CACC 2007, PRAGUE – UPC will start to roll out a digital cable service in the Czech Republic in the next two to three weeks if it gets the necessary regulatory approval.
Speaking exclusively to Broadband TV News at the Czech Association of Competitive Communications (CACC) conference in Prague, UPC Czech Republic CEO Vaclav Barton said that the operator is awaiting final permission from the Radio and TV Council (RRTV) to distribute around 6-7 channels, which though new to UPC are not so to the Czech Republic. Indeed, some are already carried Karneval, which is now also owned by Liberty Global and is gradually having its operations merged into those of UPC’s.
A new legal entity, encompassing both UPC and Karneval, should make its debut on September 1. Karneval already has a digital TV service that has around 36,000 subscribers and is acquiring new customers at the rate of around 700 weekly. Vaclav Barton expects the new merged entity to have between 80,000-90,000 digital cable subscribers by the end of the year.
