Play wants to be mobile cable TV – Republic

Telecommunication operators counts on packetization services and new products, for example. Energy or finance, arrives competitor.

P4, the operator of the Play network, attached permanently to offer television service under the brand Play Now. Not without reason, because TV is considered the best-selling additional service.

– We want to sell customers something more than a minute of talk time and internet included in the subscription – says Bartosz Dobrzyński, member of the board for P4. Marketers. – The perception of us as a cable TV – he added.

The new service includes far dozens of differently packed channels (for reasons formal and there are no major earth stations), which can be viewed online at up to three devices at once.

Some of the channels Play add to the subscription to each new customer, not raising the amount of monthly payments to the already offered. Once a month there will be films from the distributor’s portfolio Monolith Films.

Konrad Księżopolski, an analyst at Haitong Bank, notes that additional services may be required Play network. – The last time the operator is losing momentum: Connections fewer customers – he said.

The balance of moving mobile numbers to the network deteriorated, and in the first quarter of this year is Orange Poland won the most new activation of mobile services. In terms of revenues and EBITDA, however, this play continues to grow as the only telecom in the country.

Bartosz Dobrzyński does not reveal its financial goals. – We want to see if you can make money in this way – he says. He also believes that the play will cope with the distribution of TV channels as well as the music service Tidal. The number of telecom users, who have benefited from the service offered for free, has exceeded 700 thousand. Details billing partners do not know.

The new service can be to play a kind of test. US video site Netflix talks with all the operators of cooperation.

Tying the customer

Operators do not hide that through the sale of the packages and to go beyond the main business trying to first all longer bind with each customer. Consumers with multiple services from a single provider, often covered by a discount, is less incentive to terminate the contract. – Convergence is the basis of our strategy and we do not give it – provides Wojciech Jabczyński, spokesman for the Orange Poland.

Orange was waiting for the results of the strategy assumes sale of various services to one subscriber for several years. As pointed out on the occasion of the presentation of the results of the first half Maciej Nowohoński, a member of the management board. Financial, in the last quarter it has achieved its objective and the churn of customers (so-called. Churn) mobile parts fell below 3 percent.

Group Cyfrowy Polsat announced earlier that the effects of its program SmartDome will be visible from the second half of this year.

Opportunity in finance

Adam Sawicki, CEO of T-Mobile Poland, argues, however, that additional services can be paid. – Project T-Mobile Banking is viable for a long time – he says, though he admits that the scale of the business telecom is not a big amount.

At the end of June, the platform built in cooperation with Alior Bank had 590 thousand. customers by 5.7 percent. more than in March. For comparison, a project led by the Finance Orange Telecom with mBank had 234 thousand in June. customers, an increase of 8.3 percent. more than in March.

Wojciech Jabczyński not reveal whether banking services bring the operator profits. His company did not disclose it for some time, as goes the sale of electricity under the brand Orange Energy. Data for this business does not reveal the Cyfrowy Polsat. There were rumors that he intends to give up this business, but what we do not confirmed.

This year, the company controlled by Zygmunt Solorz-Zak greater emphasis on financial services in cooperation with Plus Bank and Insurance. Last week began selling products Ergo Hestia.

According to our estimates, Orange, T-Mobile and Cyfrowy Polsat may already have a total of 2 million contracts for services outside of the main business.

review

Grzegorz Bernatek, analyst at consulting firm Audytel

Telecommunication Operators extend the range of value-added services, so-called. VAS-y, and the other services beyond its main business for several years. It is not in them with a new source of profits, but largely about marketing advantage, differentiate themselves from the competition, the manifestation of innovation. The binding of a client further agreement and stopping it for a long time, that is, improving the indicator go. It is good when the operator manages to balance the cost of the new service. Sometimes, as shown in the game Pokemon Go, the effect may be short-lived. About the Play network, which once watched with skepticism, and I can tell you one thing: it is very good in marketing and surely realize the objectives which it pursues. The only question is what they are.