Ukrainian TV channels refuse from satellite broadcasting
FILMUADRAMA, DACHA, EPOQUE, 36.6 TV, Couscous, U TRAVEL, BOLT, Star Cinema, Star Family channels will stop broadcasting from the satellite starting July 15, 2023. Their signals for providers will be sent exclusively via terrestrial IP networks, dev.ua reports.
Why do Ukrainian broadcasters choose terrestrial communication channels to deliver their signals?
Media expert Oleksandr Glushchenko told MEDIASAT that the Ukrainian pay-TV market is in a difficult situation amid the war. Satellite broadcasting is much more expensive than transmitting a TV signal “over the ground”. That’s why they choose the latter. This solution allows broadcasters to save money that can be better redirected to content production. The number of pay-TV subscribers and people willing to pay for content has also declined.
Glushchenko also emphasizes the redistribution of shares of different signal reception technologies. The most common method is T2, followed by classic cable operators, and then IPTV and OTT operators. Thus, optimization is underway, and by the end of the year, the number of channels that will prefer terrestrial signal delivery is expected to increase.
The situation with the AMOS satellite and Spacecom, which was acquired by the Hungarians, does not allow Ukrainian channels to use the transponder capacity of this satellite as the main way to deliver signals. Due to the development of technology, pay-TV operators will need to reorient themselves to receiving channels for retransmission over the ground, and satellite communications will be used as a backup channel for some thematic TV channels.
