Balgarianovinite.com The European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) Media Summit was opened in Sofia on Wednesday. The two-day event is taking place in the Bulgarian capital for the first time, as the opening ceremony was attended by EBU Deputy Director General Jean-Philippe de Tender, Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova, as well as the Directors General of the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) and the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) – Milena Milotinova and Milen Mitev.
The forum brings together leaders of public service media and professionals in radio, television, and digital media from across Europe, with 150 delegates from 47 media organizations participating in 2026. It is focused on the future of public service media – their sustainability, public role, digital transformation, and joint stance towards global technology platforms.
At the opening ceremony, EBU Deputy Director General Jean Philip de Tender underlined that technology is transforming the way information is created, distributed, and used. He added that said that people live in a time of profound change, as geopolitical tensions are reshaping the way stories are told and trust is under pressure, audiences are more fragmented than ever. According to him, in this environment the role of public service media is essential and their mission has not changed – to provide reliable information, uphold democratic values, and serve all audiences.
President Iliana Iotova said that investment in public service media, when accompanied by strict transparency requirements, is an investment in the future of a free society. Iotova pointed out that freedom of speech, the right to reliable information, and media independence are written into numerous documents, declarations, and resolutions. “Paradoxically, the more they are discussed, the less they are respected,” she said.
BNR Director General Milen Mitev outlined three key challenges. In his words, the first major challenge comes from the large online platforms, which are increasingly becoming competitors to public service media. Second, the changing audience habits – over the past five years, daily radio listening has dropped by 13 minutes (17 minutes among young people), while in 2024, young audiences spent on average 2 hours 49 minutes on social media versus less than an hour listening to the radio. Finally, Mitev underscored financial pressure – at a time when investment is needed to address these shifts, public media across Europe face unprecedented budget constraints.
BNT Director General Milena Milotinova expressed confidence that with united efforts, the public media can not only preserve, but also build on their public mission. “To serve society with responsibility, with transparency and with a vision for the future. Our meeting here is an opportunity not only to build new cooperation and exchange ideas, but to build a common vision for strong, independent, modern public media throughout Europe,” she said. European Broadcasting Union’s Media Summit Opens in Sofia 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-04-22 16:12:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law