The Ukrainian DTH platform Xtra TV has begun the transition from a card encoding system to Verimatrix conditional access.
According to its operator Media Group Ukraine (MGU), the card access system initially allowed the platform to quickly attract a significant audience. However, it also created the problem of card sharing to illegally receive the service.
As a result, said Oleksiy Kurakin, business group director at MGU, Xtra TV is now entering a new period of development due to the upcoming encryption of satellite TV channels.
The platform will by the end of this year encrypt all its channels using Verimatrix conditional access, with reception possible through new Xtra TV satellite tuners.
MGU, which lists a number of TV channels in its portfolio, has owned Xtra TV since late 2015.
