Slovenian TV stations introduced the following novelties in 2006/07:

Public broadcaster TV Slovenija launched numerous new shows, Slovenian serials and movies in 2006 and 2007. These include: Na Zdravje! (Bless you!), an entertainment show which presents the riches of Slovenia through folk music, customs and crafts; Piramida (Pyramid), an infotainment show where guests with diverse backgrounds compete with their oratory skills in debates on topical issues; Vrtiljak (Merry-go-round), which offers fun and advice for the whole family; Zlatolaska (Goldilocks), a show that takes viewers back to the golden era of Slovenian popular music in the 1960s and 70s; Ars 360°, a programme on arts in Slovenia and the world; and the Milijonar z Jonasom (Who wants to be a millionaire). Channel 2 of the public broadcaster meanwhile started airing Glasbeni spomini (Musical memoirs), which features folk music, and the Bleščica (Glitter) fashion show.

One of the most successful projects was the cooperation of TV Slovenija and commercial broadcaster Pro Plus in bringing the 2006 Football World Cup from Germany to Slovenian TV screens. TV Slovenija also broadcast the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics.

Dnevnik and Odmevi, the broadcaster’s flagship news programmes, got a fresh look. The news desk also introduced 6 o’clock news on channel 2, the Vroči stol (Hot seat) talk show and Globus (Globe) foreign affairs programme.

The public broadcaster’s Multimedia Centre now enables channel 2 of TV Slovenija to be watched live over the Internet (www.rtvslo.si/ava). It offers a new web service called strip mine with advanced video search capabilities for TV Slovenija-produced content (http://www.rtvslo.si/odprtikop) and sports a computer-generated host, Lili, who talks to the audience and anchors a morning infotainment programme (source: RTV Slovenija).

Commercial broadcaster POP TV, which is owned by Pro Plus, launched two reality shows. In Sanjska ženska II (Dream Woman II) the dream woman tried to find love, unsuccessfully, among 25 suitors. The Bar II interactive reality show exceeded the success of the first season on TV as well as on the Internet. POP TV also acquired exclusive rights to broadcast the Viktorji 2006 awards ceremony for top media achievements in Slovenia, and took the viewers to Africa on Saturday afternoons with the famous traveller Zvone Šeruga in the show Šeruga: Moja Afrika (Šeruga: My Africa).

The Trenja (Clashes) news talk show was spruced up for its fifth season and a new news programme, 24UR Zvečer (24HRS Evening), a spin-off of POP TV’s prime time news show 24UR, was launched. The late night programme provides the day’s highlights and the latest evening news from Slovenia and abroad.

Kanal A, which is also owned by Pro Plus, launched several new shows. It began broadcasting Big Brother, the biggest reality show in Slovenia, in March 2007. The show, which gave out the highest prize for reality show contestants in Slovenia ever, saw an unprecedented number of applications and achieved enormous popularity, on TV as well as on the www.24ur.com website. The Svet (World) news programme, which is aired on weekdays, meanwhile brought a new type of TV news to Slovenia, as it focuses on ordinary people and provides extensive interactivity. The new family talk show Katarina deals with provocative and interesting everyday topics and Kanal A also bought the exclusive rights to broadcast the Miss Universe beauty pageant.

The 24ur.com website continued with the ongoing development of content and services, launching new applications to expand the scope for advertisement. The site is an informative as well as an entertaining web medium, giving advertisers access to a wider group of users and offering a more attractive positioning of their trademarks (source: Pro Plus, d.o.o.).

The Swedish company Modern Times Group MTG AB acquired on 1 July 2006 100% of Prva TV d.o.o. The basic aim of the takeover is to improve Prva TV’s programme and increase global efficiency. The TV station was renamed TV3 on 1 October 2006, a name used by MTG for all of its subscription-free TV channels in all of its markets. The new name and image also brought about a new programming scheme, which revolves around entertainment (source: Prva TV d.o.o.).

NET TV upgraded its programming and is now focusing on increasing the share of in-house TV programmes. It also offers a more varied programme that includes movies and serials. The in-house production specialises in entertainment and music shows, talk shows, and reports from concerts and other events (source: NET TV d.o.o.).

Regional broadcaster TV Pika was given a status of a programme of special importance by the Agency for Post and Electronic Communications. This means in-house regional shows must account for at least 30% of programming. Its programme, composed entirely of shows produced in Slovenia, spans over 50 regular shows that focus on business and lifestyle. Originally confined to Ljubljana, from 2006 TV Pika has been available in Maribor, the Podravje and Koroška regions, Velenje and, from October 2006, the Coast, Novo mesto and Kočevje (source: Televideo d.o.o. Ljubljana).