TVP3


TVP3 is a Polish TV channel, run by the public broadcaster, TVP and dedicated to the country's regions. It has regional branches in most of the major Polish cities and, similarly to the France 3 in France or Rai Tre in Italy, for a couple of hours every day it broadcast regional programming, including local news and reports. On 20 December 2023, TVP3's signal was shut down and instead, TVP2 started being broadcast. On the same day, the website was shut down and started redirecting to the main TVP website, but on 26 December 2023, the channel returned to the air.

History

1994–2002 (as TVP Regionalna)

In the early 1990s, the regional branches of Telewizja Polska began launching full-day regional programming, while still airing selected segments as local slots within the TVP2 schedule.
In 1994, the first management board of TVP S.A. realized that the regional branches were not yet capable of filling several hours of daily programming. Consequently, the eleven existing regional centers at the time decided to create a shared programming block. To coordinate their work, the Office of Regional Branches was established on 1 April 1994, initially headed by Janusz Daszczyński.
On 5 September 1994, ten TVP centers launched a daily, nearly four-hour block of shared program and advertising content. It began at 3:10 p.m. with the animated fairy tale “Abdallah ziemski i Abdallah morski”. The block was divided into three parts:
  • 3:10–4:30 p.m. – children’s and youth programs,
  • 5:35–6:05 p.m. – TV series,
  • 7:15–9:15 p.m. – feature and documentary films.
This system of shared programming was named "The Network".
In July 1996, TVP’s management established the twelfth regional branch – OTV Białystok. However, the Białystok center did not yet launch its own programming that year.
By 2001, the shared programming block accounted for over 75% of regional broadcasting time. The block was compiled by the Office of Regional Programs in Warsaw. The remaining airtime consisted of local programming, independently produced by TVP’s regional branches.

Programming statistics for 2001

In 2001, the twelve regional branches of TVP held a 3.5% share of the Polish TV market. Local programming was broadcast on weekdays in the following time slots:
  • Morning: 8:00–8:35 a.m.
  • Afternoon: 3:25–4:30 p.m. and 5:15–7:00 p.m.
  • Evening: 9:30–10:00 p.m.
On weekends, the hours differed slightly:
  • Morning: 8:00–9:00 a.m.
  • Midday: 1:30–2:30 p.m.
  • Afternoon: 5:00–7:00 p.m.
  • Evening: 9:00–10:00 p.m.
The regional programming schedule had a universal character. The main portion of airtime consisted of feature films, series, and animated films, which together made up 53.3% of annual broadcast time. Most films were American productions, followed by Polish and British.
Other program categories by share of annual airtime in 2001 were as follows:
  • Documentaries: 14.6%
  • Educational programs: 8.8%
  • Public affairs: 8.8%
  • Entertainment: 5.9%
  • News: 5.6%
  • Music: 4.9%
  • Sports: 4.8%
  • Religious programs: 1.3%
  • Theatrical and dramatized productions: 0.5%

    2002–2007 (as TVP3)

By the autumn of 2000, regional broadcasting segments were already using a shared name and logo – TVP3. The shared programming block also adopted this branding.
On 3 March 2002, TVP3 officially launched, replacing the previous regional programs across Poland. All TVP regional stations were reorganized as regional branches of TVP3, airing their local programs in designated time slots on the shared nationwide feed. As a result, TVP3 was treated as one channel with local windows.
The channel offered a variety of content, primarily news and current affairs, but also feature films, documentaries, TV series, magazines, and sports coverage. Its flagship news program was Kurier.
From late August 2002, parliamentary sessions of the Sejm were broadcast exclusively on TVP3’s national feed, whereas they had previously also aired on TVP2.
In March 2003, the channel received a new visual identity and logo. On 7 September 2003, Kurier and TVP3’s public affairs shows adopted new studio designs, featuring white and green colors inspired by the new logo. Around the same time, Telewizja Polska began trial video streaming of TVP3 via mobile networks.
By January 2004, the Warsaw version of TVP3 was already available on the Canal+ satellite platform.

Programming statistics for 2006

In 2006, TVP3 held a 4.8% share of the Polish television market. Among the programs that made up both the national shared schedule and the regional programming slots, news and current affairs broadcasts had the largest share — accounting for nearly 54% of the annual airtime in the national block and 48.4% in local programs.
On average, regional TVP3 branches broadcast just over 4 hours of programming per day.
Other program categories by airtime share in 2006 included:
  • Documentaries: 12.8% in the national block, 8.5% in regional programming
  • Feature films: 11.4% in the national block, 0.8% in regional programming
  • Sports programs and broadcasts: 5.8% in the national block, 12.9% in regional programming
  • Religious broadcasts: 1.9% in the national block, 3.4% in regional programming
  • Educational programs: 1.6% in the national block, 3.9% in regional programming
  • Entertainment programs: 0.2% in the national block, 0.4% in regional programming
  • Music programs: 0.2% in the national block, 3.9% in regional programming

    Programming and visual changes (2007)

On 2 January 2007, TVP3 introduced a new schedule featuring a significantly increased number of news bulletins. These not only presented news but also broadcast live press conferences and events.
The bulletins lasted about 15 minutes each and were aired on weekdays from 6:00 to 9:30 a.m. every 15 minutes, and from 10:00 a.m. every 30 minutes. On weekends, they were aired hourly.
The graphic design of the channel was also changed — from then on, it used a red color scheme with some white accents, while the station’s logo remained green.
Regionalna Trójka ended broadcasting on 5 October 2007, and the following day, TVP Info was launched in its place.

Notable TVP3 Programs (2002–2007)

Source:
  • Kurier – the main news program of TVP3.
  • Echa dnia – a daily live current affairs program broadcast after Kurier, offering commentary on key national and regional political, social, and economic topics, often introduced by short editorials.
  • Gość dnia – a short morning studio interview.
  • Telekurier – a daily publicist and reportage magazine; between 2002 and 2004, it had a companion program Telekurier bis, summarizing the most interesting reports.
  • To jest temat – a daily block of reports prepared by TVP regional journalists.
  • Świat – a Saturday magazine presenting a review of the week’s most interesting film materials.
  • Teleplotki – a show covering film and entertainment news about celebrities and curiosities.
  • Regiony kultury – a daily cultural information magazine.
  • Etniczne klimaty – a longer program dealing with ethnic and cultural issues.
  • Telenowyny – a news program aimed at the Ukrainian minority in Poland.
  • Kowalski i Schmidt – a show about the coexistence of Polish and German communities in Western Poland.
  • Kwartet – a magazine featuring the regions of the Visegrád Group countries.
  • Integracja – a program devoted to people with disabilities.
  • Młodzież kontra... czyli pod ostrzałem – a political debate program featuring youth representatives of political parties.
  • Było, nie minęło – Kronika zwiadowców historii – a historical and exploration-themed television series.

    2007–2013 (as TVP Info)

On 6 October 2007, the TVP3 channel was replaced by TVP Info, which had an informational and regional profile. The launch of the new channel did not significantly affect the regional centers’ programming, which continued as before — initially without the number "3" in their logos.
On 1 December 2007, these were replaced by logos modeled on the national design.
From 1 September 2013, TVP Info became an independent, 24-hour news channel, while the regional centers reverted to the name TVP Regionalna.

2013–2016 (as TVP Regionalna again)

On 23 May 2013, during the international conference “The Role of TVP Regional Branches in the Development of the Information Society” at the University of Warsaw, Telewizja Polska announced plans to create a new regional channel that would replace all local TVP stations in Poland. According to the plans presented, the new TVP Regionalna would broadcast 18–20 hours of programming daily, gradually increasing its airtime. The schedule was to include 4.5 hours of original programming and 2.5 hours of co-produced content, with a strong emphasis on news and public affairs.
On 1 September 2013, the sixteen regional branches forming TVP Regionalna became part of the newly established Center for Regional Programming. On the same day, regular broadcasting began at 7:00 a.m., and the channel became available on the third national digital terrestrial multiplex. On 6 September 2013, TVP Regionalna joined Polsat Box, and on 9 September, it was also added to Canal+, Telewizja na Kartę, and Orange TV.
On 22 October 2013, a new information portal was launched at regionalna.tvp.pl. That year, TVP Regionalna organized New Year’s Eve concerts in Rzeszów, Katowice, and Wrocław, broadcast nationwide and featuring popular Polish artists such as Doda and Bajm. Between 7 and 23 February 2014, the channel also retransmitted events from the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi during late-night national programming blocks. In 2014–2015, it aired live speedway matches from the Nice Polish Speedway League. From autumn 2014, the station began broadcasting weekend film slots and Polish TV series, including the comedy series Święta wojna and the docu-soap Przedszkolandia; in spring 2015, reruns of the telenovela Plebania began from the very first episode.