CABLE CONGRESS 2011 – LUCERNE. The Czech cable market has grown for the last three years despite the recession and now serves 1,080,000 homes, according to Zdenek Vanicek, the president of the Czech Association of Electronic Communications (CAEK).
Speaking to Broadband TV News, he added that the figure includes the approximately 140,000 homes that currently receive the IPTV service O2 TV.
Legally, IPTV operates within the same legal framework as cable in the Czech Republic, and so both are placed in the same category by the Radio and TV Council (RRTV).
Commenting on various issues affecting the industry, Vanicek expressed fears that a European May 25 deadline for transposing the Telecom Act may not be met despite the welcome recent creation of a special sub-committee for electronic communications within the Czech Economic Committee.
The CAEK will next publish figures on the Czech cable industry, which is dominated by UPC and Rio Media rapidly emerging as the number two player, this coming June.
