BNT Management Plan Was Unanimously Approved by Council for Electronic Media

The programme for the management of the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) has been adopted unanimously by the Council for Electronic Media (SAC).

The report covering the first three months since the appointment of the Director-General and the Management Board shows that the public broadcaster has become significantly more visible.

Over the past month, the ratings of “Around the World and at Home” have increased, while the broadcaster has successfully handled coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest and the Giro d’Italia. A detailed analysis of the entire programme by genre is expected, with the management also focusing on accelerated development of digital platforms.

The Director-General of BNT presented the management programme of the public broadcaster to the media regulator, developed jointly with the Management Board.

Among the highlighted achievements were the 3D mapping projection on the television building on election night, coverage of the Giro d’Italia, and the historic success of the Eurovision Song Contest, as well as the campaign marking the 150th anniversary of the April Uprising.

Milena Milotinova, Director General of BNT: “We are not afraid to enter direct competition with commercial media. We are also competing not only for public recognition and trust, as shown at the previous hearing before Council for Electronic Media by the ‘Myara’ agency survey, which indicated over 50% trust and that we are the first choice for objectivity among television channels. When we achieve better ratings and viewership, we will be able to fulfil our public service role more effectively by reaching more people.”

Gabriela Naplatanova, Chair of the CEM: “This is an achievable goal in my opinion, and the results of the events in which BNT is directly involved and which it covers clearly demonstrate this.”

Simona Veleva, member of the CEM: "I am extremely pleased that in the three months since you took office, you have achieved results that some cannot achieve in three years."

Milotinova stressed that competition does not prevent cooperation with the country’s other two major television networks.

Milena Milotinova, Director General of BNT: “I believe we are doing this successfully. During Eurovision and after Eurovision, we cooperated very successfully, because it was a national cause. I would also like to thank colleagues from the other two media organisations for also treating Eurovision as a national cause.”

For the new programming season, the management aims to increase genre diversity, modernise emblematic BNT programmes, and launch new formats. The leadership has also set a goal of optimising and restructuring operations in order to improve efficiency.

Milena Milotinova, Director General of BNT: “This coordination between the different directorates is extremely important in terms of saving time, human labour, financial resources and equipment, and this process has already started and is gradual.”

One of the objectives set out in the programme is for Bulgarians living abroad to find an increasingly prominent place in BNT’s programming.