Poland’s ‘n’ teams up with Sony for CI Plus CAM launch

Polish pay TV operator ‘n’ has teamed up with TV manufacturer Sony to launch a CI Plus CAM in the next few weeks.

TVN-backed ‘n’’s chief operating officer Christian Anting has told DTVE Daily that the operator’s CI Plus offering, the nCAM, will be launched in the next few weeks. Sony will offer the nCAM as part of a package with the sale of flat-screen TVs in the country. Anting said that Sony was the first TV manufacturer to make such a commitment to CI Plus in Poland, but that deals with other manufacturers would follow.

The launch of the nCAM is part of a wider drive by ‘n’ to attract new subscribers to its platform ahead of Poland’s planned digital switchover in 2013. Anting said that the CI Plus offering, which will include access to a package of 12 HD channels and 50 thematic channels, would attract higher-end customers who could contribute to higher ARPU for the operator going forwards.

Anting said that about three million Polish households would be affected by the country’s terrestrial switchover and that about a third of these could be attracted to DTH pay TV. “We think a big part of our growth could come from that,” he said.

This news comes ahead of ‘n’’s planned launch of multi-play offerings in partnership with Polish telco TP next month. The two companies have already collaborated in co-marketing broadband from TP with ‘n’’s TNK pre-paid TV service, following their agreement at the end of last year. The next phase will see the pair launch full combined TV and broadband offerings.