- More than 120 original documentary productions and co-productions and 800 hours of TV programming
- Major feature on the Greek Revolution of 1821 with 11 new productions and co-productions — Free access to selected content via YouTube
- More than 20 new productions/co-productions coming in 2021
- No 1 documentary channel on the platform
COSMOTE HISTORY HD, the only documentary channel exclusively dedicated to Greece, its history, its culture, its customs and traditions, created by the OTE Group, has turned five years old. On this journey, the most popular documentary channel on COSMOTE TV has created more than 120 original documentary productions and co-productions and more than 800 hours of original TV content.
“COSMOTE HISTORY HD was created to remind us where we came from and how far we can go. In its five-year-operation, it has acquainted audiences, especially the younger generation, with various aspects of our history, our culture, and our traditions. We are proud that, from the very outset, COSMOTE HISTORY HD has been embraced by the television audience, who have made it the most popular documentary channel on COSMOTE TV,” stated the Chairman and CEO of OTE Group Michael Tsamaz, in the context of a digital Media event.
In its 5-year-operation, COSMOTE HISTORY HD has partnered with renowned Greek and international creators, covering a broad range of subjects. Among them, history from antiquity to the present, the arts and culture, science and important human achievements, regions of Greece and their traditions, Greece’s customs and traditions, and important figures of the past and present. Many COSMOTE HISTORY HD original productions and co-productions have received major awards at international festivals, such as the Thessaloniki International Film Festival and the Berlin Festival. Furthermore, COSMOTE TV’s co-production ‘When tomatoes met Wagner’ was selected to represent Greece as the official entry in the Best International Feature Film category at the 92nd Academy Awards. In 2020 the channel presented the world premiere of its first co-production with National Geographic, titled: ‘Keros: The mystery of the broken figurines’.
During the digital event, the head of the OTE Group underlined the audience’s dynamic response to the free access of COSMOTE HISTORY HD’s content on COSMOTE TV’s YouTube channel during the lockdown. As he noted, the goal of the channel is to operate as a source of knowledge that is open to everyone, especially young people. That was the basis for the OTE Group’s decision to provide content of COSMOTE HISTORY HD free of charge to schools, through COSMOTE TV’s streaming service. The first schools have already gained free access to the channel, and, as Mr Tsamaz noted, “our door has always been and always will be open to any school that expresses an interest.”
Major feature on the Greek Revolution of 1821, free access to all
In the framework of the bicentennial of the Greek Revolution of 1821, COSMOTE HISTORY HD has prepared a major feature on the struggle for liberty, which consists of 11 new COSMOTE productions and co-productions. Overall, throughout the year, viewers will be able to watch over 100 hours of television programming dedicated to the Greek Revolution. As announced by the President and CEO of the OTE Group, COSMOTE HISTORY HD’s documentary premieres regarding the Greek Revolution will be made available to all, through COSMOTE TV’s YouTube channel.
2021: More than 20 new productions/co-productions & 150 hours of content
In addition to the feature on the Greek War of Independence, COSMOTE HISTORY HD’s programme for 2021 includes many more original productions and co-productions.
“The channel’s programme is being significantly enriched once again in the new year, maintaining its Greek orientation. COSMOTE HISTORY HD’s TV audience will enjoy more than 20 premieres of new COSMOTE HISTORY HD productions and co-productions. Our goal is still to pass on important moments of our history to younger audiences”, said Dimitris Michalakis, Executive Director COSMOTE TV.
Among other productions, COSMOTE HISTORY HD’s programme will include ‘Alphabet - Common code’ on the journey of the Greek alphabet over the centuries, ‘The Battle of Crete: Operation Mercury’ on the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Crete, and ‘Ancient Greek technology: from God to man’ on the influence of Greek antiquity on modern technology, all produced by COSMOTE TV.
Premieres of co-productions include the second season of the ‘Wings of the Great War’ documentary series on the role of aerial combat in Greece during World War I, the ‘Spells and Prophecy’ documentary series on the roots of magic and divination in Greece over the centuries, and the documentary ‘The students of Umberto Primo’, a true story dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust.