Brazil’s Oi explains DTH strategy
June 7, 2013
By Chris Forrester
Brazilian telco giant Oi has leased a large per centage of Ku-band capacity on board SES-6, which successfully launched on June 3. Oi explained that the new capacity will allow it to expand its pay-TV line-up and in particular give additional emphasis to HDTV.
Oi’s director of operations James Meaney says that the extra capacity secured from SES is in response to demand from its client broadcasters for HD spectrum, as well as taking its pay-TV bouquet to new development levels.
Oi has operated a DTH division since 2009 with some 820,000 pay-TV subscribers. However, those subscribers are viewing signals from the Amazonas satellite at 61 degrees West. SES-6 operates from 40.6 degrees West, and winning the new contract is a major coup for SES. It is not clear whether Oi intends migrating its 820,000 subs to SES-6, or allowing a natural migration as viewers warm to HDTV.