Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)-Bangladeshi industrial conglomerate Beximo Group is joining forces with Russian investors GS Group to launch the first direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV company in Bangladesh.
The launch of the DTH platform – which will offer local and international programming – is planned by the end of the year, reports rapidtvnews.com.
It aims to attract 300,000 subscribers during 2015 and subsequently to net another 400,000 subscribers each year, according to its founders.
"Presently, Bangladesh does not have any legal DTH operator. The viewer's only choice is between a few cable operators and a terrestrial television channel," said Salman F Rahman, vice chairman, Beximco Group.
Signals of Indian DTH operators are often broadcast illegally without providing Bangladeshi audiences any local TV programmes. "Nevertheless, the demand for a local DTH service is high and Beximco Communications Limited hopes to attract a significant number of subscribers in the country having a population of over 160 million," Rahman added.
The headend and uplink are to be installed in 2014, paving way for the first DTH broadcasting services in Bangladesh. "Our network will cover the entire territory of Bangladesh," said Sergei Dolgopolsky, foreign projects director at GS Group.
BBN/SS-29May14-9:00pm (BST)