Karol Bek, who joined A+E Networks in 2013, will oversee all distribution, ad sales, programming and marketing activities carried out by the A+E Networks team in Romania, with a strong focus on new business and developing a stronger non-linear presence for HISTORY Channel and Crime+Investigation in the market. He will continue to hold his Senior Commercial Director role operating out of the Warsaw office, managing the creation and implementation of a long-term commercial strategy and the development of the broadcaster’s channels in Central Europe as well as maintaining business relations with affiliate clients in the region. Bek will continue to report to Izabella Wiley, SVP, General Manager of A+E Networks CEE. The team in A+E Networks’ Warsaw hub manages company’s business across 17 countries in the region, including Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Serbia.
This year marks 14 years since the inauguration of the localized HISTORY Channel feed in Romania. Currently HISTORY Channel is available to 9 million viewers in Romania, maintaining the #1 factual brand position in the country for the 9th consecutive year. We see the enthusiasm that both our viewers and our market partners have for our brand and preprograming. Our ambition is to continue to tell local stories on HISTORY Channel and to launch a localized feed for our true-crime channel Crime+Investigation – comments Karol Bek.
In 14 years, the HISTORY Channel has brought to the Romanian audience an all-original programming including documentary films following the life of Queen Marie and King Michael that met with excellent audience feedback, as well as a roster of signature series including Vikings®, The Curse of Oak Island®, Forged in Fire®, Pawn Stars®, and American Pickers®; and continues to deliver feature-length event series and riveting factual documentaries like The UnXplained with William Shatner, Great Escapes with Morgan Freeman and History’s Greatest Mysteries with Laurence Fishburne.
Still this year, A+E Networks CEE will premiere a new local production, to be announced in September.