are encrypted, so that distribution outside Bulgaria can be limited. Free-to-view channels carry less (or none at all) such programming, airing for example music or locally produced programs only. Currently, most channels that broadcast nationally are available via satellite.
Terrestrial (free-to-air channels with national coverage)
- BNT 1 first national TV network, formerly BT1 (Bulgarian Television One) and Kanal 1Kanal 1Kanal 1 can refer to:*BNT Channel 1, a Bulgarian-language public television station*TV1/Kanal 1/SVT1, a television channel broadcast by Sveriges Television in Sweden*Kanal 1 , a Turkish-language public television station...
(Channel 1), BNTBNTBNT may refer to:*Bantu languages *Bicentennial National Trail - A walking/horse-riding trail along most of the eastern side of Australia.*Bikya language *Bulgarian National Television...
's first program and first channel. - BNT 2; second national television network, formerly BT2 and Efir 2Efir 2BNT 2 is a Bulgarian state-owned TV channel, operated by the Bulgarian National Television. It is the successor to the defunct second program of the national television - Efir 2. Launched on October 16, 2011 the channel replaced the four regional television centers of BNT - BNT Pirin, BNT More, BNT...
, BNTBNTBNT may refer to:*Bantu languages *Bicentennial National Trail - A walking/horse-riding trail along most of the eastern side of Australia.*Bikya language *Bulgarian National Television...
's second program and second channel - bTV; first private TV network, formerly used by BNTBNTBNT may refer to:*Bantu languages *Bicentennial National Trail - A walking/horse-riding trail along most of the eastern side of Australia.*Bikya language *Bulgarian National Television...
's second program (Efir 2Efir 2BNT 2 is a Bulgarian state-owned TV channel, operated by the Bulgarian National Television. It is the successor to the defunct second program of the national television - Efir 2. Launched on October 16, 2011 the channel replaced the four regional television centers of BNT - BNT Pirin, BNT More, BNT...
) - Nova Television second private national TV network, formerly used by Soviet television, TV Ostankino and ORTOrtOrt or ORT may refer to:*World ORT, a non-governmental organization whose mission is the advancement of Jewish people**ORT Argentina, a non-government organization devoted to education in Argentina...
(old frequencies don't always match the new ones) - TV7; third private TV network.
- BBT; fourth private TV network
- Bulgaria on Air; fifth private TV network
Cable and/or Satellite
- TVart
- Balkan Bulgarian Television
- VTK (ВТК) (This channel is operated by the Bulgarian Military)
- Balkanika TV
- Bulgaria Kabel TV
- City TVCity TV (Bulgaria)City TV is a Bulgarian cable and satellite music channel. It was launched in October 2005 as the TV sister channel of Radio City . Its program includes predominantly current videos by international pop, dance and R&B artists and selected original shows, including The Big 50, Tuborg Rewind, WebHit,...
- E-Kids
- VTV
- Box TV
- bTV ComedyBTV ComedybTV Comedy is a Bulgarian family-based television channel,airing mostly comedy series. It is part of bTV Media Group, owned by Central European Media Enterprises...
- bTV CinemaBTV CinemabTV Cinema is a Bulgarian television channel, showing movies and serials. It is part of bTV Media Group.bTV Cinema is aimed at viewers of all ages with an emphasis on active audiences aged 18-49 years....
- bTV Action
- DiemaDiemaDiema is part of the Nova Television Group Bulgaria, a subsidiary of MTG.The channel airs mainly films, action series. Along with Nova Sport airs sports, including matches from the English FA Premier League, the FA Cup and the UEFA European Football Championship qualifications, as well as the...
- Kino NovaKino NovaKino Nova is a bulgarian movie-based channel, part of New Broadcasting Group, owned of Modern Times Group. The channel broadcasts mostly film and entertainment. Founded in 2003 , as the second channel of Diema Vision - Diema 2. Initially it was broadcasting and sporting events that were...
- Diema FamilyDiema FamilyDiema Family is a bulgarian television channel, aimed at family audiences, part of Nova Broadcasting Group, ownd by Modern Times Group. Television was established in 1999 under the name Alexandra TV. Currently Diema Family is aimed at families, mainly Latin American and broadcast animation series...
- EBF Bussines TV
- Fan TV
- Fiesta TV
- Folklor TV
- FOX LifeFox LifeFox Life is a television network, launched by the Fox Broadcasting Company, which airs across Latin America, Europe and Japan . Its basic programming include numerous television series, sitcoms and movies, among others, which includes some original programming in certain regions...
- FOX CrimeFox CrimeFox Crime is a television network, launched by the Fox International Channels, which airs across several countries of Europe and Asia, such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia and Bulgaria...
- Utilisima
- TV+
- FILM+
- SPORT+Sport+Sport+ may refer to:* Sport+ , a cable and satellite television channel owned by Canal+* Sport+ , a digital terrestrial television station owned by ERT...
- Hobby TV
- Pop Core TV
- Kanal 3
- Bulgaria on Air
- MAD TV
- Nova SportNova Sport (Bulgaria)Nova Sport is a Bulgarian television channel, part of "Nova Broadcasting Group", owned by Modern Times Group. The channel started on 2010 and replaces the music channel MM Television. The television is created as resemblance to the Scandinavian channel Viasat Sport, who shares the same graphic...
- Planeta TV
- Planeta Folk
- Premium Digital (A pay-per-view television system created and run by Amotera Ltd.)
- RING.BGRING.BGRING.BG is a Bulgarian sports TV channel . It was founded in 1998 by a group of professionals and sports enthusiasts. It is distributed via cable path throughout the country...
- Rodina TV
- SKAT
- Sport 7
- Super 7
- Travel HD
- The Voice TVThe Voice TV BulgariaThe Voice TV Bulgaria is a Bulgarian music channel. It currently airs music videos during most of the day, but it is probable that it will start producing more local shows in the future....
- Travel TV
- Community TV
- BNT World
- TV Europa
Foreign channels translated into Bulgarian
Channels marked with an asterisk (*) have a Bulgarian audio channel, all others have Bulgarian subtitles only- Animal Planet
- AXNAXNAXN is a Pay television, cable and satellite television channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which was first launched on May 22, 1997. The network is now spread across several regions in the world, including Japan, Europe, other parts of Asia and Latin America...
* - AXN CrimeAXN CrimeAXN Crime is a European movie channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is broadcast 18 hours per day, between 11:00 am and 03:00 am hrs. It is available in Poland, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria on Boom TV, Bulsatcom, Cyfra Plus, Cyfrowy Polsat, Digi TV, Dolce, iNES, Max TV and N...
* - AXN Sci-Fi*
- CinemaxCinemaxCinemax, sometimes abbreviated as simply "Max", is a collection of premium television networks that broadcasts primarily feature films, along with softcore erotica, original action series, documentaries and special behind-the-scenes features. Cinemax is operated by Home Box Office, Inc., a...
* - Cinemax 2Cinemax 2For the American premium movie service, see Cinemax.Cinemax 2 is a European movie channel which is broadcast in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and in first quarter of 2009., Cinemax 2 will be available in Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. - Cinemax 2 HD :Cinemax 2 HD is a...
* - Discovery ChannelDiscovery Channel EuropeDiscovery Channel Europe is the Pan-European version of the Discovery Channel.Over the years, the Discovery Channel has been split into many different channels for specific regions...
* - Discovery World
- Discovery Science
- Discovery Travel & Living
- Investigation DiscoveryInvestigation Discovery EuropeInvestigation Discovery is a cable television channel available in several European nations. It competes in the same genre as Crime & Investigation Network which is also available in some European nations such as the UK and Turkey...
- TLCTLC (TV channel)TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
* - EurosportEurosportEurosport is a pan-European television sport network operated by French broadcaster TF1 Group. The network of channels are available in 59 countries, in 20 different languages providing viewers with European and international sporting events...
* - Eurosport 2Eurosport 2Eurosport 2 is a European sports television network. It is a sister channel to Eurosport and Eurosport News. Several different versions of the channel exist across Europe, where television rights for sport differ.-Launch:...
- TV Guide Network*
- Diva Universal (because of problems, promos and advertising blocks now air in RomanianRomanian languageRomanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
) - HBOHBO Central EuropeHBO Central Europe is a premium pay television service operating in eleven countries in Central and Eastern Europe: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Moldova, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. The headquarters are located in...
* - HBO ComedyHBO Central EuropeHBO Central Europe is a premium pay television service operating in eleven countries in Central and Eastern Europe: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Moldova, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. The headquarters are located in...
* - MGM Channel*
- National Geographic ChannelNational Geographic ChannelNational Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
* - National Geographic WildNational Geographic WildNat Geo WILD is a cable TV channel focused on animal-related programs. It is a sister network to National Geographic Channel and it is the latest channel to be jointly launched by the National Geographic Society and Fox Cable Networks. It first launched in Hong Kong on January 1, 2006, focusing...
* - Travel Channel (UK)Travel Channel (UK)Travel Channel is a British satellite television channel, transmitting 24 hours a day in 19 languages across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific...
* - TV1000TV1000TV1000 is a group of cable and satellite movie channels broadcasting to the Nordic countries and owned by Modern Times Group . It is also the name of the flagship channel.-History:...
* - Viasat Nature*
- Viasat HistoryViasat HistoryViasat History is a pan Nordic television channel showing documentaries about history, culture and society which is very similar to the History Channel....
* - Viasat ExplorerViasat ExplorerViasat Explorer is a television channel owned by Modern Times Group showing documentaries about wild animals, extreme sports, adventure, travel and technology. It was launched in January 2002 in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. On November 1, 2003 it expanded into Ukraine, Russia, Kazahstan,...
* - Fine Living Network*
- Zone RealityZone RealityZone Reality is a European reality television channel.Zone Reality broadcasts in both analogue and digital to over 120 million viewers throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America....
* - Zone RomanticaZone RomanticaZone Romantica is a European TV channel that launched in 1998. The channel broadcasts a mixture of telenovelas, music and entertainment from all over the world, but mainly from Latin America. The channel is available 24 hours a day, to 20 territories across Central and Eastern Europe as well as...
* - Disney ChannelDisney Channel BulgariaDisney Channel is a Bulgarian language children's television channel that began broadcasting on September 19, 2009 , after replacing Jetix CEE...
* - Cartoon NetworkCartoon Network (Bulgaria)Cartoon Network is a Russian/Bulgarian channel, which started on October 1, 2009. It replaced the Pan-European Cartoon Network everywhere in the countries, which this version is broadcast. It is available in 3 languages: Bulgarian, Russian and English...
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