Chris Dziadul Broadband TV News
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Chris Dziadul Chief East European Analyst } DTT: Fallen behind } DTH: Some consolidation } Cable: Tough market } IPTV: Early days } Two years ago, ASO postponed until Jan 2015 } New tender to be held this summer? Contest to be competitive rather than comparative (i.e. beauty?) All mux licences to be awarded at same time? } Digitisation rate in Romania generally low cf other European countries } Satellite operators (SES, Telenor) looking to help in digitisation process } Long-awaiting consolidation began in early 2011, with Romtelecom acquiring both AKTA Satelit and Boom TV } Focus Sat (UPC) holding its own in market despite being much smaller than Romtelecom (Dolce) and RCS&RDS operations } Further consolidation? Probably unlikely at this stage: all three operators are in it for the long haul } Market highly competitive, characterised by “price wars”. Something has to give: how and when? } UPC sale rumours have ended, or at least receded. Mike Fries (Liberty Global) has restated company’s commitment to Romania } Romtelecom is becoming increasingly important player through NextGen Communications } Late start: up until Romtelecom launched Dolce Interactiv in Dec 2009 market served by only a handful of small players, headed by Bucharest-based Ines } All free reception of Romtelecom service stopped in August 2011 } Romtelecom launched OTT in 2011: 770,000unique visitors in less than three months } Despite having high pay-TV pen (80%+), Romania has low broadband and cable ARPU. How can this be addressed? } How can the digitisation process be speeded up? } What are the prospects for the Romanian TV market as a whole in these difficult economic times? What, if anything, can be done to help it? Chris Dziadul [email protected] .