bTV Story

bTV Story is a Bulgarian television channel operated within the bTV Media Group and owned through Central European Media Enterprises (CME). The service began broadcasting on 28 January 2012 under the name bTV Lady, positioning itself around programming commonly associated with a female-oriented general-entertainment channel. Its schedule has combined imported entertainment with locally produced or locally familiar programming, giving the channel a mix of talk shows, reality formats, health and beauty content, home and family programs, serialized fiction, films, event television, and selected repeats from the wider bTV portfolio. The channel's early programming included internationally sourced formats such as The Dr. Oz Show and The Nate Berkus Show, alongside the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. It also carried Turkish, Indian, South Korean, and Latin American telenovelas, American series, romantic films, and factual or lifestyle programs addressing health, beauty, home care, family life, and gardening. This blend enabled the service to operate as both a thematic channel and a complementary outlet for content associated with the broader bTV television ecosystem. A significant part of the channel's identity came from its use of Bulgarian programming and repeats. In March 2012, the channel revived Mommy's Hour, a program previously shown on bTV. It also aired repeats of programs including Zvezdev's Kitchen, Predi obed, Moderno, The Globe, and The Spirit of Health. From September 2012, the schedule included the Bulgarian series Where is Maggie? These acquisitions and repeats connected bTV Lady to the established audience and production resources of bTV Media Group while preserving a more specialized programming profile. The service also carried selected major international television events. In March 2012, it broadcast the Grammy Awards and the American Music Awards, and from 2013 it broadcast the Miss Universe pageant. Such event programming broadened the channel beyond its routine lifestyle and fiction schedule and reinforced its entertainment-led positioning. The channel underwent several technical and distribution developments. On 7 October 2012, it moved to a 16:9 standard-definition picture format. It became available in high definition on the bTV Media Group's paid online platform VOYO from 1 January 2016, and high-definition distribution on cable networks followed on 6 July 2018. In November 2023, bTV Media Group announced that bTV Lady would be renamed bTV Story. The rebrand was completed on 11 December 2023. The bTV Story identity therefore represents a continuation and repositioning of the same Bulgarian channel rather than the launch of an unrelated broadcaster. Its present brand proposition remains centered on accessible entertainment, serial drama, lifestyle and factual programming, and content intended to complement the main bTV channel and the group's other distribution services.

bTV Story originated as bTV Lady, a Bulgarian thematic television channel launched on 28 January 2012 within the bTV Media Group. The channel was designed around a female-oriented entertainment proposition, but its schedule covered a broad range of general-interest subjects. It combined health, beauty, home care, family and garden programs with talk shows, reality television, imported series, telenovelas, romantic films, and entertainment events. During its initial period, bTV Lady carried international programs including The Dr. Oz Show and The Nate Berkus Show, as well as the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Its fiction schedule included Turkish, Indian, South Korean, and Latin American telenovelas, together with American series and romantic movies. The channel also strengthened its connection with Bulgarian audiences by showing repeats and revivals from the bTV portfolio. Mommy's Hour returned on the channel in March 2012 after having previously been broadcast on bTV. Other programs shown in repeat or portfolio form included Zvezdev's Kitchen, Predi obed, Moderno, The Globe, and The Spirit of Health. The Bulgarian series Where is Maggie? joined the schedule in September 2012. bTV Lady also served as an outlet for major international television events. In March 2012 it broadcast the Grammy Awards and the American Music Awards. Beginning in 2013, it added the Miss Universe pageant. These broadcasts gave the channel a role beyond daytime lifestyle programming and helped establish it as an entertainment service within the wider bTV offering. The channel made technical changes as its distribution developed. On 7 October 2012 it adopted a 16:9 standard-definition presentation. From 1 January 2016, it was offered in high definition through VOYO, the paid online platform associated with bTV Media Group. Cable-network HD distribution followed on 6 July 2018, extending the higher-quality service to traditional television subscribers. In November 2023, the group announced that bTV Lady would receive a new name, bTV Story. The rebranding took effect on 11 December 2023. The change retained the channel's place in the bTV Media Group while giving it a broader story- and entertainment-oriented identity. bTV Story is therefore the current brand of a channel whose operational history began under the bTV Lady name. Available reference material identifies its ownership through bTV Media Group and CME, but does not provide detailed information about headquarters, individual executives, audience measurements, revenue, or a complete current schedule.

• 2023

  Rebrand to bTV Story

  [1]bTV Storyen.wikipedia.org

  The former bTV Lady channel officially adopted the bTV Story name on 11 December after the change was announced in November.

• 2018

  HD cable distribution

  [1]bTV Storyen.wikipedia.org

  High-definition distribution expanded to cable networks on 6 July.

• 2016

  HD availability on VOYO

  [1]bTV Storyen.wikipedia.org

  bTV Lady became available in high definition through the paid VOYO online platform from 1 January.

• 2013

  Miss Universe added to programming

  [1]bTV Storyen.wikipedia.org

  The channel began broadcasting the Miss Universe pageant.

• 2012

  Channel launched as bTV Lady

  [1]bTV Storyen.wikipedia.org

  The Bulgarian channel began broadcasting on 28 January under the bTV Lady name.

• 2012

  Transition to 16:9 standard definition

  [1]bTV Storyen.wikipedia.org

  The channel changed its broadcast presentation to a 16:9 standard-definition format on 7 October.

A Bulgarian female-oriented, thematic television channel combining lifestyle, health, beauty, home and family programming with talk and reality formats, international and Bulgarian fiction, films, event broadcasts, and selected bTV portfolio repeats.

• Television programming · 2012

  Lifestyle, health and factual programming

  A core part of the channel's schedule consists of programs about health, beauty, home care, family life, gardening, and related lifestyle subjects. The channel has also carried factual and service-oriented titles such as The Dr. Oz Show, The Nate Berkus Show, and The Spirit of Health.

• Television programming · 2012

  Talk and reality shows

  bTV Story's programming mix includes talk and reality formats aimed at an entertainment and lifestyle audience. The channel's schedule has included imported formats as well as programs linked to the broader bTV programming portfolio.

• Television programming · 2012

  Serialized fiction and romantic films

  The channel has aired Turkish, Indian, South Korean, and Latin American telenovelas, alongside American series and romantic films. This fiction offering provides a substantial complement to its daytime lifestyle and factual programming.

• Event broadcasting · 2012

  International entertainment events

  bTV Story has served as a Bulgarian television outlet for major entertainment events, including the Grammy Awards, the American Music Awards, and, from 2013, the Miss Universe pageant.

• Television programming · 2012

  bTV portfolio programming

  The channel has reused or revived selected bTV programs, including Mommy's Hour, Zvezdev's Kitchen, Predi obed, Moderno, The Globe, and The Spirit of Health. It also carried the Bulgarian series Where is Maggie?, linking the thematic service to the group's local content library.

• 2023

  Rebranding from bTV Lady to bTV StoryStrategy

  Background

  The channel had operated since 2012 under the bTV Lady name as a female-oriented thematic service within bTV Media Group.

  Action taken

  bTV Media Group announced the new bTV Story identity in November 2023 and implemented the rebrand on 11 December 2023.

  Aftermath

  The service continued as part of the bTV Media Group under the new name. No audience or financial impact is identified in the available reference material.

  Source

1. 1bTV Storyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2bTV Story official websitebtv.bg