Romanian state - owned Radiocom wins licenses for digital TV switch-over

Romania's National Broadcasting Company Radiocom has won the three multiplexes for digital television in the country, and pledged to pay EUR 1 million in licenses, the country's communication authority ANCOM has announced. Radiocom will hold the licenses for ten years, starting June 2015. For the first digital multiplex MUX 1, the company will have he obligation to broadcast, under transparent, competitive and non-discriminatory conditions, the public and private television stations that are currently broadcast in analogue terrestrial system. It will have to ensure a coverage, in fixed reception, of 90 percent of the population and of 80 percent of the territory by end of 2016. For the other two multiplexes, the company will have to install at least 36 emitters for each of the networks for these multiplexes, one for each allocation zone. In Romania, the digital switch-over should be completed by June 17, 2015, according to the 2006 Geneva Agreement. Then, all analogue terrestrial broadcasting will be switched off and replaced by the digital terrestrial broadcasting of TV programmes and related multimedia services. The winner Radiocom, with 1,420 employees, posted a turnover of around EUR 75.1 million in 2013, and a loss of some EUR 2 million. The turnover was slightly higher than in 2012 (EUR 74.6 million), while its loss stayed at a similar level. Earlier this year, Radiocom announced its plans to enter the telecom market with cheap internet, telephony and TV offer. More about it here. editor@romania-insider.com