VISION TV JOINS U.S.-UKRAINE BUSINESS COUNCIL
International satellite television Viasat - now in Ukraine
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The executive committee of the U.S.-Ukraine
Business Council (USUBC), on behalf of the entire membership, is most
pleased to announce that the Vision TV LLC, has been approved for
USUBC membership.
Vision TV LLC has just launched a new satellite TV service in Ukraine -
Viasat. The company is the only licensed DTH operator in Ukraine.
Richard Caproni, a US citizen, has been the head of Vision TV since
late 2006 and has considerable experience in the pay TV industry since
2001.
He served as the top officer of Ukraine's largest pay TV cable operator
Volia Cable. Richard participated in the launch of the first digital TV
service and the first broadband Internet service in Ukraine (Volia Cable
and Volia Broadband).
The emergence of the Viasat in the market is in direct response to a
significant pent up demand in the market for a digital TV service that
provides viewers with a complete selection of the best Ukrainian, Russian
and international channels, according to Richard.
Special attention will be paid in the Viasat packages to provide Ukrainian
channels. "We are very interested in cooperating with Ukrainian
broadcasters, and for the development of Ukrainian content in general,"
said Richard Casproni, Chief Executive Officer of Vision TV.
Vision TV will offer a variety of affordable packages with premium content
available in Russian and Ukrainian languages. "We believe this strategy will
prove to be the key to making pay-TV a mass-market service in Ukraine,"
Caproni says.
USUBC MEMBERSHIP MORE THAN TRIPLES -----
Vision TV Company is the 69th member for USUBC, the 17th new member
for 2008, and the 47th new member since January of 2007. The USUBC
membership has more than tripled in the past 16 months, from 22 members
in January of 2007 to 69 members in April of 2008.
The other new members in 2008 are MaxWell USA, Baker and McKenzie
law firm, Och-Ziff Capital Management Group, Dipol Chemical International,
MJA Asset Management, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Halliburton,
DLA Piper law firm, EPAM Systems, DHL International Ukraine, Air
Tractor, Inc., Magisters law firm, Ernst & Young, Umbra LLC., and US
PolyTech LLC.
VIASAT SERVICES -----
The Viasat service offers subscribers access to Ukrainian, Russian and
international TV channels covering all the most popular genres, and is
available in three packages: Viasat Family, Viasat Popular and Viasat
Prestige. The monthly subscription fee ranges from 48 UAH to 135 UAH.
Overall, subscribers will have access to more than 60 channels in either
Ukrainian or Russian language, of which you more than 20 you can also
view in English language, covering all genres.
Having such a large variety of genres on television will be a completely new
experience to the majority of Ukrainian households and marks the start of a
new era in terms of content quality for the Ukrainian market. The service
includes channels new to the market, namely: FoxCrime and FoxLife and
science-fiction channel AXN SCI-FI.
Subscribers will also enjoy a variety of film channels including Viasat's
own TV1000 and TV1000 Russian Kino as well as TV XXI, TCM, MGM and
Hallmark; documentary channels such as Viasat History and Viasat Explorer,
Discovery Channel and National Geographic; thematic channels including
Zone Reality, Zone Club, Extreme Sports Channel, Ohota I Rybalka, Drive
and many more; children's entertainment from Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network,
Kids Co; international news channels as CNN, BBC World, Euronews, Al
Jazeera English and Deutsche Welle; and music channels M1 and M2 Estrada
as well as MTV Ukraine and VH1.
Moreover, subscribers will have access to an extensive list of popular,
national Ukrainian TV channels such as: STB, ICTV, Novy Kanal, TRK
Ukraina, 1+1, etc, and the ability to access hundreds of FTA channels.
One may order the Viasat service through the Call Centre at the toll-free
number 8 800 500 4 600 or fill in the online order form on the website -
www.viasat.ua.
The Viasat Service uses MPEG-4, DVB-S2 technology and introduces its
own branded satellite receiver, the VIASAT SRT 7700. The service is
encrypted with the NDS Videoguard conditional access system and is
delivered via the Sirius 4 satellite, which provides practically ideal
coverage for Ukraine.
The Electronic programme guide (EPG) from NDS is an additional advantage
of the Viasat service, providing a dynamic and user-friendly navigator for
the subscriber to further customise the service to his or her taste.
Viasat will be available to all Ukrainians, regardless of their location or
income level. The price of the service takes into account the purchasing
power of a large share of the Ukrainian market. Depending on the package,
the cost of a subscription will start at less than 10USD and go up to 30
USD.
The Viasat Contact Centre and the official Website are already operating.
A national dealer network has already been created.
INTERNATIONAL SATELLITE TV VIASAT SERVICE
VIASAT, a well known brand, is an expert in the production and
distribution of television channels and programs. Viasat has more than
40 of its own channels, such as Viasat History, Viasat Explorer, TV
1000, which are distributed in 24 countries of Western and Southern
Europe and the Baltics. The number of viewers totals almost 100
million.
The shareholders of the Vision TV Company are major investors
in the international TV market, the Scandinavian Media Group Modern
Times Group (VIASAT DTH platform owner) and the Strong Media
Group (Strong International is a leading distributor of digital satellite
receivers for satellite, cable and on air television ).
"USUBC is very pleased to have Vision TV LLC join our rapidly
expanding membership," said Morgan Williams, SigmaBleyzer, who
serves as President of USUBC. "USUBC looks forward to working
with Vision TV in 2008."