Turk Telekom ops for Irdeto

irdeto will be providing security for a new Tivibu satellite pay-TV service from Turk Telecom Group.

Commenting on the development, Nazmi Muhsinoglu, service management director at Turk Telekom, said: “Irdeto met these criteria and ensured that we had robust security for our flagship STBs while crucially allowing for a quick roll-out of the technology due to their strong network of relationships in this market.”

Richard Scott, senior VP sales and marketing, Irdeto, added: “Operators around the world are changing to meet the demands placed upon them by customers, who want to access the latest content seamlessly, across devices and services.

“It’s important that businesses such as Turk Telekom Group look for the right technology and knowledge to allow them to grow their businesses and reach new customers quickly, while ensuring that premium services – such as live sports – remain protected from piracy.”

Turk Telekom Group recently acquired the broadcast rights to the UEFA Champions League and Europa League.

Turk Telekom loses TV customers

TivibuTurk Telekom ended the first quarter with 1.7 million Tivibu (IPTV and Tivibu Go) subscribers, or 7.6% fewer than at the start of the year.

The total number of Tivibu Home subscribers also fell during the same period, down by 2.8% q-o-q to 281,000.

The Tivibu Go figure encompasses web TV, mobile TV and smart TV subscribers.

The company as a whole had revenues of TL3,435 million (€1,185.7 million) in Q1, down 4.5% q-o-y but up 7.5% y-o-y. EBITDA, at TL1,329 million, was meanwhile up by 7.9% and 10.8% respectively.

Net profit, after minority interest, was meanwhile, at TL27 million, down by 94.7% and 93.1% respectively.

Despite the recent downturn, Turk Telekom’s TV business is expected to grow significantly in the near future, both in terms of subscriber additions and ARPU, as a result of TTNET having secured the media rights to the UEFA Champions League and Europa League for three years from 2015.

Separately, it has been reported that Turk Telekom has offered to buy the remaining stake in the mobile company Avea that it does not already own.

The stake is valued at $300 million.