Slovakia may shortly see the launch of a new DTH platform offering viewers channels distributed by Astra.
Quoting an unnamed source, Zive reports that it will be operated by the national transmission company Towercom and provide basic Slovak channels in SD free of charge.
However, it is at this stage unclear whether customers will be required to pay a one-off fee to access the service or be guaranteed a basic package free of charge in the future.
Andrej Dolezal, the technical director at RTVS, has confirmed that preparations for the new platform are under way and that the public broadcaster has given consent for the distribution of its channels.
Meanwhile, Towercom is understood to be negotiating with other TV stations but is having difficulties in reaching an agreement with TV Markiza.
Towercom is a key player in Slovakia’s TV industry. Besides operating its national DVB-T multiplexes, it distributes channels via Astra.
Most recently, it added all HD services from RTVS and Barrandov to the list.
Slovakia already has DTH services provided by Skylink, freeSAT, Nova Digi TV and Magio Sat.
They are soon likely to be joined by further platforms operated by Antik Telekom and the cable operator Satro.
