Telefónica offers free TVs to boost subs
September 7, 2015
From David Del Valle in Madrid
In a new move in the fierce pay TV battle, Telefónica has announced that during the Christmas campaign the company will give away connected TV sets to new to boost subscriptions.
The TV sets, manufactured by the Turkish company Vestel, will allow subscribers to receive only Movistar Plus, which also includes all FTA DTT channels among its 80 channels. New subscribers to Movistar Fusion will get the TV sets with an integrated STB and in different sizes (32, 40 and 48 inches) that should be returned to the company if the client cancels his pay TV subscription.
Likewise, Telefónica plans to launch a promotional campaign with the electronic manufacturer Samsung targeted at those already subscribed to the pay TV service for loyalty reasons. Currently, Samsung integrates a Movistar TV app into some of its TV sets to allow subscribers to watch Movistar Plus without an external STB.
With this aggressive strategy, Telefónica aims to reach four million subscribers by the end of the year. Similar moves from other companies like Vodafone and Orange are likely to take place in the near future.