Lattelecom leading pay TV operator
Pay-DTT operator Lattelecom is the leading provider of pay television services in Latvia with a total of 250,000 subscribers to its DTT and IPTV services.
The cable operators Baltcom and Izzi have 140,000 and 120,000 subscribers respectively while the satellite operator Viasat has 70,000 subscribers.
Prior to the completion of analogue switch-off in June 2010, Baltcom had been the leading provider of pay television services.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 12th December 2011
Ten more DTT channels for Lattelcom
Lattelecom has added 10 more DTT channels to its service, bringing the total number offered to customers to 43 with the addition of the free national channels LTV1, LTV7, LNT and TV3, together with a regional channel.
The new channels are all international and include Sony Entertainment Television.
Lattelcom’s DTT offering is divided into free, basic and thematic packages with Discovery HD Showcase also available to viewers within a 40km radius of the Zakusalas tower in Riga.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 27th September 2010
Lattelecom calls for a 5 year extension to DTT licence
Lattelecom has called on the government to extend its DTT licence for a further 5 year until 2018.
In exchange, Lattelecom promises to provide 70,000 DTT receivers to low-income households as well as a 25% discount in transmission costs to national broadcasters.
The DTT platform is now available to 99% of the population according to Lattelecom and viewers can access 5 free-to-air and 28 pay-DTT services. Following the analogue switch off in June the number of services available is set to increase to 70.
Pay-TV operator Lattelcom reports that currently 160,000 viewers access the DTT platform.
Source: Lattelecom
Item added: 30th April 2010
Huge demand for DTT decoders in Riga
Lattelecom says that there has been a huge demand for decoders in Riga following the end of analogue transmissions by the public broadcaster’s first channel LTV1 and the leading commercial station LNT, reports Broadband TV News.
The number of decoders sold to access the Lattelcom services is reported to be 120,000, which together with TV’s sold with inbuilt decoder’s amounts to 150,000-160,000 receivers.
The DTT pre-pay TV option meanwhile attracted over 6,000 subscribers in its first month of operation and currently has a total of 43,000.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 12th April 2010
Lattelecom adds two new DTT channels
The Latvian pay-DTT provider Lattelecom has announced the addition of two new channels to its DTT offer. The new channels are TV6 and 3+.
The general package consists of 27 channels, comprising of 13 pay channels as well as a number of free channels. In total 32 services are available on the pay-DTT platform.
After analogue switch off Lattelecom say that there could be up to 70 channels on the DTT platforms in Latvia.
Source: Lattelecom press release
Item added: 15th February 2010
No contract pre-paid DTT service
Pay-DTT service provider Lattelecom has launched a pre-pay DTT service known as priekšapmaksas televīziju. The new service allows viewers to watch pay-DTT content using a pre-paid DTT card without entering into a service contract.
To access the services users will have to first purchase a Start package which includes a set-top-box and a pre-paid card. The card provides one month of free service.
Lattelecom say that their network now covers 99% of Latvia and fully meets the demands of national coverage.
In total it is estimated that 50,000 households access DTT, 21,000 of which use Pay-DTT services.
Switch off starts on the 1st March when LTV7 ceases analogue transmission followed by LTV1 and LNT in the Riga region on the 1st April. Finally the ASO transition completes with the switch of LTV1 and LNT in the whole of the country on the 1st June.
Source: Lattelecom press release
Item added: 8th February 2010
30,000 households use DTT
Pay-DTT service provider Lattelecom says that there are 30,000 households using the DTT platform in Latvia.
In total 220,000 households are relying on the analogue terrestrial platform according to the National Radio and Television Board.
Commercial broadcaster LNT has also confirmed that it will be switching of its analogue services in Riga on the 1st April followed by the rest of the country on the 1st June.
LTV7 will switch off its analogue service on the 1st March.
Source: Lattelecom
Item added: 25th January 2010
Lattelcom ups subscriber base
The telecom and DTT operator Lattelcom has gain 12,000 pay-DTT subscribers in the first six months of operation. In total it had 55,000 pay-TV subscribers by the end of 2009 of which 43,000 subscribe to the IPTV package.
DTT viewers can also watch three national free to air services, LTV1, LTV7 and LNT.
TVS is also available in the Riga area.
Analogue switch-off is set to begin in Riga and the surrounding area on the 1st April and actions in the rest of the country on the 1st June.
Main source: Lattelecom press release
Item added: 11th January 2010
ASO to begin in April 2010
A meeting between the DTT operator Lattelecom, the broadcast network operator LVRTC and the National Radio and TV Council (NRTP) has proposed that analogue switch-off takes place in Riga on 1 April 2010, reports Broadband TV News..
The suggestion to put back switch off in Riga, originally set for March, was made on financial grounds and followed a meeting between the NRTP, Latvian State Radio, LVRTC and Lattelecom. At the same time, it has suggested that switch off takes place in other parts of the country by the 1st June.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 21st December 2009
ASO may be sooner than expected
The Latvian capital, Riga, is expected to become fully digital on the 1st March next year and the rest of the country by early summer. The National Radio and TV Council will announce precise timings on the 15th December, reports Broadband TV News.
The Latvian national commercial station LNT will continue to be offered free of charge by Lattelecom, the operator of the country’s recently launched DTT platform, in the run-up to and following the transition to digital broadcasting.
This follows an agreement signed by LNT and the TeliaSonera-backed telco.
The report goes on to say that MTG-backed TV3 will remain in analogue during the run-up to ASO, allowing the station funds to invest in programme development.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 14th December 2009
Early ASO pushed for
Despite DTT services being launched only a few months ago, LNT and TV3 are already considering turning of analogue channels in Riga in early 2010.
They say that the existing analogue channels provide poor service quality, have few viewers and cost a lot to run. The broadcasters are also looking at turning off analogue services in other parts of the country.
The government has announced the official switch of as being by the end of 2012 but Lattelecom is expected to push for this to come forward.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 16th November 2009
DTT receivers now more widely available
In the past DTT receivers were only obtainable from the platform operator Lattelecom but recent changes have made the equipment more widely available, reports Broadband TV News.
The changes make it possible to purchase receiver boxes from two retail stores, Ekor and RD Electronics as well as Lattelecom.
The DTT services officially launched by the TeliaSonera-backed operator in August are available within a 70km radius of Riga. Lattelecom, markets two pay-DTT packages offering between 15 and 30 services.
It is estimated that 3000 households access the service.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 12th October 2009
DTT services officially launched in Riga
The first phase of the DTT launch in Latvia has been completed according to a report from Digitag attributed to Lattelecom.
Viewers within a 70km radius of the capital city Riga can now access DTT services. Coverage will be expanded in an additional phase this year and extended to the majority of the country in 2010.
The service uses MPEG-4 compression and a DVB-T transmission to give viewers access to five free-to-air services (LTV1, LTV7, LNT, TV5, and TV3). In addition, Lattelecom is offering a pay-DTT services with up to 30 television programme services.
Source: Digitag
Item added: 17th August 2009
First stage of DTT plan over
The first stage of Lattelecom’s preparations for the DTT platform are over, reports Broadband TV News, quoting the Telco’s project manager.
As a result DTT services will become available in Riga during the second half of July.
Lattelecom, which already operates an IPTV service, was awarded a DTT licence earlier this year
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 13th July 2009
Latvia launches another DTT tender
The Latvian State Radio and TV Centre (LVRTC) has launched an open international tender for digital TV infrastructure to cover the whole of the country, according to Broadband TV News.
This is the fifth international tender they have issued this year.
The previous tenders were for the provision of antenna system components, DMV antenna systems, TV transmitters for TV broadcast systems and MPEG-4 compression system equipments.
The Latvian Telco Lattelecom, which secured a licence to operate a DTT, service at the beginning of this year and is expected to launch a full service shortly.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 15th June 2009
Lattelecom to cover country with DTT by year end
The Latvian State Radio and TV Centre (LVRTC) and winner of the DTT tender Lattelcom have signed an agreement that will enable the country to be covered by DTT signals by the end of the year.
The deal effectively gives Lattelcom access to the LVRTC’s infrastructure as it prepares to launch the country’s first DTT operation.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 7th April 2009
Over 500 channels available on DTT platforms in Europe
Recent data from the MAVISE TV database, developed for the DG Communication of the European Commission by the European Audiovisual Observatory, shows the continued expansion of television channels in the European (EU 27 + Croatia and Turkey) television market. More than 200 new TV channels were launched in 2008. There are now a total of 5587 channels (plus 412 non-European channels) available in the 29 countries.
Digital terrestrial television (DTT) has experienced significant developments in the last year.
Six of the 29 countries included in the MAVISE database have already ceased analogue terrestrial transmission.
France, Italy, Spain and the UK (four markets with large use of terrestrial television) have reached very high levels of DTT penetration in households and two of these have started regional switch-off of the analogue signals
The market will see more rapid development this year with the expected launch of new services in Slovenia, Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, Poland, Greece, and Slovakia. Full article at: EAO press release
Item added: 7th April 2009
Bids for DVB-T receiver supply mounting
Service provider Lattelecom is currently accepting bids for the provision of DTT receivers for the launch its new service and has already received bids from 26 companies according to Broadband TV News.
The DTT service will offer both free-to-air and pay services.
All domestic television programmes are to be offered free to view and MPEG-4 AVC compression will be used
DTT services will launch first in the capital city Riga and then be rolled out in Kurzeme, Vidzeme, Zemgale, and Latgale.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added 23rd February 2009
DTT licence awarded to Lattelecom
Latvian telco Lattelecom has been awarded the licence to run the country’s future DTT platform.
Latvia’s early plans to launch DTT services stalled because of a business scandal. However this delayed launch allows the use of MPEG-4 coding technology to launch a more efficient service, which is planned to start in 2011.
Lattelecom is owned by the Latvian state (51%) and Tilts Communications (49%), a wholly owned subsidiary of Sonera Holding/Sonera Corporation/Telia Sonera, and already operates an IPTV.
It beat off competition from several other companies including DauTKom and the Latvian Radio and TV Centre, to secure the DTT operator’s licence.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 2nd February 2009
Latvia DVB-H trial continues
Mobile operator Latvian Mobile Telecom (LMT) has teamed up with the Latvia State Radio and Television Centre (LVRTC) and Thomson to launch a DVB-H trial in the Riga area.
During the trial, which began in November 2007 and runs until the end of 2008, four live interactive pay-per-view channels will be available on the transmission network, provided by LVRTC.
Source: dvb-h.org website and Digitag.org
Item added: 11th February 2008
Analogue Switch Off date set for early 2011
The strategy for the introduction of DTT services in Latvia was approved on the 11th October 2006 by the Latvian Cabinet.
The detailed article can be found by clicking on the following link.
http://ppd.mk.gov.lv/ui/DocumentContent.aspx?ID=4933
Source: Thanks to Riga Technical University
Item added: 21st March 2007
Background
DTT plans for Latvia are reported to be on hold due to the proposed sale of the countries Digital Radio and TV Centre (DLTRC) and other problems.
Prior to this DLTRC were planning for 6 DVB-T multiplexes in total using MHP and providing for some mobile services. Testing has been taking place in Riga since 2002 and it was planned to launch commercial services in late 2003 or early 2004. By 2006 it was expected that 97% of the population would be covered and all analogue services would be switched off.
Hopefully the current situation will be resolved and Latvia will be back on track with the introduction of DTT soon.
Barry Tew, 6th October 2004
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Last page update: 12th December 2011, Barry Tew
