Tricolor content chief predicts 2015 UHD channel launches

Mikhail Goryachev

Russia and several other countries will see the launch of the first “full-scale 4K channels in 2015,” according to Mikhail Goryachev, chief content officer of Russian pay TV operator Tricolor.

In an interview with DTVE, Goryachev said that he believes that Ultra HD implementation on a mass scale is “unavoidable” and that pay TV providers will start implementing UHDTV services – the only question is when this will start on a commercial basis.

“Quite a lot here depends on overall market trend, market capacity, 4K TV sets and affordability of receiving systems,” said Goryachev.

“However, all preliminary efforts have already been accomplished: A unified Ultra HD marketing code has been approved, Ultra HDTV standard adopted by MTU in 2012 exists, and satellite operators have successfully implemented the new HEVC/H.265 codec. We expect simultaneous launch of the first full-scale 4K channels in 2015 in several countries, including Russia.”

Russian pay TV leader Tricolor TV launched a pilot Ultra HD channel in October 2014, but Goryachev claims that the key issue preventing the aggressive promotion of Ultra HD today relates to the “insufficient” amount of 4K content available for broadcast.

Outlining the firm’s ambitions for 2015, Goryachev says that Tricolor’s top priority is increasing the HDTV viewing ratio, followed by multiscreen and second screen promotion.

“In November 2014 we launched five mobile applications for viewing our channels on Android tablets and receiving extra information about movies and TV programs. In 2015 we are planning to launch several services that will enhance our relevance and popularity with Russia’s general audience,” said Goryachev.

For the full interview with Mikhail Goryachev see DTVE next week.