RIK 2

RIK 2, also known in Greek as ΡΙΚ 2, is a Cypriot television channel owned and operated by the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC). It was launched in 1992 as Cyprus’s second television service, establishing a second outlet for the country’s public broadcaster shortly before the arrival of the first private television channel, O Logos, in April of the same year. The channel therefore belongs to the formative period of Cyprus’s multichannel television environment, when public broadcasting was expanding beyond a single national service and private competition was beginning to emerge. During the 1990s, RIK 2 attracted viewers with a mixture of imported entertainment and general-interest programming. Its successful offerings included Latin American telenovelas and American soap operas, including The Bold and the Beautiful, which remained part of the schedule as late as 2005. This programming helped the channel compete for mass-market audiences while also giving the CyBC portfolio a broader range of entertainment content. RIK 2’s schedule is primarily Greek-language, although foreign-language programs are generally presented with Greek subtitles. Its programming mix has included children’s television, sports, news bulletins, cultural programs, European news, foreign television series, and films. The channel has also carried news in English and Turkish. A notable public-service component is BIZ / WE, a daily Greek- and Turkish-language program addressing subjects of interest to both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. This gives RIK 2 a role extending beyond entertainment, particularly in providing multilingual and cross-community information within the divided political and social context of Cyprus. By the final week of 2023, RIK 2 was reported as the least-watched of the six local television services available terrestrially in Cyprus. Its viewing share was also reported to be lower than that of ERT World, the Greek international channel available over the air in Cyprus. These audience figures indicate a relatively limited contemporary position compared with larger terrestrial competitors, but they do not remove the channel’s continuing function within CyBC’s public broadcasting portfolio. RIK 2 remains best understood as a secondary public television service combining entertainment, sports, children’s programming, cultural output, multilingual news, and programming relevant to both major Cypriot communities.

RIK 2 was launched in 1992 by the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation as the second television channel in Cyprus. Its introduction expanded the public broadcaster’s television offering and preceded the launch of O Logos, identified as the country’s first private television channel, in April 1992. The channel consequently emerged during a transition from a largely single-service broadcasting environment toward a more competitive and varied television market. In its early years, RIK 2 developed an audience through a combination of popular imported entertainment and public-broadcasting content. Latin American telenovelas were among the channel’s successful offerings during the 1990s. It also broadcast United States television programming, including the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, which was still being shown on the channel in 2005. These acquisitions gave RIK 2 a recognisable entertainment role within the CyBC network and helped it appeal to viewers interested in serialized international programming. The channel’s programming later continued to combine entertainment with public-service and specialist content. Its broadcasts have generally been in Greek, while foreign-language material is typically accompanied by Greek subtitles. The schedule has included children’s shows, sports, news bulletins, cultural programs, European news, foreign series, and films. RIK 2 has also provided news in Turkish and English, broadening the linguistic reach of the CyBC television offering. One of its distinctive public-service features is BIZ / WE, a daily program presented in Greek and Turkish and focused on matters relevant to both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. This programming reflects the channel’s role in communicating across Cyprus’s linguistic and political divide, in addition to its conventional entertainment function. Audience performance has become a significant part of the channel’s contemporary context. In the last week of 2023, RIK 2 was described as the least-watched of the six local television channels available terrestrially in Cyprus. Its viewing share was also lower than that of ERT World, a Greek international service available over the air in Cyprus. Despite this relatively modest audience position, RIK 2 remains an operating CyBC service and continues to provide a mixture of general programming, news, sports, cultural material, and multilingual public-service content.

• 2023

  Low terrestrial viewing share reported

  [1]RIK 2en.wikipedia.org

  In the final week of 2023, RIK 2 was reported as the least-watched local terrestrial television service in Cyprus.

• 2005

  The Bold and the Beautiful remains in the schedule

  [1]RIK 2en.wikipedia.org

  The American soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful is reported to have remained on RIK 2’s schedule as of 2005.

• 1992

  RIK 2 launches

  [1]RIK 2en.wikipedia.org

  The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation launches RIK 2 as the second television channel in Cyprus.

• 1992

  Private television competition begins

  [1]RIK 2en.wikipedia.org

  RIK 2 begins broadcasting shortly before the launch of O Logos, described as Cyprus’s first private television channel, in April 1992.

A secondary CyBC public-service television channel combining general entertainment with news, sports, children’s, cultural, multilingual, and cross-community programming for audiences in Cyprus.

• Television channel · 1992

  RIK 2 television service

  RIK 2 is a Cypriot public television service operated by the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation. Its schedule is mainly in Greek and combines entertainment, news, sports, children’s programs, cultural shows, European news, foreign series, and films. Foreign-language content is generally shown with Greek subtitles, while selected news output is available in English and Turkish.

• Public-affairs television program

  BIZ / WE

  BIZ / WE is a daily program broadcast in Greek and Turkish. It addresses issues of interest to both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, giving RIK 2 a cross-community information and public-service role in addition to its entertainment programming.

• 2023

  RIK 2 reported as Cyprus’s least-watched terrestrial local television channel[1]RIK 2en.wikipedia.org

  Other

  In the final week of 2023, RIK 2 was reported to have the smallest viewing share among the six local television services available terrestrially in Cyprus. Its share was also below that of ERT World, which is available over the air in Cyprus.

1. 1RIK 2en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation official websitecybc.com.cy