Monitor this situation.

Unsubscribe anytime.

[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE] · [CULTURE]

3 clusters · 27 sources · 5 days · First seen 9 days ago · Last updated 4 days ago

Serbian media ownership changes and program cancellations

Overview

The future of the Serbian satirical program ‘24 minuta’ became uncertain following the acquisition of Adria News Network (ANN), the owner of Nova S, by the Portuguese investment fund Alpac Capital. Host Zoran Kesić initially reported a lack of communication from the new owners regarding a contract signed in June, noting that the uncertainty affected several media outlets including N1, Nova S, Radar, and Danas.

Nova S subsequently announced that ‘24 Minutes with Zoran Kesic’ will be discontinued this autumn. Management characterized the cancellation as a financial decision, stating that the show’s annual cost of over 500,000 euros for fewer than 30 hours of programming provided marginal commercial impact. The production team responded to the announcement by describing the decision as ‘illogical’ given the program’s popularity.

Further details revealed that while the production team had signed the contract in June, the network had failed to sign it. ANN maintained that the decision was based on a cost-benefit analysis, noting that production costs averaged approximately 17,000 euros per hour.

As the discontinuation on Nova S is finalized, Kesić and his team have disputed the economic rationale, suggesting the move is politically motivated to ‘discipline’ the station ahead of upcoming Serbian elections. Kesić has since indicated that the decision followed meetings with network owners who reportedly expressed a lack of interest in continuing the broadcast. He further disputed management's claims regarding viewership, noting that official figures showed the program generated solid annual revenue for the station. The production team announced that the new season will instead launch on September 19 via their YouTube channel.

Entities

Nova S · Zoran Kesić · N1 · Danas · Adria News Network

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 2 SOURCES] ANN decided to discontinue the satirical program '24 Minutes with Zoran Kesic' on Nova S. n1info.rs · vreme.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] The annual cost of the show exceeded 500,000 euros for less than 30 hours of programming. vreme.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] ANN claimed the show's commercial impact did not justify its production costs. vreme.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Zoran Kesic stated that the production team had signed their contract in June, but the network had not responded. n1info.rs
[○ 1 SOURCE] The decision followed the acquisition of Nova S by the Portuguese investment fund Alpac Capital. n1info.rs

Timeline

4 days ago

[CULTURE] 5 sources
Zoran Kesić moves satire show to YouTube
Satirist Zoran Kesić is moving his show ‘24 minuta sa Zoranom Kesićem’ from Nova S to YouTube, with the new season set to begin on September 19.
7 days ago

[POLITICS] 20 sources
Zoran Kesić satirical show discontinued on Nova S
The satirical show ‘24 Minutes with Zoran Kesić’ is being removed from Nova S due to cost disputes, with the team moving to YouTube amid allegations of political pressure.
9 days ago

[CULTURE] 2 sources
Zoran Kesić reports uncertainty over future of ‘24 minuta’
Zoran Kesić reports uncertainty over the future of his show ‘24 minuta’ and other Serbian media outlets as new Portuguese owners have yet to sign contracts or respond to inquiries.

Sources

beta.rs · bosnainfo.ba · danas.rs · hms.ba · kurir.rs · lajsova.blog.sme.sk · media.ba · monitor.hr · n1info.ba · n1info.rs · nedeljnik.rs · nova.rs · novi.ba · ohridsky.com · plusinfo.mk · politika.rs · portalanalitika.me · pulsonline.rs · skopje1.mk · srpskadijaspora.info · srpskainfo.com · szabadmagyarszo.com · tuzlanski.ba · vijesti.ba · vijesti.me · vreme.com · zvornicki.ba

This summary has been updated 3 times: see revision history