Now in its third year, Media Platform has firmly established itself as one of the must-attend events in the Hungarian TV industry’s calendar.
While the 2015 conference didn’t deliver any “knockout blows” in terms of major news, it certainly provided valuable insights into the state of play of one of CEE’s most important markets.
What was more, despite being organised by the Hungarian Cable Communications Association (MKSZ), it managed to bring together all the leading industry players, including the regulator NMHH; national commercial broadcasters RTL Klub and TV2; Magyar Telekom, Digi, UPC, Invitel and other providers of electronic communications services; and leading content companies like AMCNI.
At the same time, an international perspective was provided by – amongst others – speakers from Cable Europe, Germany’s ANGA, Serbia and Slovakia.
So, what did I learn from this year’s conference, as well as conversations with representatives of these leading industry players?
Well firstly, looking specifically at the cable market, the biggest issue is by far and away the superfast internet project. A government representative confirmed that Hungary now expects to be able to offer all homes in the country broadband access of at least 30 Mbps by the end of 2018, or two years ahead of the EU deadline target.
This will be a particular challenge for the cable industry, which is preparing for two tenders, between now and the end of the year, to ensure that all rural areas get internet access.
Interestingly, regulatory issues have always been high on the list of cable industry concerns in Hungary. Not so this year.
Furthermore, the market remains fragmented despite two groups of smaller operators now working together – one in what is termed the ‘National Programmers’ Cluster’ and second under the umbrella of Digi, which provides it with content.
Although Digi often plays its cards close to its chest, both in Hungary and home market Romania, it did in this instance provide some useful insights into its strategy. It confirmed, for instance, that it would be entering the mobile market and that its upcoming Digi Online service would not be a premium product but rather part of its normal offer.
In a presentation on a study undertaken by Nielsen, it was revealed that there are now 112 TV channels available to viewers in the Hungarian language. This led to an interesting discussion about market fragmentation involving speakers from Viacom, TV2 and Atmedia. While they certainly didn’t see eye to eye, there seemed to be general agreement that broadcasters now compete on a portfolio rather than individual channel basis.
In other debates, some argued that the public broadcaster MTVA is fragmenting its own audience by launching more channels and should not be seen as a threat by other players.
The general impression I was left with about Media Platform is that while not quite the finished product, it is growing into a very important event. The quality of speakers it attracts, both local and international, is exceptionally high and one of its strongest points.
