Loni Farhi, president of SPI International. Photo: SPI International.

[Via Satellite 10-04-2016] Ultra-HD is progressing somewhat slower than early expectations, but is continuing to develop at a sound rate, according to content distributor and pay-TV operator SPI International. The Poland-based company launched a full linear 4K broadcast channel earlier this year, along with a global stand-alone 4K on-demand app, FunBox 4K/UHD, for Over-The-Top (OTT) and “smart TV” platforms. In an interview with Via Satellite, Loni Farhi, president of SPI International, said the company has confidence that 4K will experience much greater commercial traction in the coming years and is on a path toward higher adoption levels.

“We agree with the recent research findings which say that expansion of 4K Ultra-HD resolution content channels will grow enormously in the next few years. In my opinion, Ultra-HD development is slowly but surely shaping up,” he said.

SPI International reaches more than 45 million subscribers in more than 40 countries. This year the pay-TV operator increased its channel distribution in Slovakia, Turkey, Africa and elsewhere. Along with growing regionally, Farhi said SPI International has a carefully timed approach to 4K Ultra-HD that is working as expected.

“We are closing deals with additional platforms that look quite promising. While some distributors are not considering 4K, and others are being too fast and may end up burning themselves, our approach to 4K has been very pragmatic: state of the art technical quality, the best content in the market place and cost-efficient business solutions. With this kind of long-term planning we are right on target,” he said.

To reach global audiences, SPI International leases capacity from multiple satellite operators. Farhi said the company relies on Telenor, Spacecom, Eutelsat, Intelsat, ABS, Telesat, SES, Turksat, Arabsat and Arabsat subsidiary Hellas Sat. Beyond 4K, SPI International has expanded significantly into the Caribbean, having launched new channels in Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada last month. Farhi pointed to Latin America and the Caribbean as regions with the biggest demand for HD content, which is where the company has been actively expanding its footprint. Growing international demand, along with the rise of 4K Ultra-HD are likely to lead to a need for more satellite capacity.

“We are currently in talks with key satellite partners about expanding our distribution footprint into North America and Latin America, and also discussing extra capacity for our 4K/Ultra-HD channel,” Farhi said.

SPI International has eight channels with global reach, and this year localized worldwide thematic content in Spanish, Portuguese and French. Farhi said the company plans to launch its second free Direct-to-Home (DTH) channel in Poland, Zoom TV, by the end of this year.
Farhi described the video market today as very dynamic and hard to keep up with. Some operators, he said, are keeping pace better than others. This year SPI International joined the UHD Alliance, a coalition focused on promoting the healthy development of a 4K ecosystem and on defining characteristics of Ultra-HD such as High Dynamic Range (HDR), higher frame rates, wide color gamut and more. Farhi said SPI International anticipates the alliance will further the development and implementation of proper standards for Ultra-HD products and services on multiple levels.

“We all need to constantly watch what will be coming up next, which trends can be marketable and monetized, but at the same time realistically fitting our distribution line up and responding to platforms’ needs. Also, you’ve always got to find ways to be cost efficient and bring new audiences to our TV screens,” he said.