Polish DTT row continues
Poland’s National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) has ruled out the
possibility of the religious-based channel TV Trwam securing a slot on
the country’s first DTT multiplex. It has also provided an assessment
of the transition to digital broadcasting to date and given insights into
how the process will continue. In a statement, the regulator said despite
protests from five parties, including the Lux Veritas Foundation, the
operator of TV Trwam, it had upheld a decision made on July 29 last year
to award DTT licences to Eska TV (for a channel named Eska TV), ATM Grupa
(ATM Rozrywka), Stavka (U-TV) and Lemon Records (Polo TV). It added that
the public broadcaster TVP could continue to use the first multiplex until
April 27, 2014, after which three additional slots will become available
on the multiplex. The KRRiT will begin preparations for a tender for these
slots in the next few months. Commenting specifically on the Lux Veritas
Foundation, the regulator said that it could already distribute TV Trwam
via satellite (Astra 1H) and cable. Like countless other channels including
TVN24, Polsat News, Religia TV and Superstacja, TV Trwam will have to
continue relying on such distribution following ASO. However, speaking
to the local press, the head of the KRRiT said that the main reason TV
Trwam failed to get a DTT licence was its difficult financial situation
and probable inability to pay an annual distribution fee of PLN10 million
(€2.28 million) on the first multiplex. The Lux Veritas Foundation
nevertheless believes the KRRiT’s decision is politically motivated
and an attack on the Roman Catholic Church in Poland.
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NEWSLINE
MTS assesses pay-TV progress
Russia’s Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) ended 2011 with 3 million pay-TV
subscribers, while the number receiving digital services increased by
25% during the year. MTS’s internet subscriber total meanwhile exceeded
2 million at the end of 2011. According to MTS, its focus in 2011 was
on the implementation of several construction projects and the modernisation
of fixed line networks, along with the migration of subscribers from analogue
to digital services. Its aim is to convert all its networks to digital
by Q2 this year. MTS provides broadband and pay-TV services employing
ADSL, DOCSIS, GPON, FTTB and IPTV technology to a potential 10 million
homes in more than 120 cities throughout Russia.
RTL Hungarian deal approved
The Hungarian Competition Office (GVH) has approved the acquisition of
a controlling stake in IKO Media Holding by RTL Group Central and Eastern
Europe. According to BBJ, the GVH has not disclosed the size
of the stake. The move is significant for the country’s TV industry
in that IKO Media Holding owns Magyar RTL Televizio, the operator of RTL
Klub, the leading TV station in Hungary. Last July it was announced that
RTL Group had acquired the 31% shares in RTL Klub it did not already own,
as well as secured complete ownership of the cable channels Cool, Film+,
Film+2, Reflector, Prizma, Sorozat+ and Muzsika TV.
Serbian telco secures OTE sale funding
Telekom Srbija has secured a loan of €470 million, €320 million
of which will be used for the acquisition of 20% of shares in the company
owned by Greece’s OTE and the remaining €150 million for the
refinancing of existing loans. In a statement, the Serbian incumbent telco
says that the loan, which has a maturity of three years, has been obtained
from 19 domestic and international banks including Credit Agricole, Erste,
Eurobank EFG, Commercial Bank Belgrade, Intesa Saopaulo, Raiffeisen and
Bank of Vojvodina, in coordination with UniCredit. The sale of the stake,
which was first announced last month, should help bring down OTE’s
debts, which are understood to be in the region of €750 million.
Deutsche Telekom-backed OTE has been a shareholder in Telekom Srbija since
1997.
Vivacom attracts foreign interest
Telekom Austria and Turkcell are both interested in buying the Bulgarian
incumbent telco BTC, which operates under the brand name Vivacom and includes
a DTH platform named Vivacom TV among its interest. Quoting Austrian sources,
Novinite reports that although part of Telekom Austria’s
management is in favour of a deal, its CFO Hans Tschuden is against, fearing
that the company could experience the same problems in Bulgaria as it
has in Belarus. The Austrian telco already has a presence in Bulgaria
through the mobile company Mobiltel. Turkcell, too, is eyeing Vivacom
but has yet to decide on whether to make a bid for the company. Other
suitors are understood to include the head the Corporate Commercial Bank
in Bulgaria. Vivacom has undergone a number of ownership changes in the
last few years and was until last year being courted by Oger Telecom.
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Croatia considers telco tax
Croatia’s government is set to re-introduce a controversial 6% tax
on the telecom sector. Though targeting mobile telephony, the move is
likely to have widespread implications for the industry as a whole. Balkan
Insight reports that Croatia’s three mobile operators –
Hrvatski Telekom (T-HT), Vipnet and Tele2 Croatia – have all issued
statements condemning the tax, which was originally introduced by the
previous centre-right government and expired at the beginning of this
year. It would now be extended until July 1, 2013, the target date for
Croatia’s entry into the EU, and generate annual revenues of HRK300
million (€66.2 million). Both T-HT and Vipnet are key players in
Croatia’s pay-TV industry, the former through the operation of two
IPTV services (one via a subsidiary) and DTH platform and latter through
its ownership of the leading cable operator B.net and a DTH platform.
Rostelecom inks Disney deal, eyes Armenia
The Russian telco Rostelecom has signed a licensing agreement with Disney
under which it will be able to offer the latter’s content –
both in SD and HD - to its IPTV subscribers on an on demand basis. Although
Rostelecom currently operates IPTV platforms, with a total of over 500,000
subscribers, under various names including Avangard TV (North West Federal
District), U-Tel (Ural Federal District) and Disel TV (South and North
Caucasus Federal District), they are expected to be brought under a single
brand name sometime this year. In a separate development, it has been
reported that Romtelecom plans to enter the market in Armenia through
the acquisition of a 75% minus one share in the operator GNC-Alfa. It
is also understood to be targeting the ISP Ucom. According to Kommersant,
the two Armenian companies together account for at least 13% of the country’s
broadband market.
Czech Voyo sets ambitious target
The Czech on demand service Voyo.cz aims to end this year with 100,000
subscribers, according to Pavel Krbec, the head of internet operations
at TV Nova. Quoted by Digizone, he added that several thousand
people are already paying to receive Voyo.cz, which introduced a fee in
mid-December, having initially operated as a free service since its launch
early last year. At present Voyo.cz costs CZK189 (€7.38) a month
to receive. TV Nova is owned by CME, which has broadcasting operations
in six CEE markets including the Czech Republic. Its on demand service
Voyo in Slovenia has operated on a pay basis since its launch and all
the others will do so from early this year.
Tough times for Serbian station
The owners of the national Serbian TV station TV Avala have given assurances
to the industry regulators RRA and Ratel that will resolve a dispute with
their employees. Novosti reports that a strike at TV Avala that
has lasted for three weeks could result in its licence being revoked.
However, Danko Dunic, TV Avala’s chairman of the board and a 45.65%
shareholder, said he was confident a solution would be found and that
back wages would be paid to the employees and all other obligations met.
Zeljko Mirovic, a 4.95% shareholder in TV Avala, meanwhile revealed that
€30 million has been invested in the station and its owners are in
debt.
Bosnia joins digital TV grouping
Bosnia’s Communications Regulatory Agency (CRA) has become a fully-
fledged member of the regional SEE Digital.TV project. Implemented under
the umbrella of the South East Europe Transnational Cooperation Programme
2007-2013, funded by the EU, the aim of the project is to harmonise the
legal, economic and technical aspects, as well as the framework, of the
digital switchover process in the South East Europe region. The project
also aims to provide efficient information to consumers about the digitisation
process. The other members of the SEE Digital.TV project are Slovenia,
Italy, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania.
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CONTENT
New CME channel for Bulgaria
Central European Media Enterprises (CME) has announced the launch of a
new channel in Bulgaria. Known as bTV Lady and targeting a female audience,
the service will officially make its debut on January 28 and offer a wide
range of programming, including Turkish and Latin American telenovellas
and US series, under the slogan “More for Her”. CME already
has a strong presence in Bulgaria, operating the national channel bTV
and thematic services bTV Cinema, bTV Comedy, bTV Action and Ring.bg.
BTV Lady will be the 30th channel the company has launched in Central
and Eastern Europe since it began operating in the region in 1994.
Poland gains English learning channel
English Club TV, an educational channel dedicated to the learning of the
English language, has made its debut in Poland. This follows an agreement
between its operator ECTV Network and Program Sp. z o.o., part of the
4fun Media Capital Group, signed at the beginning of this month. English
Club TV, which is already available in 25 countries in Western Europe
and Asia, will now be distributed via cable, DTH and IPTV in Poland. It
joins a growing list in Program’s channel portfolio that already
includes History, Crime & Investigation Network, Da Vinci Learning,
Playboy, 4fun.tv, Rebel:tv, TV Disco, CNBC and NTV Mir.
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| CHRIS DZIADUL REPORTS
On
line and on demand
Online VOD services are becoming an increasingly familiar feature of the
TV landscape in Central and Eastern Europe.
However, it is probably too early to talk about them being a big success
in all but a handful of markets.
Take Voyo, which was launched by Central European Media Enterprises (CME)
in the Czech Republic at the beginning of last year and subsequently rolled
out in the five other countries in the region the company operates in.
Having introduced a monthly fee of €7.38 in December for which viewers
are given access to everything in its library, the Czech service has set
the ambitious target – by its own admission – of 100,000 paying
subscribers by the end of this year.
While this may be achievable in the Czech Republic, Voyo’s sister
services are likely to have more modest goals in terms of subscriber numbers.
In any case, the Czech Republic is probably a lucrative market for online
VOD, with Topfun Media, which is backed by the financial group J&T,
expected to launch what has been described as a “Czech Netflix”
later this year.
Poland, too, is a hive of activity thanks in no small part to the success
of such on demand services as ipla, which is operated by Redefine, backed
by Polsat founder and owner Zygmunt Solorz; and OnetVOD (vod.onet.pl)
and the recently-launched tvnplayer.pl, both of which are linked to the
national commercial broadcaster TVN. Others include a service, known as
Telewizja Osobista (‘Personal Television’), launched late
last year and operated by the alternative telco Netia.
Meanwhile in Russia an online VOD service named Yota Play, operated by
Yota and the WiMax provider Scartel, made its debut last summer. Offering
content on a pay-per-view basis, it joined a growing market already served
by such companies as the leading mobile (and pay-TV) operator MTS.
Alongside these developments in the region have come the appearances
of such services as HBO Go, with the streaming operation having made its
regional debut in Poland in partnership with the cable operator Inea in
late 2010 and then subsequently introduced in several other countries
last year.
It is also interesting to note that research published by Gemius last
September found online VOD services to be nine times more popular in Hungary
than in Denmark.
These are certainly exciting times for the delivery of on demand content
over the internet in CEE, with more interesting developments likely in
the near future.
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