REN TV Baltic

REN TV Baltic (Russian: РЕН ТВ Балтия) was a British-Baltic entertainment television channel that formed part of the Baltic media holding company Baltic Media Alliance. It was a regional spin-off of the Russian REN TV brand, adapted for audiences in the Baltic states. The channel first appeared as a test card carrying the REN TV Baltic logo via the Sirius 4 satellite on 5 September 2005, and began full broadcasting on 12 September 2005. The channel's footprint expanded across the region over the following years. On 30 October 2007 a separate channel, REN TV Estonia, began test broadcasting from Sirius 4, initially relaying REN TV Baltic before launching in its own right on 1 November 2007; by 2008 it was available in many Estonian networks. In 2008 REN TV Baltic, together with PBK, broadcast 15 matches of the European Football Championship. In Lithuania, a dedicated REN TV Lietuva channel launched on 1 September 2013, replacing the relay of REN TV Baltic there. REN TV Baltic carried a mix of entertainment, reality and authored programming. Notable examples included the erotic reality show Calendar Live by Latvian photographer Sergey Kondrashin, which aired on REN TV on 24 November 2010, and the programme Bez tsenzury (Without Censorship) by Latvian journalist Andrey Mamykin, which premiered on REN TV Baltic on 10 April 2013 after previously airing on Latvia's TV5. The channel modernised its presentation in the late 2010s, switching to widescreen 16:9 format on 12 November 2019 and adopting a new logo on 18 November 2019 — an orange rectangle with the REN TV logo in white and the words REN TV. On 1 October 2020 it removed all REN TV programmes and series from its schedule, signalling a shift away from the Russian parent brand's content. The channel's operations in Latvia ended in 2021. On 1 February 2021 the largest operator, Tet, ceased broadcasting REN TV Baltic. On 9 February 2021 the Latvian National Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP) banned REN TV Baltic from broadcasting for an indefinite period starting 10 February 2021, and at 23:54 that same day Latvian cable operators switched the channel off in accordance with the NEPLP decision. The channel is therefore best described as defunct in its Latvian operation, having been a regional entertainment brand within the Baltic Media Alliance portfolio.

REN TV Baltic was a British-Baltic entertainment television channel that belonged to the Baltic media holding company Baltic Media Alliance. It was a regional adaptation of the REN TV brand for the Baltic states. The channel's history began on 5 September 2005, when a test card bearing the REN TV Baltic logo appeared via the Sirius 4 satellite. Full broadcasting started on 12 September 2005. The channel was part of a broader regional expansion: on 30 October 2007, REN TV Estonia began test broadcasting from Sirius 4, initially relaying REN TV Baltic, and on 1 November 2007 it launched fully under its own name. By 2008 REN TV Estonia was available in many Estonian networks. In 2008 REN TV Baltic, together with PBK, broadcast 15 matches of the European Football Championship. Programming in the 2010s reflected a mix of entertainment and authored content. On 24 November 2010, the erotic reality show Calendar Live by well-known Latvian photographer Sergey Kondrashin aired on REN TV. On 10 April 2013, the authored programme Bez tsenzury (Without Censorship) by Latvian journalist Andrey Mamykin premiered on REN TV Baltic; it had previously aired on Latvia's TV5. In Lithuania, a dedicated channel, REN TV Lietuva, began broadcasting on 1 September 2013, replacing the relay of REN TV Baltic in that country. The late 2010s brought technical and branding changes. On 12 November 2019, REN TV Baltic switched to widescreen 16:9 format. On 18 November 2019, it changed its logo to an orange rectangle with the REN TV logo in white and the words REN TV. On 1 October 2020, the channel removed all REN TV programmes and series from its schedule, a significant break from the Russian parent brand's content. The channel's operations in Latvia ended in 2021. On 1 February 2021, the largest operator, Tet, ceased broadcasting REN TV Baltic. On 9 February 2021, the Latvian National Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP) banned REN TV Baltic from broadcasting for an indefinite period starting 10 February 2021. At 23:54 on 9 February 2021, Latvian cable operators switched off REN TV Baltic in accordance with the NEPLP decision. The channel is thus defunct in its Latvian operation.

• A test card with the REN TV Baltic logo appears via the Sirius 4 satellite.

• REN TV Baltic begins full broadcasting.

• REN TV Estonia begins test broadcasting from Sirius 4, initially relaying REN TV Baltic.

• REN TV Estonia launches fully under its own name.

• REN TV Baltic and PBK broadcast 15 matches of the European Football Championship.

• The erotic reality show Calendar Live by Latvian photographer Sergey Kondrashin airs on REN TV.

• Andrey Mamykin's Bez tsenzury premieres on REN TV Baltic.

• REN TV Lietuva begins broadcasting in Lithuania, replacing the relay of REN TV Baltic.

• REN TV Baltic switches to widescreen 16:9 format.

• REN TV Baltic changes its logo to an orange rectangle with the REN TV logo in white and the words REN TV.

• The channel removes all REN TV programmes and series from its schedule.

• Operator Tet ceases broadcasting REN TV Baltic.

• Latvia's NEPLP bans REN TV Baltic from 10 February 2021 for an indefinite period; cable operators switch it off at 23:54.

A regional Baltic entertainment channel carrying the REN TV brand, later distancing itself from the Russian parent's programming before being banned in Latvia.

• Calendar Live

  An erotic reality show by Latvian photographer Sergey Kondrashin, aired on REN TV on 24 November 2010.

• Bez tsenzury (Without Censorship)

  An authored programme by Latvian journalist Andrey Mamykin, premiered on REN TV Baltic on 10 April 2013 after previously airing on Latvia's TV5.

• UEFA Euro 2008 broadcasts

  In 2008 REN TV Baltic, together with PBK, broadcast 15 matches of the European Football Championship.

1. 1REN TV Baltic — Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2REN TV Baltic — Russian Wikipediaru.wikipedia.org