The satellite TV channel of Montenegro’s state broadcaster RTV Crna Gora has celebrated one year on the air, announcing plans to extend its global coverage as well as help to Serbian local TV channels that want to retransmit its programmes.

TV Montenegro launched on January 1, 1998 with an experimental three hour a day service via an analogue transponder on Eutelsat II F3. The schedule was later increased to six hours and in October the channel activated a round the clock service in MPEG-2 clear via 13 degrees East. According to managing director Olivera Vukadinovic, plans for this year include expansion of fiction and sports, as well as new programmes aimed at promoting tourism. Most of the channel’s viewers are expatriates in Germany, and the German government has promised that it will provide technical help for the pubcaster’s satellite service. There are also plans to extend coverage to other continents, with priority being given to North America and Australia, with large Montenegrin expatriate communities.

However, TV Montenegro has been flooded with protest letters from viewers in Serbia expressing dissatisfaction with the channel’s decision (motivated by technological and financial reasons) to cease analogue in favour of digital-only broadcasts. The majority of DTH systems in Serbia are analogue. Vukadinovic has said he is prepared to help those local TV channels in Serbia that have expressed interest in re-broadcasting TV Montenegro’s programming.