Change is in the air for the DTH market in Central and Eastern Europe.
In Russia, which boasts the region’s leading platform in the shape of Tricolor TV, the telco MTS is preparing to launch a service this autumn.
Although details are still sketchy, it will probably employ the ABS-2 satellite and seek to strengthen MTS’s position in the pay-TV market, where it has recently seen a fall in subscriber numbers.
Orion Express, which operates no fewer than three DTH services – Continent TV, Telekarta and Orient Express – meanwhile continues to grow its subscriber base at an impressive rate. Earlier this month, it was reported that it had introduced an eye-catching offer providing new customers with Telekarta’s basic package free of charge for three years.
This has come against the backdrop of a DTH, and indeed pay-TV, market that is rapidly moving towards saturation. NTV-Plus, the country’s longest established DTH operator, has undergone a radical transformation in recent months, trying to shake off the elitist image it once had in a bid to attract more subscribers.
Meanwhile in Bulgaria, we have learned only this week that the country will in two years time have its first dedicated satellite. It probably comes as no surprise that the company behind the project is Bulsatcom, Bulgaria’s leading pay-TV operator, which has commissioned the satellite through an affiliate company named Bulgaria Sat.
Once fully operational, the satellite, which will be known as BulgariaSat-1, will undoubtedly help further strengthen Bulsatcom’s position in a pay-TV marketplace where it faces competition from other providers, including Vivacom, M-Sat and the cable operator Blizoo.
Elsewhere in the region, Cyfrowy Polsat maintains its position as the leading DTH operator in Poland, with its competitor nc+ having steadied the ship following a difficult launch in March 2013 but still not growing its subscriber base.
In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Skylink remains the dominant player despite growing competition, while both the Hungarian and Romanian DTH markets seem to be over-served with platforms.
Looking to the future, we are likely to see both consolidation and new platform launches, even in the short term.
