The timely nature of the upcoming Bucharest Business Briefing on digital TV in Romania has just been illustrated by two important developments.
The first saw the regulator ANCOM publish the terms – financial and otherwise – for the upcoming tender for five DTT multiplexes. Romania may be some way behind most other countries in CEE in the transition to digital terrestrial broadcasting, but it is now in the final stages of the process.
The second saw UPC Romania lodge a protest with another regulator – the National Audiovisual Council, or CNA – over what it termed were “abusive actions” by the Antena Group, one of the country’s leading broadcasters, related to the must-carry of its channels.
The digital transition and must-carry in general are two important issues that will find themselves on the agenda at the business briefing, which will take place in Bucharest on Thursday, February 13.
However, there will be many others, as Romania is a dynamic market and one that is clearly in a state of transition.
Some of those issues will relate specifically to DTH – despite consolidation throughout the region in the last couple of years, Romania once again finds itself with no fewer than five platforms – or cable. Content will also be a major topic of conversation, as will the introduction of advanced services and regulatory matters.
Pay-TV penetration in Romania is already high, even by regional standards, with around four in five TV homes receiving services. At the same time, the number of digital homes has risen significantly in the last few years. Indeed, digital cable subscribers quadruped to just over 1.6 million between 2010 and 2013, according to data produced by Digital TV Research.
What is more, as of 2013 digital TV households already accounted for three-fifths (60.5%) of the total.
The Bucharest Business Briefing, organised jointly by Broadband TV News and Telenor Satellite Broadcasting, is free to attend. For further details about speakers and to register, please click here.