Russia faces a number of obstacles ahead of the switch off of analogue TV services, which will begin in earnest on February 11.
Kommersant reports that the first phase of the switch-off, taking place in seven regions, sees viewers, vendors of reception equipment and TV channels not fully prepared.
Furthermore, the future of regional TV services has not yet been resolved.
It adds that, according to research undertaken by GS Group, there are currently 120 million TV sets in Russia, of which 37.2 million have a DVB-T2 module. However, 10 million viewers still own digital TV sets purchased before 2012 and suitable for DVB-1 reception.
A last-minute rush to buy DVB-T2 reception equipment is now expected. While the 10 channels on the first multiplex do not have to pay distribution fees, the 10 on the second have seem their fees rise significantly.
They currently amount to R1.2 billion (€16 million) a year per channel and are set to increase to R1.4 billion by 2021.
As a result, they are negotiating with the Ministry of Communications for a reduction in the fees.
