Creating Content Connections in Moldova is a three-year project funded by the U.S. Embassy in Moldova and implemented by IREX. The project aims to increase the variety of television entertainment programs available to Moldovan citizens.

The project supports the development of a sustainable, growth-oriented environment in Moldova’s creative television industry. It does this by creating connections between TV broadcasters, production houses, video content creators, filmmakers, vloggers, and dubbing companies.

Photo courtesy of the Little Chefs show.

• The project has established partnerships with 11 national and regional television stations, nine production houses, three social media platforms and vloggers, and two dubbing companies.
• The project diversified local TV broadcasts with 14 original Moldovan entertainment programs.
• Four original Moldovan programs will start production in spring 2021, and four other shows are preparing to launch their second seasons.
• From October through December 2020, programs that the project supported received 15,020,000 views.
• Eight out of the nine original shows that went on air October–December were competitive with Russian entertainment TV content broadcast in Moldova in the same timeslots.
• The project collaborated with NBC-Universal and European content provider FCCE to broadcast 500 hours of dubbed European and American entertainment shows, including the drama and comedy series Suits, Parenthood, and 30 Rock.
• The project strengthened the capacity of more than 35 TV professionals in production, script writing, marketing, and data usage.
• Three original shows reached beyond the Moldovan TV market, airing in Moldova and Romania.
• Content creators adjusted to COVID-19 by integrating the pandemic into their shows and incorporating recommended health protocols in production.

A trailer for the food show Artizanii Gustului 

• Stimulate the production of original television programs in Moldova in response to local audiences' preferences and needs for entertainment programming
• Diversify broadcast television programming and increase national and regional TV stations’ ratings and reach indicators by exposing local television outlets to international partnerships and a broader offering of foreign-licensed entertainment content
• Stimulate the local dubbing industry by creating connections between TV broadcasters and local dubbing companies that have expertise, available human and technical resources, and potential for pioneering TV dubbing into Romanian

• Introduce new business models to support content production: The project introduced the model of partnering with content creators and broadcasters to produce content by Moldovans for Moldovans. From the local travel show Tur-Retur to the scripted comedy Italia, Patria Nostra, the project highlighted the realities of Moldova’s day-to-day life, local talent and heroes, and the country’s tourism potential.
• Make data central to creative work: The project explored what entertainment programs Moldovans currently watch, why they watch the shows they do, how they interact with shows through social media or other platforms, and which foreign programs are popular in the country.
• Enhance content creators’ skills: The project worked with professionals from national and regional TV stations, production houses, and web platforms to strengthen their skills in production, script writing, marketing, and pitching. This led to new collaborations, new production models, and a wide variety of innovative shows.

E-mail:  general.md@irex.org