What is happening on the Romanian TV scene?

He is a German, so like most of Germans he has no problem telling you what he feels about something even if you are a complete stranger. He is a straightforward person, he has principles and he likes Romania. But how is Romania seen through the eyes of Peter Grab, General Manager of Constantin Entertainment Romania?

When you see Peter, you recognize a good man with a good heart. When you talk to him, it’s easy to identify that he is a communication expert that knows everything about media. He has been in TV business for over 26 years, and he has a profound experience in all that regards the content production, TV programs and top brands associations. Peter held various leadership positions at RTL Group and ProSiebenSat.1, and he has a good knowledge of the audio-visual sector, from consideration of market, customers, audiences, revenues and other aspects.

Peter lives in Romania for more than three years, as he has been appointed as General Manager for Constantin Entertainment Romania in October 2014. He previously conducted the company operations in Greece. As a parenthesis, Constantin Entertainment is one of Germany's biggest independent TV production companies, that realises innovative entertainment formats for the German and international TV market. Peter Grab has the occasion of meeting new people everyday, and what’s most important is that he works with some passionate people, who want to make a difference in other people’s lives. He enjoys Romania and its rich complexity, stating that Romania has a well-prepared workforce.

On the other hand, the TV consumption in Romania is very high, Romanians being attracted to reality shows, suspenseful shows and movies. So it’s a good time to be working in television, as Peter admits it. He confirms that the variety of formats developed in the last years and the involvement of many broadcasters are clear signs of a wealth time for TV, and his statement is also sustained by the financial boost in the last period of time.

He is also bringing in discussion the big impact of digitalization, which allows viewers to have access to their favourite programs regardless time and space. Thus far, the time spent in front of the TV, which is more than five hours daily, classifies Romania among the first countries in Europe in TV media consumption.

Asked about the differences between the media market in Romania and other Western European countries taking in consideration that we are switching to a so-called digital era, Peter Grab says that as a consequence of the global era, Romania aligns itself through smart TV sets, online subscriptions, digital platforms and one of the best Internet speed in Europe. If we want to debate about the future of television, then the competition can only add value. Moreover, the Internet as we know it, faces major challenges including a collapse of privacy protections and the unstoppable spread of fake news, but it’s a great
mean of real time, native entertainment.

On a closer look on the Romanian TV scene, Peter says that Romania has a well-developed and competitive market, but in comparison to other European countries, there is no evidence of frequently comedy formats, modern TV movies, crime series and consumer magazines. Nevertheless, the Public Television does not play such a big role as a competitor to the private TV channels, like in the Western European countries. On the other hand, the mission of Public Television is to cover informational,
educational and entertaining programs for all social categories.

When looking back at Constantin Entertainment, it was founded in 2001, in Munich and became one of the biggest independent production companies in Germany, specialized in two main structures: daytime (docutainment, scripted reality and game shows) and prime time shows. Currently, in Romania, they work on the same pillars. The local production overview includes: Romania Jos Palaria, Ce spun Romanii, Clipa de fericire, Lectii de Viata & Vine Cheful.