Boxer TV Access

Infobox Company
company_name = Boxer TV Access AB
company_
company_type = Private
foundation = 1999
location = Stockholm, Sweden Boxer TV-Access AB
Stockholm, Sweden Teracom AB
London, England 3i Group plc
Dublin, Ireland Boxer DTT Limited
Copenhagen, Denmark Boxer TV Danmark
key_people = Per Norman - CEO of the Board of Boxer AB
Crister Fritzson - President of the Board of Boxer AB
Philip Yea - CEO of the Board of 3i Group plc
num_employees = 60 (Sweden), 50 (Denmark), 50 (Ireland)
industry = Media, Telecommunications
products = digital terrestrial television

revenue = Not disclosed as private company
homepage = [http://www.boxer.se/ www.boxer.se]

Boxer TV Access is a Swedish company providing pay television channel on the digital terrestrial television network in Sweden. Modeled on the British ITV Digital, it was founded in October 1999. Some channels on the Swedish DTT are free-to-air, but most of the channels require subscription from Boxer. Boxer has claimed to have 709,000 subscribers by the end of 2007. [cite press release|pub=Boxer|url=http://www.boxer.se/?page=215&display=254:2239|title=Continued growth for Boxer in 2007|date=January 10, 2008]

Boxer offers dozens of channels, with the number of channels varying depending on location and how one wants to count. As of early 2008, channels from Boxer broadcast on four national transmitter networks, of which three (MUX2, MUX3 and MUX4) can be received by 98 percent of the population using a regular antenna. The fourth network, named MUX5, has lower coverage. Another transmitter network (MUX1) has higher coverage but it doesn't contain any Boxer channels.

The majority shareholder in Boxer TV Access is Teracom which is owned by the Swedish state. The British venture capital firm 3i holds a 30 percent stake. [cite web|pub=Boxer|url=http://www.boxer.se/?page=340|title=Grundfakta om Boxer TV-Access AB|accessdate=2008-03-31]

In March 2008, Boxer TV A/S, a subsidiary of Boxer TV Access, won the franchise to build and operate the terrestrial pay television platform in Denmark. In 2008, Boxer announced that it had put in a bid to operate the DTT service for Ireland, on July 21 2008 Boxer TV were awarded the Irish franchise Boxer TV Ireland subject to contract [ [http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0721/breaking55.html O'Brien-backed Boxer awarded DTT licences - The Irish Times - Mon, Jul 21, 2008 ] ] [ [http://www.rte.ie/business/2008/0721/digital.html RTÉ Business: Boxer knocks out other digital TV contenders ] ] .

List of TV channels

Unless otherwise noted, a decoding card is necessary. "As of December 2006."

Controversy

Boxer has been criticized as the services provided begun highly unpopular with only 500 users of digital television transceiver the first year in operation. The services that are offered was already available through other means and because of this any normal private company would have gone bankrupt.

The state funneled huge amount of capital for advertisement which reached the cost equal of one Cataract surgery for one advertisement shown. While on Boxer's homepage they stated that money was to be spent moderately and responsible the commercial was broadcasted in every opportunity on all commercially funded channels however the sales of the digital television transceiver did not pick up speed. Not until 2003 when it was decided shutdown all analog television broadcasts before 2008, Boxer started to sell digital transceivers.

Critical voices has been raised within Sweden that the Swedish state drove the reformation from analog to digital broadcasting to ensure a state-control of what can be broadcasted. Because of the limited bandwidth only a select few channels is permitted to broadcast. These channels are hand picked by the state possibly limiting controversial channels.

Monopoly distribution

Boxer has a monopoly for encrypted of television signals in the digital terrestrial network. If a broadcaster gets to distribute television it must either broadcast free-to-air or use the encryption services of Boxer. This is a contravention to European Union rules which require that there is an open market for radio and television broadcasting. On October 17, 2006 the European Commission announced that it was taking Sweden to the European Court of Justice for failure to abolish the monopoly. Neelie Kroes, Commissioner for Competition, said: "I regret that I have had to refer Sweden to the Court, but Swedish viewers should no longer be denied their right, guaranteed by (EU) law, to choose digital terrestrial TV suppliers". [ [http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=5246&date=20061017 EU sues Sweden over digital TV monopoly] , The Local, October 17, 2006]

References

External links

*http://www.boxer.se/ - Official site

References