Slovakia’s Association of Cable Telecommunications Operators (APKT) has strongly rebuked an ultimatum by the national commercial broadcaster TV Joj.
In a statement signed by the association’s president Robert Tavoda, the APKT says that TV Joj’s demands for higher retransmission fees are “totally unacceptable” to operators and would effectively elevate it to almost the level of the most expensive premium film channels.
It adds that at the same time the broadcaster requires operators to integrate its channels Joj, Joj Plus and Wau into basic programme packages, rejecting the possibility of creating a Joj TV package that can be ordered separately.
In view of this, operators are faced with the choice of either significantly increasing the cost of their basic packages or withdrawing Joj TV from their offers.
As price rises have already caused considerable difficulties for some operators, none would want to risk raising them further.
The APKT points out that there is a paradox in TV Joj’s position with respect to demands to stop the retransmission of Czech stations in Slovakia.
TV Joj is also one of the most frequent offenders of the Broadcasting and Transmission Act.
The APKT was founded in 1998 and currently has 22 members, three associate, providing cable TV, internet and telephony services to 350,000 households and organisations in Slovakia.
