Digital ministry to monitor TV set, tuners for digital TV prices

MOSCOW, Oct 31 (PRIME) -- Russia’s Digital Development Ministry, the Federal Antimonopoly Service and the regional authorities will monitor prices of TV sets and TV set-top boxes to avoid unjustified rises as the country is about to transfer to digital television broadcasting, a ministry official said late on Tuesday.

“With colleagues from the Federal Antimonopoly Service, we understand risks of a possible spike in demand as sellers could react and try to earn more. We’ll monitor prices in cooperation with the regional authorities, because it’s important for us that people have cheap digital equipment,” said Yekaterina Larina, head of the department of state policy in mass media at the ministry.

The country will fully switch to digital broadcasting from January 1. Under the federal program, the digital television network will cover more than 98% of population with two multiplexes by 10 channels each and three radio channels.

The network will be put in operation after construction of all facilities at the end of 2018. Analogue television will be switched off after the New Year vacation, and households should buy a TV set supporting digital standard DVBÒ-2 or a special tuner.

Larina said that no rise in prices has been registered so far.

As of Monday, there were 1,992 models of TV sets supporting the DVBÒ-2 standard with prices starting from 5,200 rubles. Set-top boxes are required for the TV sets manufactured before 2012, and prices of such devices start from 680 rubles.

Satellite television operators agreed to broadcast 20 compulsory public channels in remote areas where the construction of infrastructure for digital broadcasting was economically unjustified, Larina said.

First Deputy General Director of the Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network (RTRS) Viktor Pinchuk said the company will start launching the second multiplex of digital TV starting from November 5.

The first multiplex already covers most of the country, he said.

(65.7742 rubles – U.S. $1)

End