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Aber wie sieht`s damit aus? (Hier müßte jetzt dieses sorgenvolle Smily stehen).


Friday, July 14, 2000 - Ha`aretz große israelische Tageszeitung

Give them enough cable and they`ll hang themselves Gemeint sind wohl freundlicherweise die drei monopolartig agierenden Cable Companies in Israel

In a bid to resist the onslaught of satellite TV on the Israeli market, the cable companies are promising marvels in consumer choice and image quality for the near future. But our correspondent finds that their rosy predictions may be premature

By Ariel Weiss


The satellite broadcasts of YES are scheduled to begin next weekend, using a digital transmission and reception system designed to ensure a high-quality picture and sound. Also offered are data base access, an electronic broadcasting guide and movies for hire. Over the past few months, various cable companies, the satellite`s competitors, have been advertising that their subscribers will also enjoy a new and improved viewing experience, thanks to the introduction of a digital network. High-tech converters will sharpen the picture, facilitate channel selection, allow subscribers to access data through their television sets and even take part in interactive TV shows.

According to Amit Levin, director-general of the Matav cable company, his firm will soon be offering a "new world" of programming and accessories. In the coming months, after the installation of digital converters in the homes of subscribers, Matav plans to offer all the channels now broadcast using an analog system, plus many new ones, including "30 channels of CD-quality music" which will ultimately replace radio. On certain channels, such as the Hallmark movie channel, Matav subscribers will be able to choose the dubbing language. A movie service will be introduced (similar to Tevel`s "Home Cinema"), allowing viewers to order movies for a fee. To help people wade through all these options, the company will operate an electronic TV guide: an information channel listing all the programs and drawing subscribers` attention to those programs he or she may be interested in.

And that is just the beginning. "In my estimation, by October we will be able to offer completely new applications in the spheres of data accessing, sports and Internet - and that includes e-mail," says Levin. "We are also working on several packages incorporating interactive TV." For the sports-minded, Levin says there will be updates on teams and line-ups. Subscribers can try to guess game scores and read relevant articles from the sports pages. At some future date, they may be able to watch the game from different camera angles, choosing the angle they want while the game is in progress. Matav subscribers will be able to play games like Tetris and checkers on their television screens, and later, compete against other subscribers. When the nine months are up during which only the satellite company can offer channel packages, Matav plans to offer them, too.

Other cable companies have also announced that they will be making technological changes. Arutzei Zahav, whose digital broadcasting center is almost complete, will offer an electronic TV guide, a rental-movie service and package deals when the satellite company`s exclusive rights expire. Tevel says it will start broadcasting digitally in September. The company has purchased 100,000 state-of-the-art converters for this purpose, slated to arrive by the end of the year. Die restlichen könnten im nächsten Jahr eintreffen.

Many benefits are promised apart from high-quality broadcasts, including a wide selection of new channels and an expanded Home Cinema service, from which subscribers can order recordings of music and sports events.

According to the Internet site of the Tevel company - which has changed its name to Tevel Digital in the last few weeks - the new converters promise a new kind of television. In "the world of tomorrow," viewers will be able to choose the camera angle of a soccer game, take part in interactive lessons with a tutor, and draw up a personal schedule for watching their favorite shows.

The cable companies are trying to create a sense that these innovations are only awaiting technical approval, but the fact is, no one knows when subscribers will be able to enjoy them - and at what price. The shift to digital technology depends on licenses that have not yet been obtained. Dorit Inbar, head of the Cable TV and Satellite Council, a regulatory body, says the process will not be brief. "In order to begin digital broadcasting, these companies need approval from the Ministry of Communications for their technical equipment. At this point, only Matav has a license. Tevel doesn`t even have a transmission station."

"Furthermore," says Inbar, "the council has to give its approval. As far as we are concerned, a new system is the same as a new product. All kinds of clarifications are necessary in order to protect the consumer. We have to look into matters like price, disconnection arrangements and service warranties. Right now, none of the cable companies have made any real progress in this realm. Even if we work at full speed, these things take time."
Die Regulierungsbehörde übt dort eine erhebliche Macht aus. Alles und jedes muß von ihr genehmigt werden.

Offering some of these sophisticated services also requires the involvement of the Knesset. Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein has ruled that cable companies cannot operate and provide special services without legislation. So far, the Ministry of Communications has not yet submitted a law proposal in this matter.

The delay has now led to an official investigation against Tevel. Early this week, Reuven Horesh, the director-general of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, announced that the company is suspected of violating the Consumer Protection Law and misleading the public. In parts of its advertising campaign, Tevel has made sure to state that Ministry of Communications licensing is still pending, but the Ministry of Industry and Trade says Tevel claims to be able to provide speedier Internet service almost immediately. In fact, this involves a legislative change - not just technical approval.


Not only that, but the changeover to digital technology may cost the consumer money. New converters will be needed, and these devices, which are actually personal computers, will cost the cable company hundreds of dollars each. According to various assessments, none of these companies can afford to distribute them free of charge. In other words, anyone who wants digital television will have to pay more. Hier weiß der Korrespondent eben nicht, daß eine bessere Lösung gefunden wurde - ein e-commerce-Konsortium kauft die "Converter" (in denen, wie wir wissen, noch viel mehr steckt), nicht die Cable Companies.

The new converters also have limitations which may make the move even more expensive. Most subscribers today have more than one cable connection in their homes. In order to receive the new broadcasts on all their television sets, they will have to purchase several converters. Moreover, because of certain technical features, those who want to watch a certain channel while taping a program on another channel will need two converters. In the United States, there are digital converters on the market equipped with hard disks large enough for program-taping. Here, the consumer will have to make do with the converters supplied by the cable and satellite companies, which do not have a recording option. Auch hier greift er zu kurz. Man sieht, wieso die lange Vertraulichkeit angesagt war. Aber jetzt handelt es sich ja nur noch um 10 Tage, dann wissen wir, wie diese komplexe Problemlage gelöst wurde.

The cable companies are promising a "dramatic" improvement in picture quality, but the only ones who will feel it are those who have recently purchased a state-of-the-art television set. Most cable subscribers have older, simpler models at home, and will only notice a slight improvement in picture quality, mainly in the subtitles and color separation. The same holds true, of course, for satellite transmissions.

In addition, there are technological problems to be worked out. Most of the services promised by the cable companies and the YES satellite company are considered experimental and expensive even in other countries. There are still technical hitches in combining digital broadcasts and the transfer of data via cable infrastructure. In practice, the data services in question are Internet by cable. Operation cannot begin until the laws are changed and a great deal of money is invested in infrastructure, not to mention the time factor. Even if the cable companies would like to offer these services, it is not clear to what extent they will be able to in the near future, for financial and legal reasons.

****

Hintergrund der Situation in Israel ist die Tatsache, daß die drei Cable Companies 10 Jahre lang den Markt regional unter sich aufgeteilt, kartellartig das israelische Fernesehen beherrscht und den Israelis ziemlich hohe Preise für ihr - gemeinsam erstelltes - Programmangebot abverlangt haben. Damit haben sie sich verständlicherweise nicht beliebt gemacht. Um Wettbewerb in den Markt zu bekommen, wurde als Alternative für die Bevölkerung das Satellitenfernsehen YES gestartet, das im Juli auf Sendung ging, von der Regulierungsbehörde unterstützt und von den Cable Companies bis zum Schluß bekämpft. Am Ende mußten sie YES sogar die von ihnen erstellten Programme (Kanäle) zur Verfügung stellen.

Die dem Ministerium für Kommunikation angegliederte Regulierungsbehörde - das Cable TV and Satellite Council mit Frau Inbar an der Spitze - übt eine enorme Macht in dem gesamten Sektor aus, alles und jedes muß von ihr genehmigt werden. Wie Frau Inbar sich das im Fall des Interactive TV vorstellt, hat sie klar zum Ausdruck gebracht (s.o.).

Das war der Stand der Dinge zumindest vor zwei Monaten. Ob sich seitdem in Israel bei den oben angesprochenen gravierenden Problemen Entscheidendes getan hat, durchschaue ich z.Zt. noch nicht vollständig. Zumindest in der Frage des High-Speed-Internetzugangs hat man sich offenbar in den letzten Tagen geeinigt. Meistens gehen in Israel derartige Dinge so aus, daß man sich im Interesse guter Geschäfte am Ende irgendwie zusammenrauft.

Es ist allerdings auch nicht auszuschließen, daß der Verfasser des Artikels zur Fraktion der YES-Supporter gehört und - wie so viele Israelis - den Cable Cos wünscht, daß sie sich am eigenen Kabel erhängen mögen. So kommt es, wenn man ein Quasikartell bildet und die damit entstehende Macht zum Preisdiktat offenbar recht skrupellos ausnutzt.

Wieso schreibe ich das alles? Weil unser Problem hier zuviel Phantasie und Hysterie und zuwenig Realismus ist. Es geht nicht länger an, daß ein Glaubenskrieg den Aktienkurs bestimmt. Nüchterne Fakten sind angesagt. Der Aktienkurs kann nur auf dem Boden der Realität wieder aufgebaut werden.

Gruß, Jan Philip
 
aus der Diskussion: Met@box - der Israeldeal
Autor (Datum des Eintrages): Janphil  (17.09.00 14:49:20)
Beitrag: 14 von 315 (ID:1852338)
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