Portugal Telecom teams up with TVI for HDTV
May 15, 2008
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
Portugal Telecom has teamed up with national commercial broadcaster TVI to offer live coverage of the upcoming Euro 2008 in high definition to the subscribers of its pay-TV service Meo.
All subscribers of the Meo IPTV and DTH service will be able be to follow, for no additional costs, from June 7, all of the matches of the Portuguese national football team, as well as the quarter finals, semi finals and final in HDTV. TVI owns the Portuguese broadcasting rights for the event (together with pay-TV channel SporTV).
According to the CEO of Media Capital (owner of TVI), Juan Herrero, TVI and PT will collaborate on the HD front over the next four years. He added that the partnership with the Portuguese telecom operator could be extended to free to air, internet and mobile TV platforms.
For his part, PT executive president, Zeinal Bava, announced the launch of other new products and services for Meo subscribers over the next six months. From June, IPTV and DTH subscribers will get new digital boxes with 160 GB of memory permitting around 140 hours of recording. The new Meo Satélite PVR box will cost E9.90 a month, but will be free of charge until September 1st.