Tricolor TV launches test of online TV service

Russian pay TV operator Tricolor TV has launched its planned OTT TV service in test mode. The service will enable subscribers to access its services via the web as well as by satellite.

Tricolor TV said that the service would be available to five million homes by the end of the year, up from three million currently reachable. The service will be accessible via Tricolor TV’s satellite boxes that can be connected to the web, and access to it will require them to use their receiver.

The online TV service is currently operating in test mode, but will be made available free of charge to existing subscribers of the operator’s basic tier offering in the fourth quarter.

Tricolor said the number of hybrid satellite receivers that can access the online service would be expanded from 13 to 21 next year.

The operator is initially making 100 TV channels available on the platform free of charge, including a number of service previously only available for a subscription.

The service enables users to view Tricolor TV content at their dachas – provided they have access to an internet connection with speeds greater than 5Mbps – and in areas of their home without access to the satellite transmission, according to the operator.

The operator said it was negotiating for rights to expand the range of services available on the new service, either via a basic subscription of à la carte.