Transition to digital cable reduces signal theft in LatAm
Latin America's migration towards a digital TV signal has helped the region reduce the percentage of illegal pay-TV connections, according to Ariel Barlaro, vice president for Latin America at telecom intelligence firm Dataxis.
Illegal pay-TV connections had a 45.8% penetration in the region in 2008. The figure currently stands at 17% and is expected to reach 13.6% in 2021, said Barlaro during a webinar. However, illegal connections will prevail in some 10mn homes, which represent losses up to 13% of operators' revenues.
According to Barlaro, the analogue cable infrastructure facilitates illegal pay-TV connections in the region. "The main factor is not the percentage of analogue users, but the penetration of homes passed by analogue networks," he pointed out.
Latin American countries began adopting the digital video broadcasting-terrestrial standard in 2007, and affordable set-top boxes (STBs) became available in the region a year later, both of which helped reduce the number of illegal analogue pay-TV connections.
In addition to the high costs entailed in intervening digital networks, more affordable pay-TV plans increased the legal subscriber base. This is the case for Mexico, where operators launched pay-TV plans costing less than US$10 eight years ago, providing attractive and legal alternatives for the low-income segments.
Barlaro also mentioned Colombia, a country that traditionally had a high penetration of illegal connections, as a success story. In this country, the switch to digital signals and a consolidation of pay-TV operators resulted in a steady drop in piracy that is expected to continue through 2021.
On the downside, many operators are not digitalizing their infrastructure fast enough, fostering signal theft. Another factor contributing to cable piracy is the lack of regulation for STBs, which are used to obtain DTH illegally. Barlaro said this is particularly worrisome in Brazil, where pay-TV piracy has focused on DTH for several years now.
Data from regulator Anatel indicates that Brazil's pay-TV segment lost 20,737 subscribers in August this year, with penetration falling from 28% to 27.7%.
Subscribe to the leading business intelligence platform in Latin America with different tools for Providers, Contractors, Operators, Government, Legal, Financial and Insurance industries.
News in: ICT (Brazil)
Schneider Electric expands Brazil plant, eyes edge market opportunities
The company started to manufacture modular, container datacenters at its Santa Catarina factory in 2H23, BNamericas was told.
Communications ministry signs agreement with Spanish government to expand digital inclusion in the country
Signing involves state-owned Telebras and Spanish company Hispasat; the objective is to bring connectivity to remote regions. The deal took place d...
Subscribe to Latin America’s most trusted business intelligence platform.
Other projects in: ICT
Get critical information about thousands of ICT projects in Latin America: what stages they're in, capex, related companies, contacts and more.
- Project: CloudHQ Rio de Janeiro data center (GIG Campus)
- Current stage:
- Updated:
2 weeks ago
- Project: DataTrust data center
- Current stage:
- Updated:
3 weeks ago
- Project: Expansion of the Oi trunk network
- Current stage:
- Updated:
3 weeks ago
- Project: QR02 Data Center
- Current stage:
- Updated:
3 weeks ago
- Project: Odata data center in Querétaro (DC QR01)
- Current stage:
- Updated:
3 weeks ago
- Project: Chiva 2 - Second Data Center in Barranquilla
- Current stage:
- Updated:
3 weeks ago
- Project: QR03 Data Center
- Current stage:
- Updated:
4 weeks ago
- Project: Falcon de Layer 9 Data Centers
- Current stage:
- Updated:
3 weeks ago
- Project: Antarctic Submarine Cable
- Current stage:
- Updated:
4 weeks ago
- Project: Galapagos Submarine Cable
- Current stage:
- Updated:
1 month ago
Other companies in: ICT (Brazil)
Get critical information about thousands of ICT companies in Latin America: their projects, contacts, shareholders, related news and more.
- Company: Nippon Koei LAC Do Brasil LTDA  (Nippon Koei LAC Do Brasil)
-
The description included in this profile was taken directly from an official source and has not been modified or edited by the BNamericas’ researchers. However, it may have been...
- Company: DCBM Servicos e Comercio de Infraestrutura Para Ambientes de Missao Critica LTDA  (DCBM Data Center)
-
The description contained in this profile is taken directly from an official source and has not been edited or modified by BNamericas researchers, but may have been machine tran...
- Company: DPR Telecomunicações Ltda.  (DPR)
-
The description contained in this profile is taken directly from an official source and has not been edited or modified by BNamericas researchers, but may have been machine tran...
- Company: Universo Online S.A.  (Grupo UOL)
-
The description contained in this profile is taken directly from an official source and has not been edited or modified by BNamericas researchers, but may have been machine tran...
- Company: Claro Telecom Participações S.A.  (Claro Brasil)
-
Fixed and mobile telephony provider Claro S.A. (Claro Brasil) is the Brazilian unit of the Claro brand owned by Latin American telecom giant América Móvil S.A.B. de C.V. The com...
- Company: Telium Tecnologia da Informação Ltda.  (Telium Networks)
-
The description contained in this profile is taken directly from an official source and has not been edited or modified by BNamericas researchers, but may have been machine tran...
- Company: AUTPRO Elétrica e Automação Ltda.  (AUTPRO)
-
The description contained in this profile is taken directly from an official source and has not been edited or modified by BNamericas researchers, but may have been machine tran...
- Company: Inovamall Consultoria e Assessoria Empresarial Ltda.  (Inovamall)
-
The description contained in this profile was taken directly from an official source and has not been edited or modified by BNamericas researchers, but may have been automatical...
- Company: CBRE Brasil
- Company: Kyndryl Brasil
-
The description included in this profile was taken directly from an official source and has not been modified or edited by the BNamericas’ researchers. However, it may have been...