MobiFone takes a dip in PayTV market

January 08, 2016 | 11:12
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On January 7, deputy general director of MobiFone Nguyen Manh Hung verified the acquisition of Audio Visual Global JSC (AVG), the owner of An Vien payTV.

“The rumours of our buying of 95 per cent of AVG were accurate, but we cannot disclose the deal’s exact monetary value due to the privacy terms between the parties,” Hung said.

In Hung’s words, MobiFone, regarded as the second largest player on the Vietnamese telecom market behind military-run Viettel in terms of market share, will keep AVG stable in the first 3-6 months and will continue using the ground and satellite digital technology.

Hung also said that unlike other payTV operators, such as VTVcab, K+, or Viettel, MobiFone will regard broadcasting services as part of the ‘ecosystem’ serving their more than 40 million subscribers, turning it into a television channel tied with telecommunications services and using the latest technology.

“The way MobiFone is running broadcasting services will also differ from the current traditional model that chiefly relies on subscriber fees. We envisage providing broadcasting services and collecting fees through mobile phones,” Hung shared.

“Several services might be free of charge. If each of our 40 million subscribers paid $1 service charge a month, the total sum would be huge,” Hung added.

Earlier, in a meeting on the deployment of the Ministry of Information and Communications’ 2016 business plan, MobiFone chairman Le Nam Tra said that the company had been working on a plan to make investments in the television field after getting approval from the prime minister.

Tra said they will invest in building the essential infrastructure to deliver television services as well as take part in the government’s plan on digitalising television.

“This movement will help reinforce MobiFone’s competitive edge in the current highly competitive market,” Tra said.

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By By Huu Tuan

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