Tricolor TV to expand broadcasting in Far East in 2013-2014
NOVOSIBIRSK. Dec 13 (Interfax) - Russian satellite TV provider, CJSC National Satellite Company (Tricolor TV brand) plans to expand broadcasting in Far Eastern regions at the end of 2013- start of , the company's commercial director, Sergei Stavropoltsev, said at an Interfax press conference in Novosibirsk Thursday.
In the Far Eastern region, the company currently only broadcasts in Yakutia.
Boris Lokshin, the head of the Advanced System Development Division at state-owned Russian Satellite Communications Company, said the company would launch another satellite into orbit in 2013 - the Express-AT-2 with a 32 transponder capacity. It will be in an orbital position of 42 degrees East longitude and will be able to transmit a signal to the Far East. All necessary infrastructure will be built, including a transmission station in Khabarovsk.
"We made a rather detailed analysis of the Far East, in the territory where Tricolor TV services are not yet available. Just 5.5% of Russia's population live in that zone. If we enter this market in the next few years we can obtain 400,000 to 450,000 subscribers in this territory," Stavropoltsev said.
Tricolor TV will launch back-up broadcasting in Siberia in January 2013 with the Direc TV-1R satellite and at the end of 2013 it will fully switch broadcasting to the new Express-AT-1 satellite.
"Tricolor TV - Siberia project broadcasting is currently carried out with the Bonum-1 satellite, which is in an orbital position of 56 degrees East longitude. The term of operation of this satellite is nearing its completion. The launch of the new Express AT-1 satellite, with which there will be full broadcast capabilities, is only planned for the end of 2013. To enable Siberian subscribers to keep watching Tricolor TV channels, the operator made a deal with Intelsat and the Russian Satellite Communications Company to launch the Direc TV-1R in the specified position," he said.
Previously, the Direc TV-1R was used for broadcasting in the United States but it will be retired at the end of 2013.
Tricolor TV will have 5 transponders in the back-up satellite and a data transfer speed of 3 megabits per second. The new Express-AT-1 will enable the operator to have 16 transponders and a data transmission speed of 3.3 megabits per second.
The operator hopes by the end of 2014 to boosts its position on the pay-TV market in Siberia to 44% from 28%.
Tricolor TV has been providing satellite TV services throughout Russia, apart from several Far Eastern regions, since 2005. The satellite receiver equipment for Tricolor TV packages are produced by the company's partner - CJSC General Satellite. It was reported earlier that General Satellite President Andrei Tkachenko is a shareholder of the National Satellite Company. There is no other public information on the company's shareholders.
