The launch of the new Polish DTH platform nc+ has been little short of disastrous.
However, there are useful lessons to be learnt from the experience, not just by its operators but the pay-TV industry as a whole.
Let’s cast our minds back to nc+’s debut, which took place on March 21 – chosen symbolically as the start of spring and Canal+’s anniversary in the Polish market.
It soon became apparent that Canal+ and ITI Neovision had seriously misjudged their customers, expecting them to automatically accept a new offer that – at least in the eyes of those customers – was both inferior to and more expensive than what they had previously received from Cyfra+ or n.
What was more, those same customers were coming across obstacles if they tried to cancel their contracts. Failure to do so would see them automatically moved onto new nc+ ones later this month.
Previously, operators may just have got away with this. With social media now bringing people together, that is no longer the case.
The Facebook page Anty NC+, created by a disgruntled customer soon after the platform’s launch, has had a huge impact, attracting over 50,000 followers and even an extraordinary reaction from Julien Verley, nc+’s president.
In an open letter, he appeared conciliatory and offered to meet the founder of Anty NC+ to discuss their grievances. However, the founder has since turned this down, citing a number of reasons including that he doesn’t speak for all 50.000+ followers.
It’s interesting to note that nc+ also has its own Facebook page and with even more followers than Anty NC+. Observers have nevertheless pointed out that many of these followers are not customers but rather teenagers influenced by the platform’s advertising.
Worryingly for nc+, its difficult start has already resulted in the departure of one or two leading executives. At the same time, Cyfrowy Polsat, its main competitor, has come into the frame by denying any involvement in Anty NC+.
The real lesson from the nc+ experience – and one that should be heeded by all pay-TV operators – is arguably that customers are the lifeblood of any business should always come first.
That is something nc+ failed to recognise and it is now paying the price.