In an effort to attenuate the fierce competition between terrestrial pay-TV and DTH, some cable operators are starting to consider the hypothesis of collaborating with their satellite-based counterparts. Paulo Martins, president of Viacabo/Adelphia, said during a discussion at the ABTA 2002 conference that cable companies should think about partnership rather than confrontation. Other cable companies are working on similar ideas with the aim of averting the kind of cannibalization seen in the United States. Collaboration could begin with installation of additional sockets, the main challenge faced by any DTH operator. Delfim Freitas, DirecTV?s director of operations, highlighted the problem of competing against cable TV packages priced at under 3 dollars per month and comprising only broadcast channels.
Competition
