Advanced Television

Sky Italia denies FTA channel launches

October 21, 2014

By Branislav Pekic

Sky Italia has denied Italian press reports that it plans to launch a package of free-to-air channels on DTT.

In a statement, Sky Italia stressed it remains focused on the core pay-TV business, while its presence in the free-to-air segment will continue to be represented by channel Cielo.

Daily “La Repubblica” reported that the pay-TV operator was planning to challenge RAI and Mediaset, in view of the crisis that has affected subscriptions, but also to prepare for the launch of Netflix in Italy from 2015.

Earlier this year, the Bloomberg news agency reported that Sky Italia was planning to expand its activities on DTT, thanks to an agreement with Telecom Italia Media Broadcasting for the rental of multiplex capacity for five TV channels. The broadcasts were supposed to start in June 2015.

Meanwhile, local media experts do not exclude a launch of Sky Italia’s all-news channel, Sky TG 24, on DTT, – the channel is freely available over the Internet.

Categories: Articles, Broadcast, DTT/DSO, FTA, Pay TV