Cable TV companies are sure that prohibition of commercials on foreign channels is technically impossible

"The fact is that commercials, according to the law, are divided into several types. We all watch TV, and usually, we percept as an advertisement that interrupt a TV program. In addition, there are tools of graphical visualization - headings, labels, graphic break bumpers, scrolling text. The third type is when advertisements are made during the TV program, for example, there is a football match, and billboards and T-shirts of the players also contain advertisements. How can we cut these last two types of advertisments? "- Said the head of the "Association of operators of broadcasting" Sayat Nurakhmetov at NCE RK "Atameken", speaking at a meeting to discuss the rules on prohibition of dissemination of advertisements in the retransmission of foreign television and radio channels on the territory of Kazakhstan, which shall enter into force on 1^st of January.

In addition, he said, the rate will entail high costs. So, cutting advertisements on one channel will cost, at the very least, 1 million 100 thousand tenge, in the framework of digital television, this figure will double.

Deputy general director of “Alma TV” Andrey Wagner, in turn, noted that as a result of the amendment to the legislation the broadcast of foreign channels will stop. “Discovery and Eurosport” were already in Kazakhstan, they announced that it will be difficult for them, and they consider an option of stopping the coverage on the territory of Kazakhstan. Because Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 - present live broadcasts of the matches, and they do not know when there will be advertisements. The second question, which they voiced: announcements – it is also a form of advertising. They can’t be cut. They also said that on the whole this work requires considerable investment, respectively, it will affect us - they will raise the cost of the content. Automatically we will have to raise prices. As a result, people will go to the pirate networks and that’s it", - he said.

Chairman of the Guild of operators Stepan Vadyunin clearly stated that the rule is technically impossible. "There is a statement of Issekeshev, in which he clearly states that all advertising must be removed from the broadcast. Thus, we can say that this amendment is technically unrealizable, no matter what. There are no products on the market, which could cut the words of Urgant from the show "Voice" or cut advertising signs on the backs of the players. And the law says that this advertisements should be removed. The second question is how do these amendments comply with Kazakh law and international treaties?", - he said.

"I would like to draw the attention of all those present that in the worst-case scenario, we will have to turn off all foreign channels because it will be impossible to cut all advertising. A subscriber has two options to watch channels to which he is accustomed to - a satellite dish and the Internet. If a consumer goes to the satellite dish, he won’t watch the Kazakh content. The network operators will have only 25 domestic channels, and payment will be approximately 100 tenge. Accordingly, budget won’t receive taxes that it gets now. I do not think that the domestic broadcaster will get the part of advertising, which was with the cable operators. Advertising will shift to the Internet", - director of PC "Fermata" Yuri Setsehovsky expressed his opinion.

The representative of "Kazakhtelecom" Anar Omarova also spoke during the meeting, which, like previous speakers, outlined a bleak future. "We were not even ready for this law, as we do not have special equipment. The law takes effect after the New Year, when all people are sitting in front of TV sets. We need to make a decision, wether we're going to break the law and get fines or disable all premium channels and get a huge outflow of customers. If the foreign channels that are top-rated leave, it would put in question the existence of pay-TV principle. We would like to have moved the deadline", - she said.

The representative of the domestic broadcasting, CEO of the broadcaster ART "New TV" Ruslan Nikanovich from Karaganda also made a speech. "I, as a domestic broadcaster, of course, this rule benefits me. But, as a board member of the National Association of Broadcasters, I worried about such method of application of the law. Nobody knows the market better then the relevant association. How dear deputies know the TV market? Invite us! You adopt the law – invite the relevant association!"- he said.

However Nikanovich expressed concern that after the adoption of the law may arise litigations. "No one has repealed the copyright. Any foreign legal owner of a foreign TV channel, after the entry into force of the rule, can go to court and win, because the law of the Republic of Kazakhstan has a smaller effect than international conventions ", - he said.

Following the meeting it was decided to address all the voiced problems to the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Investment and Development of Kazakhstan. Initially at the site of NCE, it was planned to have a meeting of the Committee of communication, information with operators of broadcasting, but at the last minute the government agency refused to participate.