Panama also wants to reach the Soccer World Cup with DVB-T

[khurramdar]

Panama also wants to reach the Soccer World Cup with DVB-T

According to what the Television Director of the regulating Agency ASEP, William Del Rio, explained to NexTV Latam, following a strategy similar to that of Colombia's, Panama also wants to start terrestrial free-to-air digital TV HD broadcastings with the coverage of South African Soccer World Cup.

To such ends, such country is planning an alliance with the two main private chains - TVN and Medcom Group, which holds the rights - and with the state-owned channel SerTV which has infrastructure to cover at least the capital city of Panama.

However, the situation is more advantageous for private companies in Panama than in Colombia. Whereas in this country, the two private chains - RCN and Caracol - that hold the rights of the Soccer World Cup have not finished preparing their equipment and cannot rely on a clear broadband to broadcast; in Panama, both Channel 2 (TVN) and Channel 4 (Medcom) have already placed their purchase orders and both will receive their transmitters in June: Rhode & Schwarz for TVN and Harris for Canal 4.
The Spanish Btesa is SerTV's supplier.

Additionally, the three chains have been assigned their temporary trial channels: channel 41 for SerTV, channel 43 for Channel 4 and channel 45 for TVN. However, the Government's deadline to launch the channel assignment decree and the definite technical norms expires in November. As in the Colombian case, Panama also chose MPEG4 DVB-T and as in Colombia the company Samsung would have already committed itself to having TV receivers ready for this market.