It is assumed that the transition to digital, as it is stated through the principles and guidelines of EU policy, would bring significant changes in the audiovisual sector of our country: more TV channels, interactive services, voice telephony, high speed Internet access, while offering all these services or just the selection of more TV channels, in addition to the obvious (pluralism, pluralism), would bring economic growth in the field of media and would give the opportunity to create new jobs.
Let's go upside down
Eight months after our transition to digital television (as of July 1, 2011), the report is disappointing: 10 channels have disappeared (five local and five subscribers broadcasting on various platforms), others have been turned into purely musical to survive, they have lost at least 60 jobs, officials unable to integrate new services into the digital environment, no other TV station has expressed interest in creating a new channel and broadcast, while the company that manages the private digital platform Velister, due to lack of interest from other stations, if it does not immediately find ways to offer new services, it will have to increase the (already expensive) fees to the TV stations, with which (some smaller ones) may face a survival problem!
It has no other channels
According to data from the Cyprus Broadcasting Authority, 21 television organizations and programs are licensed, of which only one does not broadcast, the CySports Channel. Note that the Authority now gives licenses to subscription channels (Cytavision, Primesports, LTV sports HD). The private open zone digital platform, managed by Velister, does not broadcast even half of the 40 channels that are the capacity of the platform (except of course the RIKs, which broadcast on the state platform, which is managed by the semi-governmental organization itself ). In total there are so far 15 channels (9 free access to the public and 6 subscriptions). Mr. Petridis expressed his concern regarding the financial viability of the channels and it already seems that solutions that will have an impact on the channels are being considered. "We are trying to amend the legislation to help the television organizations, while note that the fines of the Authority are now imposed very sparingly, due to the difficult financial situation that everyone faces", he explained, while he did not rule out the possibility of reducing the fee. to pay a television organization to get a license, although according to Mr. Petridis the cost of licensing (around 50 thousand euros) is lower than the total cost of operating a station and does not consider that it affects its viability.
GERIET: Timetables
The Office of the Commissioner for the Regulation of Electronic Communications and Posts (GERIET) was the competent office that determined all the regulatory issues concerning the digital, while it also supervises the viability of Velister. As senior executive Antonis Antoniadis explained to us, a market analysis is already underway, while within the two years (as mentioned in the terms they signed with Velister when it bid for the platform) the cost audit will be done to see if they should increase the emission fees of an organization (today it is around 105 thousand euros). Mr. Antoniadis stated that the Office will wait for the results of the market analysis that is done to draw the first conclusions regarding how and if the Regulator should act in the whole process of digital.
Velister is fighting it
The company that manages the platform seems to be facing financial problems in two years, when its viability will be examined by GERIET, if no new channels are introduced or if new services are not offered or if the channels' broadcasting fee is not increased. Speaking with Velister general manager Nestora Nestoridis, he told us that they are considering ways in which the company should become sustainable. As he informed us, contacts are already being made for the addition of radio stations other than the television ones, in order to partially increase its revenues. "It always depends on the interest that the radio stations will show and if it really exists, we will be ready, as soon as some modifications are made by GERIET, to broadcast radio as well. However, Mr. Nestoridis threw down the gauntlet to the state, from which he asks to give incentives to new television organizations that want to broadcast, so that the company itself can reduce the cost of broadcasting on the channels.
"The process fiasco"
Costas Argyridis, a representative of LRG Enterprises (the company that also claimed this digital platform), likened the way in which digital television developed in Cyprus to a Trojan horse, said that so far the channels of Velister shareholders are being promoted, he said. Mr. Argyridis described the broadcasting costs of a station as very expensive, at a time when in England one needs 1/4 to be able to broadcast. As Mr. Argyridis mentioned, the way is closed for the broadcasting of subscription channels as well, because they do not use the subscription service (LTV has its own) and maybe in this way, Mr. Argyridis estimates, Velister could increase the its channels.
"TO REDUCE THE FEE TO EMISS", SAY THE LOCALS
"They made us Pancyprians to close us" Four of the directors of the stations that put a lock (Paphos TV, Omega TV, Magic TV, Cy Sports Channel) state to "P" that the cost of broadcasting was prohibitive for them and the state was the one that forced them to turn off the station switches, thus forcing them to lay off employees. "We intended to broadcast digitally as well, but as soon as we saw the broadcasting and licensing fees, we backed off, since even with increased advertising revenue, our business would still not be viable, and in fact we could not compete with big channels that have been broadcasting all over Cyprus for years now ", Stelios Christidis, one of the directors of Paphos TV, told us. The possibility of broadcasting again is open… only if he is acquitted in court and a local station remains, the director of Magic TV Andreas Christodoulou told "P". Mr. Christodoulou's channel asked for a local license, however, studies conducted by the Broadcasting Authority and the Electronic Communications Department of the Ministry of Transport, concluded that the stations could not remain local due to technical difficulties and financial difficulties. so now, through lawyers, Magic TV is looking for ways to react. Fotis Nikolaidis of Omega TV in Paphos has the same opinion as the other directors. "They told us from the inside that they made us Cypriots to close us down and I can not imagine any other reason, since everyone knew that the cost would be a big risk for the local stations, so there would definitely be fewer channels," he said. As an opportunity for the Cy Sports Channel to have access to the general public, the channel's director George Ioannidis also saw the transition to digital television. Until… saw the amount a station needs to broadcast: “What happened is criminal. We were ready to offer the public the sports that are not shown by the channels in collaboration with the Federations. However, the cost does not allow us to broadcast on Velister and so we resorted to the solution of Cytavision which is for us a cheaper option, although it is a subscription and we would like our channel to be open to the public ", said Mr. Ioannidis.
Source: CITIZEN