Although this year’s CAEK conference in Prague coincided with the full launch of Horizon by UPC in the Czech Republic, that was not the main subject of debate at the event.
Instead, it focused on such issues as regulation of electronic communications networks and services; the provision of TV services and audiovisual content; and the illegal distribution of protected content.
Also of note was a presentation by the national transmission company Ceske Radiokomunikace (CRa) on the threats and opportunities for terrestrial broadcasting in the country.
Malcolm Harbour CBE, director of Digital Policy Alliance and a former member of the European Parliament, spoke of the need to apply rules consistently across Europe. He also said that in terms of the Digital Agenda the Czech Republic ranked somewhere in the middle, though it was also noteworthy that small enterprises are the most active online of any country in Europe.
Harbour in addition spoke about such issues as the need to have a consist approach that safeguards fully functional internet access but is also tailored to allow access to additional services.
It was interesting to note that at least two speakers in a panel discussion about TV services spoke about turbulence, both current and recent, in the market.
Petr Horák, the head of diversification, CET 21 (TV Nova), raised concerns about the quality of connections for data not having improved, with 900 ISPs unable to offer good quality services. Petr Kacafirek, the product manager at UPC Czech, countered by sayimg there were no major problems in its networks.
Meanwhile, Filip Sevcik, senior manager of the competitive centre viaHome, T-Mobile Czech Republic, predicted that pay-TV penetration would rise from the still relatively low 40% now to 70% by 2017. Much will nevertheless depend on broadband and content.
Evzen Chlanda, country manager CZ & SK, AMC Networks Central Europe, added that the Czech Republic would have to gain an additional 1.5 million pay-TV subscribers to get to the level of Hungary.
However, he also said it was important to differentiate between paid content and pay-TV; use of the former is much higher than the number of pay-TV subs and measurement of paid and non-paid TV must be modified.
On the other hand, 70% of Czechs still say if “I download something why should I pay for it?” This has to change in the Czech Republic, and indeed CEE as a whole.
Erika Luzsicza, founder/CEO, Axcom Media Business Servicing, argued that the next step would be personalisation of TV content that will comply with a linear expectation.
In his presentation on terrestrial broadcasting in the Czech Republic, Marcel Procházka, director of regulation, CRa, made the telling point that TV services lost 18% of the DTT frequency spectrum with analogue switch off, the capacity now used by mobile operators for 4G services.
A further 30% will be lost, with the final decision resting with the EC.
This will impact on up to 80% of viewers, with channels being taken off both the second and third multiplexes.
For the switch to DVB-T2 to be achieved by the deadline of 2020, it will be important to have transition multiplexes.
Meanwhile, a panel on piracy heard that the Ministry of Culture is preparing the 20th, and biggest, amendment to the Copyright Act since its One of the most “topical” problem right now is online piracy, with the core problem being enforcement of legislation.
