Advanced Television

Pay-TV content war

January 9, 2008

From David Del Valle in Madrid

The main Spanish pay-TV operators Digital Plus (DTH), ONO (cable) and Imagenio (IPTV) are strengthening their programming line-up in a tough fight for capturing new subscribers. They are upgrading their TV packages with the addition of new TV channels and services.

Digital Plus is launching the local TV channel Popular TV, the Sony-produced Animax, SET (Sony Entertainment TV) and an independent cinema-orientated TV channel still under discussion with Chello Multicanal, producer of Canal Hollywood.

ONO is launching several TV channels such as Baby TV (children), Telenovelas (soup operas), Pacha TV (music), Extreme Sports Channel (Sports), Canal de las Estrellas, Biography Channel and De Casa. All these channels will be promoted for the first month with free of charge access for those more than 900,000 ONO’s TV subscribers. In December, ONO led the pay-TV ratings in Spain with an average share of seven per cent.

Imagenio is adding more and more channels. One of the latest is Aprende Ingles TV (Learn English TV), claiming to be the only TV channel in the world dedicated to teaching a languague 24 hours per day, that is also being distributed via DTT

Categories: Articles, Broadcast, Pay TV