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bTV Media Group announces changes to the management team responsible for digital and editorial content

With effect from today, 2 July, the media group has appointed Borislav Choranov to the management team as Head of Digital Transformation Department. He will be responsible for creating and implementing new strategies for digital development and multimedia transformation at bTV, drawing on his experience of more than 15 years in digital media and technology solutions.

Assen Ivanov, formerly editor-in-chief of bTV News, takes over as Director of the News, Current Affairs and Sports department. In this role, he will lead the editorial team and oversee news and current affairs, including digital content, across all bTV Media Group platforms.

“These changes represent another significant step in our efforts to consolidate and build upon the high standards of journalism and editorial content that form the basis of the trust we have earned from our audience. bTV News is a well-established brand with a 25-year history and is a trusted source of information for viewers. The newsroom team is at the heart of this success - professionals who uphold trust through their work every day and who play an integral role in the Bulgarian media landscape. Our ambition is to accelerate the company's digital transformation by implementing innovative technologies, developing new digital formats and enhancing the online user experience further. In the context of a rapidly changing media environment where growth is being driven by increased digitalization, we strive to be even more agile.”- states Ralf Bartoleit, CEO of bTV Media Group.

Borislav Choranov is a highly experienced professional with many years of expertise in digital media, web content management, and the implementation of technological solutions. He has held leading positions at key electronic and online media outlets such as Netinfo, Bulgarian National Television and Sportal.bg, where he was responsible for developing and implementing innovative digital projects. His professional expertise covers a wide range of technologies, including desktop and mobile platform development, and video and audio streaming solutions, with a particular focus on enhancing the user experience. His main achievements include creating functionalities to improve the accessibility of content for visually impaired people and implementing adaptive subtitling systems.

In his new role, Borislav Choranov will oversee internal processes and multidisciplinary teams, focusing on accelerating digital development and integrating AI technologies to personalize and automate content. His extensive professional experience, strategic thinking, and deep understanding of the needs of digital audiences will be key to successfully transforming existing platforms and building user-centric solutions.

Assen Ivanov is one of the most experienced journalists at bTV. He has many years of experience working as an executive producer, editor, author and reporter. He has worked in the bTV editorial office for over 13 years. He has been Deputy Editor-in-Chief since 2021 and Editor-in-Chief of bTV News since the beginning of 2024. In these roles, he is responsible for managing editorial teams and planning and creating content for newscasts, breaking news and special studio programs, as well as TV productions at home and abroad.

As Director of News, Current Affairs and Sports, Assen Ivanov will continue to coordinate the work of the units responsible for creating TV content in each of the three key areas. His main priorities will include implementing innovative technological solutions and developing a multi-platform approach to distributing news, analysis and digital formats.

Over the past three years, bTV Media Group has established its position as a digital innovator, significantly expanding its portfolio to include new websites focusing on sports, business, and healthy living. The media group has launched exclusive online features and original content created specifically for a digital audience. The bTV Plus catch-up viewing platform has been expanded to include additional formats, and VOYO has been completely updated and remains the only streaming service in the country to offer content with 100% Bulgarian translation.

About bTV Media Group:

bTV Media Group is part of Central European Media Enterprises (CME), which is owned by the international PPF Group. CME operates television stations in Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Romania, Moldova, Slovakia, and Slovenia, and is one of the leading media and entertainment content companies in Central and Eastern Europe. CME operates 47 television channels in six geographic markets, both free-to-air and pay, reaching nearly 50 million viewers daily. CME also owns and operates VOYO and Oneplay, a new video streaming and live TV platform.