Telekom Austria Group and SPI/Filmbox International form a multi-country alliance
Telekom Austria Group entered into a strategic agreement with SPI International/Filmbox International, which allows the Vienna-based company to launch the FilmBox thematic channels in the territories where the operator is active in. With its “direct2home” platform Telekom Austria Group also acts as technical distribution and contribution provider for the FilmBox channels’ Balkan and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) feeds, over the Eutelsat 16A satellite.
The agreement allows almost 250,000 customers in the region to reach the content of various FilmBox channels. The channels were firstly launched in the Bulgarian market within Mobiltel, followed by Blizoo in the Republic of Macedonia. In the first half of 2015, Telekom Austria Group also plans to introduce the channels in at least two of their other markets.
“With Telekom Austria Group´s ‘direct2home’ broadcast services we proudly bring FilmBox channels not only to Pay-TV operators across the Group´s footprint but also offer those channels to other DTH operators via Eutelsat 16A. This cooperation allows us to deliver premium content to both our footprint and to an extended CEE area,” comments Stefan Amon, Director Wholesale Telekom Austria Group.
The technical satellite distribution service offered by Telekom Austria Group to Filmbox International is composed of video signal transport, encoding, encryption and uplink services, delivered by the Group´s earth station in Aflenz, Austria and its international backbone with more than 200 PoPs - arguably the largest fiber network in Europe. The Filmbox channels’ TV signal is being distributed via the Eutelsat 16A satellite.
“Telekom Austria Group and SPI are two companies eying continuous expansion in Central and Eastern Europe. It is a great opportunity to form a strategic alliance with this important player in the industry,” states Berk Uziyel, Executive Director of FilmBox International Ltd.
“We are able to bring not only our thematic channels such us FightBox HD or DocuBox HD to the Balkan countries but we are also currently developing localized movie channels from the FilmBox brand,” said Berk Uziyel, who was negotiating the deal.
About Telekom Austria Group
Telekom Austria Group, listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since November 2000, is the leading communications provider in Central and Eastern Europe with roughly 23 million customers across its markets of operations. The Group is currently operating in eight countries: Austria (A1), Bulgaria (Mobiltel), Belarus (velcom), Croatia (Vipnet), Slovenia (Si.mobil), the Republic of Serbia (Vip mobile) and the Republic of Macedonia (Vip operator), and Liechtenstein (Telekom Liechtenstein). The total market of the eight countries covers approximately 41 million inhabitants. The Group has roughly 16,000 employees as of February 10, 2014. Group revenues were roughly EUR 4 billion as of year-end 2014. Telekom Austria Group’s portfolio encompasses products and services of voice telephony, broadband Internet, multimedia services, data and IT solutions, wholesale as well as payment solutions.
For further information please visit: www.telekomaustria.com
About SPI International
For over twenty years, SPI International has been a leading supplier of theatrical films and television programming in the international market. SPI currently operates more than 30 FilmBox brand TV channels on four continents, boasts an unbeatable VOD library, and maintains more than 25 million subscribers. SPI’s strong alliances with companies such as Focus Features, The Weinstein Company, Summit Entertainment, Studio Canal, Pathe, Lakeshore Entertainment, Endemol, Wild Bunch, BBC, ITV, Beta, Freemantle Corp., and Tandem, among many others, provide endlessly compelling content, with strong recognition and high demand. SPI is also committed to using the latest technology, so audiences everywhere can enjoy easy access to its content. With its latest cutting-edge app FilmBox Live, SPI now offers live feeds of its TV channels and access to its on-demand catalogue on any Internet-connected device. SPI continues to enhance the home-entertainment experience and develop new opportunities for our partners around the world.
For further information please visit: www.spiintl.com
Contact SPI:
Milena Wisniowolska
+48 512 097 552
mwisniowolska@kinopolska.pl