Friday, February 08, 2013

Dutch Telco KPN Launches New Pay TV Service In Belgium Called Snow; Includes Nickelodeon And Nick Jr.

The television news website TBI Vision is reporting the news that the Dutch Telecommunications company KPN has launched a brand new pay TV service in Belgium called "Snow". The service, available in French and Flemish versions, offers 33 channels, including Viacom's Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and MTV, plus public broadcast channels from France and the UK, including BBC One, Two, Three, Four, CBeebies, BBC HD, BBC World News, BBC Entertainment and CBBC:
New Belgian pay TV service launches with raft of intn’l channels

Dutch telco KPN has launched a new pay TVservice in Belgium, Snow.

The service will combine TV, internet and telephony in a bundled offering, competing with existing providers Telenet and Belgacom.

The Snow service will be marketed separately from KPN Belgium’s existing mobile telecom offering in the country, Base. The service offers 33 channels including public broadcast channels from France and the UK

Snow went live yesterday and includes French and Flemish options. The French service includes all the channels of UK broadcaster the BBC – BBC One, Two, Three, Four, CBeebies, BBC HD, BBC World News, BBC Entertainment and CBBC – as well as France 2, 3, 4 and 5, TF1, LCI and TV Breizh from France, Belgian Francophone channels La Une, La Deux and La Trois, RTL TVI, Club RTL, AB3, MCM één, Canvas, Ketnet, OPTV, Trace Sports, Viacom’s MTV, Nickelodeon and Nick Jr, Disney, Disney Junior and Disney XD, Turner’s CNN and Cartoon Network, National Geographic Channel and Discovery Channel.

The Flemish version excludes France’s public channels but includes Flemish public channels, OP12, VTM, VTM Kzoom, 2BE, Vier, Vijf, Vitaya, Acht, Jim and TMF.

Ian McDonough, senior vice-president and general manager EMEA, BBC Worldwide Channels, said: “The BBC channels are well-known for setting the standard for high quality television and this is another exciting chapter in the expansion of our portfolio throughout Europe. We are proud to offer so much of our content to Belgian viewers through this new agreement.”

A triple-play pack costs €39 a month, while internet and fixed phone together without TV is available for €35. Additional channels are available both in Flemish and French versions either à la carte or in mini-packs, with a kids pack available for €6. Additional multi-screen offerings are available €3, with additional SnowBox set-tops available for second screens for €6 a month.

KPN began marketing the service by sending individuals dressed as snowmen to the headquarters of rival services Telenet, Begacom and VOO bearing placards with the slogan “All you need is Snow”.

Earlier this week, KPN revealed that it had 1.766 million TV customers in the Netherlands at the end of December, up from 1.4 million a year earlier. The number included just over one million IPTV subscribers, almost double the total for 2011, while Digitenne digital-terrestrial customers declined from 827,000 to 754,000.
Also, from Broadband TV News:
KPN goes snowballing in Belgium

KPN Group’s Belgium subsidiary Base has today launched Snow, a new brand with which the company aims to carve out a position as a challenger in the triple play market.

Snow is offering television, internet and fixed-line telephony in Belgium in competition with Telenet, Belgacom and VOO.

Broadband TV News reported the news first last October.

The company claims to offer “a transparent product formula and a competitive price, that enables customers to pay for what they really want, instead of paying for an offering that many consumers barely use.”

“KPN Group Belgium has already established its role as a challenger in the mobile market. Over the last six years, the prices of mobile telephony have fallen by over 40%. In the same period, the price of Internet and TV actually increased by 21%. The market for digital television needs a strong challenger.”

KPN’s Snow offers an entry-level package of digital TV, internet and fixed-line telephony for EUR39 a month, with no extra charges for a cable or telephone contract.

The basic TV tier for Dutch-speaking customers has 32 of the most watched channels and 33 in the basic French language tier. In addition, a customer can buy additional channels à la carte.

The sign-up fee of EUR199 (with an introductory price of EU99) includes installation, use of modem and the Snowbox (set-top box).

KPN launched its introduction campaign in Belgium by placing snowmen in front of the offices of the companies it challenges, such as Telenet and Belgacom. Telenet immediately responded by dredding the KNP snowmen with Telenet clothing!