CEE 2011 > Pay-TV platforms
Digital TV Europe June 2011
practical reasons – they receive only one bill and one technical support,” he says “Almost 20% of our customers decided to choose triple-play and we wish to increase this seg- ment also with mobile phones and internet.”
High-speed broadband
Multi-play is at the heart of Russian cable operator Akado’s strategy. This year the com- pany plans to test DOCSIS 3.0 services in the Moscow market, according to Akado presi- dent Denis Lobanov. “By establishing DOC-
million) and growth in its EBITDA margin from 25.2% to 34.7%. “Today Akado keeps on developing its services through its successful marketing strategy, strong financial discipline and professional cost management and reduction. I believe we make the most attrac- tive offer for clients focused mainly on the quality of customer care rather than techno- logical superiority,” he says. “Broadband and digital TV services were still in high demand, while internet access has become a basic com- modity these days and TV viewing is one of the Russians’ favourite pastimes.” Lubanov says that Akado aims to offer as
“Other operators don’t have the premium content that we have. We still see growth from exclusive premium content such as sports.”
Richard Breskovi´
SIS 3.0 technology and upgrading the virtual network topologies we could provide ultra high-speed broadband services – up to 400Mbps – to our customers,” he says. “The DOCSIS 3.0 test zones will roll out in several Moscow districts, and then after getting results it will spread out thoughout the city at the end of the year.” The rollout of DOCSIS 3.0 will also, says Lubanov, enable Akado to develop its HDTV tier (and 3D services) with- out having an impact on internet services. In addition to high-speed broadband, Akado is investing in interactivity and in HD services. “We are investing in developing interactive TV services, which are the future of Russian broadcasting. Today the payback might seem small and risky but the interactive TV services have great potential for profitabil- ity in future,” says Lubanov. “We are rolling out digital TV using a platform that supports interactive services. Forecasting demand for interactive TV services in Russia in the next three years, we’re implementing it now for the future, developing and maintaining our lead- ing market position.” On the HD side, the company saw a significant boost in viewing from its HD broadcasts of the 2010 Winter Olympics and World Cup. Lubanov says that the economic downturn has had relatively little impact on the compa- ny’s business, with a 19% growth in overall revenues in 2010 to RUB3.66 billion (€90
c, T-Hrvatski Telekom
much choice as possible to customers, pre- senting them with optional packages and pay- per-view services and allowing them to choose between analogue and digital reception. “To keep our leading position and create mar- ketable products and services Akado focuses on meeting customer requirements. We transmit in both analogue and digital. But we try to enlighten and educate our audience about the advantages of digital TV and HDTV,” he says. “We developed a special pro- gramme for testing digital TV services and free viewing of digital channels for all our sub- scribers to motivate people to switch from analogue to digital TV broadcasting.” In order to support this, Akado offers a 13-strong pack- age of HD channels, including National Geographic HD, Mezzo Live HD and Fashion TV HD as well as film and sports channels. Lubanov believes Akado is well-placed to hold its leading position in Moscow (where he says it has a 52% share in the digital TV market).
Room for growth
While DTH players are strong in Poland and Romania, and cable (in various shapes and sizes) is ubiquitous through much of the region, IPTV remains relatively underdevel- oped with the exception of a few key markets. One of these is Croatia, where Deutsche
Telekom-backed T-Hrvatski Telekom is the leading IPTV player on the market. Despite the company’s existing high penetration, Richard Breskovi´c, director of proposition management and strategy fixed department at T-Hrvatski Telekom, believes there is room for growth both in broadband and pay TV. Exclusive content rights are the key to main- taining the appeal of the TV service in Croatia, according to Breskovi´c. “MAXtv offers premi- um content and we still see growth from exclusive premium content such as sports,” he says, citing examples including the Spanish football league and Formula 1 motor- racing, where the content is distributed exclu- sively via T-Hrvatski Telekom’s platform. The operator’s current plans include the re-launch of its HD package with the addition of new content, and further differentiation will come from T-Hrvatski Telekom’s emphasis on inter- activity, taking advantage of the capabilities of the Microsoft-based TV platform and its own network investment to deliver, for example, multiple streams to users’ homes. The opera- tor has less room for manoeuvre when it comes to bundling internet and TV services. “We are regulated on the broadband and voice side and bundling has been a challenge,” says Breskovi´c. However, T-Hrvatski Telekom has managed to market dual and triple-play servic- es, despite these restrictions. “The regulations are a challenge but we have managed to adapt,” he says. Breskovi´c also believes that the digitization of the Croatian terrestrial network could also encourage new subscribers to sign up to MAXtv (particularly in view of terrestrial reception problems in Istria and the Dalmatian coast, with interference from Italy affecting the country’s B and C multiplexes). The MAXtv set-tops for satellite reception are hybrid with DVB-T tuners to ensure that cus- tomers can receive any future services to be launched in the terrestrial network as well as T-Hrvatski Telekom’s own services. In order to further maximize its reach in a relatively small market, T-Hrvatski Telekom has launched a version of MAXtv via satellite, with the prime goal to provide TV service to the cus- tomers that already take services from the oper- ator but are unable to access the IPTV service. “We want to reach customers in rural areas of Croatia and provide a service that’s got premi- um content. These are loyal customers for other services,” says Breskovi´c. For similar reasons, T- Hrvatski Telekom provides a separate, some-
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