The group is present in Croatia showcasing a diverse lineup of premium factual, wildlife, science, mystery and lifestyle programming, alongside its linear channel brands Love Nature, MagellanTV and Makeful.
Produced by Luis Cabrera, from Croatia
As Blue Ant Media continues to expand its international footprint, Central and Eastern Europe remains a key region within the company’s growth strategy.
Present at the current edition of NEM Dubrovnik, Chiara McKee, VP, EMEA Global Channels and Streaming at Blue Ant Media, is exploring the opportunities emerging from a market where strong traditional distribution networks coexist with rapidly evolving streaming and digital ecosystems.
In the following interview with ttvnews, the executive shares details about the company’s latest content offerings and channel brands being showcased at this year’s event.
How important is the CEE region within Blue Ant Media’s international growth strategy, and what opportunities do you see there today?
As Vice President, EMEA Global Channels and Streaming at Blue Ant Media, I’m responsible for growing the company’s portfolio of pay TV and streaming channels across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Central and Eastern Europe is an important part of that growth strategy because it combines resilient traditional distribution with an evolving digital and streaming ecosystem.
The region is highly diverse and dynamic, which is what makes it so compelling. In many markets, broadcasters, pay TV operators and telecom platforms remain robust, while audiences are also discovering content through streaming, on-demand, aggregation, advertising-supported services and, where relevant, FAST.
For Blue Ant, that creates an opportunity to take a platform-agnostic approach, meet audiences where they are consuming content and work closely with local partners on market-specific strategies. NEM Dubrovnik is valuable because it brings regional buyers and partners together in one place. It allows us to deepen relationships, understand local priorities first-hand and identify the partnerships that can support sustainable growth across the region.
What types of content from Blue Ant’s portfolio are currently generating the strongest interest among broadcasters, pay TV operators and streaming platforms in the region?
Across CEE, we’re seeing strong demand for premium factual content and genre-focused channel brands that travel well across borders while still feeling relevant to local audiences.
Natural history and wildlife remain particularly strong because the content is visually powerful, highly promotable and has broad international appeal. We’re also seeing interest in lifestyle, home and creative entertainment where partners want accessible programming that encourages repeat viewing and supports strong channel brands.
Our three linear pay TV channels in the region reflect that breadth: Love Nature delivers premium natural history and wildlife; MagellanTV offers a premium documentary and specialist factual proposition across science, space, history, warfare, true crime and adventure; and Makeful brings lifestyle and creative entertainment focused on home, design, DIY, craft and renovation.
Are there specific CEE markets that you believe are becoming particularly important or dynamic for international media companies, and why?
CEE should not be viewed as a single market, because the dynamics vary significantly by territory. Poland remains one of the key markets because of its scale, competitive media environment and strong appetite for high-quality international content.
Romania, Hungary, Czechia and Slovakia are also important, with established TV ecosystems, strong local platforms and audiences that continue to engage with well-curated linear and on-demand offerings. We also see opportunity across the wider Balkan region, where relationships with local operators, broadcasters and platforms are especially important.
What makes these markets dynamic is the combination of scale, platform maturity and changing audience behaviour. Each territory is developing at its own pace, so the opportunity lies in understanding local needs and matching the right content proposition to each market.
How does Blue Ant’s integrated model help you build long-term relationships with buyers and platform partners in Central and Eastern Europe?
Blue Ant’s integrated model helps us move beyond transactional licensing relationships. Because we combine content ownership, production, distribution, channel operations and digital expertise, we can support partners with a clear understanding of both the editorial proposition and how it can work commercially across their platforms.
Owning and controlling our IP is central to that approach. It gives us the flexibility to package and window content in the way that is most useful for partners, from channel feeds and on-demand packages to themed or branded programming events or blocks, marketing around genre brands or broader content partnerships.
For buyers and platforms in CEE, we can be a collaborative partner over time, helping them respond to changing audience behaviour while strengthening their offering with interesting brands, top quality content and clear programming destinations.
Which titles are you presenting at NEM Dubrovnik?
At NEM, we’re highlighting a mix of newer originals, returning brands and our three linear pay TV channels: Love Nature, MagellanTV and Makeful. The aim is to show buyers the depth of our branded products and content portfolio across premium factual, documentary, natural history, wildlife, mystery, true crime, science, adventure and lifestyle entertainment.
The reboot of Cosmic Vistas speaks to continued demand for premium science and space programming, while the latest from Paranormal Nation and History Unsolved taps into strong interest in mystery-led and investigative factual content. Titles such as Mysteries from Above, Europe’s Wild Kingdom and Superbeast further showcase the strength of our slate across discovery, natural history, wildlife and adventure.
Together, these titles and channels give partners a range of ways to serve clearly defined audience passions, from strengthening a linear schedule to building a focused on-demand offer or branded destination around a specific genre.
