Kurir, Informer and other channels unlocked for antenna users in Serbia

Residents in parts of Serbia can now receive channels including Informer, Kurir, Arena Sport, K1, Blic TV and Euronews through a regular indoor or rooftop antenna. Telekom Serbia has unlocked the Arena Plus package, also known as MUX 3, for a six-month promotional period.

Telekom Serbia director Vladimir Lučić confirmed the move to the Association of Journalists of Serbia. He said the promotion makes 30 channels available through terrestrial broadcasting. The channels had previously been encrypted and restricted to people who paid a monthly subscription for Telekom’s Antena Plus service.

Serbia switched to digital television broadcasting in 2015 and created three networks, MUX 1, MUX 2 and MUX 3. Telekom leased MUX 3 with the intention of offering a commercial package to viewers without cable television. The temporary unlocking has raised questions about how channels without permits for terrestrial coverage can now be broadcast in the affected areas.

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Through satellite you can offer more than 200 channels, while through MUX 3 you can offer a limited number, around 30 channels.

The decision comes as parliamentary elections have been announced, but Lučić told the association that it was solely a business move. Telekom’s five-year contract with Emisiona tehnika i veze is approaching its end, and the company wants to measure how many viewers would be willing to pay for the service before deciding whether to continue the partnership.

Lučić said Telekom’s satellite service, Total TV, currently generates considerably more revenue. Satellite television can offer more than 200 channels, he said, while MUX 3 can offer about 30. More than 300,000 people use the satellite service, compared with 6,000 who paid for MUX 3. Telekom wants to assess potential demand by the end of the year before deciding whether to continue the terrestrial service.

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In Serbia, there are more than 300,000 satellite users, while 6,000 paid for MUX 3.