The government is set to proceed with a reduction in the transmission signal used by Hellas Sat, which it believes will resolve the problems preventing some viewers from receiving private television channels.
Although the state failed to account, during the relevant tender process, for the transmission range used by the contractor, Hellas Sat, responsibility has effectively been shifted to the private company, which is now being asked to absorb the consequences of shortcomings attributed to the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy.
Yesterday, the issue was discussed before the House Transport Committee, where the deputy minister once again acknowledged that not all technical parameters had been properly assessed. He insisted that the resulting disruption could not have been foreseen, arguing that the ministry could not have known the individual wiring conditions and technical difficulties present in citizens' homes.
The overall impression from the parliamentary discussion was that the deputy ministry intends to test the reduced transmission settings and, if no further public reaction emerges, will not grant an additional extension to the transitional period.
The planned change to the broadcast signal will not affect the high-definition picture quality received by viewers. However, it will impose additional costs on the company, while Hellas Sat has also assumed the cost of restoring the Velister network.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister Nicodemos Damianou did not rule out the possibility of subsidising decoders, either during the committee discussion or in his official statements. Nevertheless, information suggests that officials within the deputy ministry do not consider such a policy necessary, arguing that no similar subsidy was provided in 2011 when Cyprus transitioned from analogue to digital broadcasting.
What remained unanswered by the deputy ministry was why specific technical requirements had not been included in the tender process and why no study had been conducted to assess the level of technological readiness among the public.
Furious broadcasters
According to information obtained by Politis, intense consultations took place in recent days between the deputy ministry and Hellas Sat.
The company reportedly maintained that it had provided the public with a highly advanced broadcasting network and viewed the transition as an opportunity to modernise the system and encourage consumers to adapt to new technology.
The deputy ministry, however, insisted on proceeding with a reduction in the transmission signal.
During the committee meeting, the deputy minister referred to the fact that the previous Velister network had not been upgraded for 15 years. He argued that upgrades should have been implemented as early as 2021.
Responding on behalf of Sigma TV, Chrysanthos Tsouroullis said the state had behaved "like a loan shark" when it took over part of Velister's frequencies, which were subsequently sold for €45 million, while none of those funds were reinvested in the media sector.
The general manager of Alpha Cyprus criticised the three-month transitional period as inadequate and pointed to the example of Greece, where the parallel transmission of HD and SD signals has continued for four years.
According to Alpha, a similar approach could provide viewers with the time needed to adapt gradually to the new broadcasting system.
