Yettel removes N1 and Nova from some customers’ packages in ‘pilot project’

Yettel says it is testing flexible TV packages. But for customers who suddenly lost N1 and Nova, the experiment feels less like choice and more like a decision made for them.

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When I called the operator’s customer service, I received an unbelievable answer: they said those channels had been turned off ‘because of testing’ and ‘because of people who do not want to have them’.

The Serbian operator removed the two channels from some users’ packages under a pilot project launched on Aug. 28. Customers who do not want the channels are offered a monthly reduction of 300 dinars. One EON Premium user said customer support told him the channels had been removed “because of testing” and “because of people who do not want to have them.” After he said he wanted to keep them, Yettel restored both channels within an hour.

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I asked whether, if this was the modularity and flexibility they supposedly offer their users, I could remove other channels, such as Pink, Informer or RTS, while keeping the price the same, but they said that option did not exist.

The outcome differed for Ana Stevanović, a former member of parliament and former member of the parliamentary committee for culture and information. She said Yettel emailed her that the channel list in her package would change during a 12-month pilot designed to create more modular and flexible TV packages. When she asked whether she could remove other channels, such as Pink, Informer or RTS, while keeping the same price, she said the company told her that option was unavailable.

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This pilot project will last 12 months and covers a combination of channels from different providers and content categories, including news, children’s and entertainment programming. The project covers a very small part of the customer base, and participants were selected randomly.

Yettel said the pilot covers a very small and randomly selected part of its customer base. It said the test combines channels from different providers and categories, including news, children’s and entertainment programming. Stevanović questioned whether the removal of N1 and Nova was really random, saying the decision left her with the bitter impression that the media space was narrowing without her consent.

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Having channels that are regarded as professional taken away without leaving you any other choice really leaves a very bitter feeling that you are being manipulated. I now genuinely feel that the media space is narrowing, not by your choice.