Cable operators in Slovenia are hoping legislation is amended to ensure that only must-carry channels are offered in basic packages.
Speaking exclusively to Broadband TV News at the 2018 ZKOS conference in Portoroz, Simon Stegel, the secretary of ZKOS, said that there is a fair chance that this may happen, but not this year.
The main commercial channels moved from an FTA to paid model last year. In the case of Pop TV, which has a viewing share of 30%, the channel now charges operators €3 a month per subscriber to distribute its service.
As a result, operators increased their subscription fees by 16.5% last year.
Commenting on the Slovene market in general, Stegel said here are currently over 50 cable operators in the country, some of which also offer IPTV services.
All told, there are 650,000 cable homes, with digital penetration standing at over 90%.
Competition in the industry is intense, with new subscribers being offered triple play for some €15 a month for several months.
Although this is subsequently increased to between €30-35 a month, it is a buyer’s market and customers can look for offers elsewhere.
There is widespread adoption of new technologies and some operators, with T2 being the first, now offer 4K services.
Furthermore, almost all operators offer on demand, with some of the smaller ones in partnership with others or buying services from providers.
