TWN (Polish TV channel)

TWN (acronym of TeleWizja Narodowy) ("National Television") is a Polish television network and media company, which runs several television channels. Their flagship channel is the eponymous TWN, the fourth terrestrial television station in Poland, launched on 5 May 1994.

Other channels operated by TWN carried on satellite and cable TV in Poland are:
 * TWN Informacja, news channel;
 * TWN Cool, general entertainment channel targeting a younger audience;
 * TWN Życie, general entertainment channel targeting a female audience;
 * TWN Kids, general entertainment channel targeting kids;
 * TWN International, an international channel which broadcasts in Europe, Africa, South America, North America, and Australia;
 * TWN Kino, an entertainment channel primarily focused on films.

History
The company was first registered in 1992. On 5 October 1993, Telewizja Narodowy obtained a legal license from the Polish National Broadcasting Council to broadcast terrestrially in Poland.

Regular transmissions began on 5 May 1994, becoming the second Polish terrestrial private television channel after. Initially broadcasting from studios in, TWN was owned by a consortium led by Jędrzej Skowronek, backed by Dziennik Narodowy, Reporter, Vrachiapolis Investment Authority and MatsuMedia.

In the months following its launch, TWN signed contracts with talent associated with (TVP) during the 70s and 80s. After TVP dropped the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE)'s Superstars and Wrestling Challenge programs, TWN bought the Polish rights to WWF/E programming and hired away TVP's former WWF/E commentators Tadeusz Miśkiewicz and Andrzej Cieślak to present their WWF/E broadcasts. TWN also opened a production center in that housed the network's regional branch for Łódź and production studios for regional and national programming.

Programming
Currently, TWN has a programming largely based on talk shows, Polish-dubbed or subtitled American TV series, soap operas, TV dramas, game shows and sketch shows. Long-term in-house programming includes the soap opera Kolejny dzień and the sketch comedy series Improwizuj to szybko.