True Blood in Europe

True Blood is expected to do very well in Europe, reports Variety. HBO Central Europe threw a launch party for the series in Budapest on Feb. 5, and is airing season one in Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro and Macedonia.

According to Ondrej Zach, VP of programming & acquisitions, “Blood’s” popularity in the U.S. augurs well for Europe.

“We’re confident because we’ve seen the results in the United States,” Zach says. “We are getting a strong reaction from the press. In those territories where we see numbers, (such as) Poland and Hungary, we have a strong and positive audience reaction.”

In an area where vampire myths have been part of the folklore for centuries, Zach says, “I don’t think there is anybody (from this region) who doesn’t know what vampires are.” This alone is reason enough for True Blood to pull in viewers. But Alan Ball is a familiar name there as well, with Six Feet Under being so successful.

VP Zach is bullish on “True Blood” because of its production values, and because it is homegrown. “It’s a great series,” he says. “HBO original production is an important part of our programming concept.”