Dutch TV service provider Sparql has stopped selling subscriptions and said it plans to migrate existing customers to the Canal Digitaal platform.
Started four years ago, the company tried to develop an independent TV platform to compete with market leaders KPN and Ziggo. However, the high costs of content and developing its own platform made it difficult to differentiate its service enough.
In April 2014 Sparql was launched as a new Dutch IPTV provider, on the Tweak DSL network, to take on Ziggo and KPN,
In a statement, the company said that it was important to offering something different from the media giants and big providers, as “since we started, choice in the Netherlands has only gotten smaller”. The company blames the power of the broadcasters and the high costs for building and maintaining a TV platform. Lacking the procurement power of Ziggo or KPN, it was unable to keep its prices competitive.
All Sparql’s subscribers will be migrated to Canal Digitaal’s IPTV service from November. Customers will be informed by their dealer of the change and can take the new TV service through the providers A2B Internet, Breedband Arnhem and Tweak.
