Boxer TV Access


Boxer TV Access AB
Type Private
Founded 1999
Headquarters Stockholm, Sweden Boxer TV-Access AB
Stockholm, Sweden Teracom AB
Dublin, Ireland Boxer DTT Limited
Copenhagen, Denmark Boxer TV Danmark
Key people Per Norman - CEO of the Board of Boxer AB
Crister Fritzson - President of the Board of Boxer AB
Industry Media, Telecommunications
Products digital terrestrial television
Revenue Not disclosed as private company
Employees 60 (Sweden), 50 (Denmark), 2 (Ireland)
Website www.boxer.se

Boxer TV Access is a Swedish company providing pay television channel on the digital terrestrial television network in Sweden. Modeled on the British ITV Digital, it was founded in October 1999. Some channels on the Swedish DTT are free-to-air, but most of the channels require subscription from Boxer. Boxer has claimed to have 709,000 subscribers by the end of 2007. [1]

Boxer offers dozens of channels, with the number of channels varying depending on location and how one wants to count. As of early 2008, channels from Boxer broadcast on four national transmitter networks, of which three (MUX2, MUX3 and MUX4) can be received by 98 percent of the population using a regular antenna. The fourth network, named MUX5, has lower coverage. Another transmitter network (MUX1) has higher coverage but it doesn't contain any Boxer channels.

The majority shareholder was held in Boxer TV Access by Teracom which is owned by the Swedish state. The British venture capital firm 3i held a 30 percent stake. [2] Teracom have now acquired this 30% stake from 3i in recent days. [3] Teracom sees this 100% stake as a logical next step. 3I had held the 30% having acquired the shares from Skandia Media Invest in 2005. With is 100% stake, Teracom moves from majority to sole shareholder in Boxer.[4]

"Teracom has always been the main shareholder in Boxer and acquiring all the shares is a logical continuation of that ownership. Boxer will continue its successful business in the same manner as before, that is being a pay-TV operator dedicated to terrestrial platforms and working independently of any individual broadcaster," says Crister Fritzson, CEO of Teracom.

In March 2008, Boxer TV A/S, a subsidiary of Boxer TV Access, won the franchise to build and operate the terrestrial pay television platform in Denmark. In February 2009 it launched this service in Jutland covering West Denmark. This service will extend during 2009 to most of Denmark [5][6]

In 2008, Boxer announced that it had put in a bid to operate 3 of the 4 multiplexes of the DTT service for Ireland, in conjunction with Irish company Communicorp. On July 21 2008 Boxer DTT Ireland were awarded the Irish franchise Boxer TV Ireland subject to contract[7][8]. However on 20 April 2009 the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland announced that contract negotiations had ended and Boxer DTT Ireland had withdrawn its application to operate the multiplexes. [9]

Contents

Channels

Boxer's channels are sold in five basic packages:

The free channels SVT1, SVT2, SVT24, SVTB, Kunskapskanalen, TV4, TV6 and Axess TV are always included.

In addition one can buy extra cards for all five packages, as well as:

Controversy

Boxer has been criticized as the services provided begun highly unpopular with only 500 users of digital television transceiver the first year in operation. The services that are offered were already available by other means and because of this any normal private company would have gone bankrupt.

The state funneled huge amount of capital for advertisement which reached the cost equal of one cataract surgery for one advertisement shown. While on Boxer's homepage they stated that money was to be spent moderately and responsible the commercial was broadcast in every opportunity on all commercially funded channels however the sales of the digital television transceiver did not pick up speed. Not until 2003 when it was decided shutdown all analog television broadcasts before 2008, Boxer started to sell digital transceivers.

Critical voices have been raised within Sweden that the Swedish state drove the reformation from analog to digital broadcasting to ensure a state-control of what can be broadcast. Because of the limited bandwidth only a select few channels are permitted to broadcast. These channels are hand picked by the state possibly limiting controversial channels.

Monopoly distribution

Boxer had a monopoly for encrypted of television signals in the digital terrestrial network. If a broadcaster got to distribute television it had to either broadcast free-to-air or use the encryption services of Boxer. This was a contravention to European Union rules which require that there is an open market for radio and television broadcasting. On October 17, 2006 the European Commission announced that it was taking Sweden to the European Court of Justice for failure to abolish the monopoly. Neelie Kroes, Commissioner for Competition, said: "I regret that I have had to refer Sweden to the Court, but Swedish viewers should no longer be denied their right, guaranteed by (EU) law, to choose digital terrestrial TV suppliers".[10]

The case against Sweden at the European Court of Justice taken by the European Commission, has since been withdrawn as a result of Sweden’s amendment of the broadcast regulations. Previously, Sweden only allowed a single operator to handle all encryption services on the DTT platform but under the amended regulation, new operators will be able to offer encrypted DTT services making it possible for them to launch pay-DTT services [11].

See also

References

  1. ^ Continued growth for Boxer in 2007. Press release. January 10, 2008. http://www.boxer.se/?page=215&display=254:2239. 
  2. ^ "Grundfakta om Boxer TV-Access AB". http://www.boxer.se/?page=340. Retrieved on 2008-03-31. 
  3. ^ "Teracom takes Boxer control". http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/?p=11026?page=340. Retrieved on 2008-11-20. 
  4. ^ "Teracom becomes sole owner of Boxer". http://www.dtg.org.uk/news/news.php?class=countries&subclass=0&id=3195. Retrieved on 2008-11-20. 
  5. ^ [1]
  6. ^ [2]DVB.org April 8th, 2009
  7. ^ O'Brien-backed Boxer awarded DTT licences - The Irish Times - Mon, Jul 21, 2008
  8. ^ RTÉ Business: Boxer knocks out other digital TV contenders
  9. ^ [3] BCI Confirms Boxer Decision to Withdraw Appliction for DTT Multiplex Contracts
  10. ^ EU sues Sweden over digital TV monopoly, The Local, October 17, 2006
  11. ^ Competition: Commission ends Court proceedings after Sweden abolishes Boxer's exclusive right in digital terrestrial broadcasting services. Press release. June 05, 2008. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/878&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=fr. 

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