Russian TV to go on air in Cambodia

By Margarita Bogatova Jul 25, 2012 Moscow Time

© Collage: The Voice of Russia

At present, Cambodians are getting a chance to watch Russian television programmes. The General Satellite Corporation which is working with the operators of satellite TV ”Trikolor” and NTV has created its own ONE TV network of cable channels in Cambodia. 

The project was implemented together with the Royal Group of Companies, which possesses 49 percent of the joint venture. The Russian company, which is the initiator of the project, owns the majority share.

The ONE TV platform, which was launched as an experiment on the 24th of July, has become the first venture of the General Satellite abroad. The company is planning to expand its broadcast to Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries in Asia as well as Africa, CIS and Latin America.

The Cambodian digital broadcasting system of ONE TV differs slightly from that of Russia, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Communications and Mass Media Alexei Malinin, who arrived in Bangkok to attend the opening ceremony, said in an interview with the Voice of Russia.

“The digital broadcasting system, which will be launched in Cambodia, is almost the same as that in Russia. As a whole, this system was developed with the involvement of the General Satellite Company together with its Cambodian partners. Moreover, Russia’s Beeline operator is also working in Cambodia. Earlier, an agreement was signed between RIA Novosti and the Cambodian state-run information agency,” Alexei Malinin said.

For now, ONE TV is broadcasting programmes only in Phnom Penh and providing only 20 channels. In the future, it is planning to cover the entire territory and include a package of 60 channels. ONE TV will start working in full capacity in the middle of September. The platform hopes to gather 400-500 thousand subscribers no later than 2015. said Catherina Gamadzhan, General Satellite’s strategic marketing director, in an interview with the Voice of Russia.

“In all, 60 local and international channels will be offered to Cambodian viewers. At present, we air 20 channels, including local, state-run, regional and popular channels with high ratings. We are holding talks with two Russian channels on the possibility of including them to the package of ONE TV. In view of this, this is a unique operator from the standpoint of quality and method of delivering information,” Catherina Gamadzhan said.

The project has been implemented in Cambodia in time because like Russia, it is planning to shift to digital broadcasting by 2015. Before the appearance of ONE TV, local providers broadcast commercial digital television programmes only in the capital.