IP & TV Forum – ISTANBUL. The leading Czech IPTV platform O2 TV will radically overhaul its proposition this Friday (October 15) in a bid to counter growing competition from the DTT sector.
According to Daniel Vondracek, marketing manager, Telefónica O2, this will see the introduction of O2 TV Flexi, which gives viewers access to must carry and FTA channels, as well as up to seven packages (kids, documentary, music, series, sport, movies and style), each costing €4 a month.
They will be able to receive any two packages plus internet access for €16 a month or all seven plus internet access for €26 a month.
Viewers will in addition be offered four premium packages – HBO and Cinemax, costing €8 a month each, and Kino and Privat, for €10 a month each. Access to O2 TV’s VOD, catch-up TV and network PVR will remain free to all subscribers.
O2 TV was launched in September 2006 and currently has 130,000 subscribers. On its debut, it offered subsidised boxes but stopped the subsidy last year. However, it reintroduced the subsidy this year due to the difficult economic climate but this has so far had no positive effect on its business.
Most subscribers it is churning are moving to DTT, which was already available to 92% of the Czech population as of the end of last year.
O2 TV’s new proposition is in part based on its parent company Telefónica’s IPTV offer in Latin America.