KTV Ltd.
| Company type | Digital TV service |
|---|---|
| Industry | Communications & Broadcasting |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Stanley, Falkland Islands[1] |
Key people | Mario, Sharon |
| Products | Digital TV & Radio Services |
| Owner | Mario Zuvic, Sharon Zuvic [1] |
| Website | http://www.ktv.co.fk |
KTV Ltd. is a DVB-T SD and HD encrypted UHF TV and radio service operating in Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands, and also in part of the Camp.[2] The charge for receiving the service of up to 56 TV and radio channels is from £36 per month.[3] Founded in 1980[4] by Sharon and Mario Zuvic Bulic, KTV Ltd. receives channels from the UK, the US, Saint Helena Island and Chile and rebroadcasts them to subscribers in the Falkland Islands.[3] KTV Ltd. cooperates with a number of other small radio broadcasting companies in other British overseas territories, notably Saint FM in St Helena, the Falkland Islands Radio Service (FIRS), and Myriam's Country.[3]
KTV has a monopoly on pay-TV services in the islands, the passing of a Broadcasting Ordinance in 2004 aimed at countering the importing of illegal decoders brought in from mainland South America.[5]
History
Marko Zuvic first tested a television service around 1981, upon returning from Punta Arenas, where he assisted the installation of an MMDS system there. A feasbility study was presented to governor Rex Hunt, but the war in 1982 complicated things.[4]
The company was formally founded in 1993 by Marko and his wife Sharon. The company started with three channels, Cartoon Network, TNT and CNN International. These channels had the strongest signal available to the Falkland Islands at the time. Since these channels were relayed from analogue satellites, its reception during bad weather would be subject to interference. The transmitting equipment was set up locally during evenings and weekends. The channel line-up later grew with the arrival of ESPN Latin America; by the time they were carrying the channel, they had acquired their first factory-built transmitter, followed by the arrivals of HBO and Discovery Channel. They were also the first MMDS system in the region to carry BBC World, once the channel was made available for interested providers in South America. With the arrival of signals sourced from digital satellites, channels such as People+Arts, Warner Channel, Sony Entertainment Television, The History Channel and, by 2006, Nickelodeon and VH1, were added.[4]
On 14 June 1997, it made its first live outside broadcast, from the 1982 Monument, covering the Liberation Day Service of Remembrance.[6]
In 1999, in conjunction with the launch of KTV's division Radio Nova, it started relaying the BBC World Service on the FM band (106.5), alongside the existing AM radio relay owned by FIRS. Around 2004, it also added relays of Deutsche Welle on 101.1, gaining notoriety among locals for its news and science programmes, as well as classical music on weekends.[4]
On 1 September 2006, Saint FM from Saint Helena was added to KTV and on FM radio. Ahead of its launch, it had received letters from the island's diaspora in the Falklands. Its line-up was changed to accommodate timezone differences between territories.[4]
In September 2010, it announced that it would set up a local television station, Falkland Islands Television, alongside Stanley Services.[7]
Channel listing
| Channels | Owner / Genre | Other details |
|---|---|---|
| Turner Classic Movies[3] | Turner Broadcasting System Latin America | English language |
| Warner Channel[3] | HBO Latin American Group | English language |
| Sky News[3] | Sky | English language |
| AXN[3] | HBO Latin America Group | English language |
| History Channel[3] | HBO Latin American Group | English language |
| Sony Entertainment Television[3] | HBO Latin American Group | English language |
| Investigation Discovery[3] | Discovery Networks Latin America | English language |
| HBO[3] | HBO Latin American Group | English language |
| Nickelodeon[3] | MTV Networks Latin America | English language |
| Discovery Channel[3] | Discovery Networks | English language |
| VH1[3] | MTV Networks Latin America | English language |
| Saint FM[3] | Radio from Saint Helena[3] | English language |
| Myriam's Country[3] | Music | English language |
| National Geographic Channel[3] | ESPN-Disney/ABC | English language |
| KTV Live Events | KTV | English language |
| ESPN2 Caribbean[3] | ESPN-Disney/ABC | English language |
| ESPN Caribbean[3] | ESPN-Disney/ABC | English language |
| NBA TV International | Turner Broadcasting System Latin America | English language |
| Fox Sports | ESPN-Disney/ABC | Spanish language |
| Fox Sports 2 | ESPN-Disney/ABC | Spanish language |
| Fox Sports 3 | ESPN-Disney/ABC | Spanish language |
| CNN International[3] | Turner Broadcasting System Latin America | English language |
| BBC World News[3] | BBC Worldwide | English language |
| BBC Entertainment | BBC Worldwide | English language |
| FOX News Channel[3] | Fox Corporation | English language |
| BBC World Service on FM/MW | BBC Worldwide | English language |
| Falkland Islands Television (FITV)[3] | Local programmes | English language |
| Canal 24 Horas | Televisión Nacional de Chile (Chilean Cable network) | Spanish language |
| TV Chile[3] | Televisión Nacional de Chile (Chilean Cable network) | Spanish language |
| TruTV[3] | Turner Broadcasting System Latin America | English language |
| TBS Comedy/Movies[3] | Turner Broadcasting System Latin America | English language |
| TNT | Turner Broadcasting System Latin America | English language |
| TNT Series | Turner Broadcasting System Latin America | English language |
| Discovery Home & Health[3] | Discovery Networks | English language |
| TLC[3] | Discovery Networks | English language |
| Animal Planet[3] | Discovery Networks | English language |
| CBeebies BBC | BBC Worldwide | English language |
| BBC | BBC Worldwide | English language |
| BBC Two (on SD) | BBC Worldwide | English language |
| Discovery Kids[3] | Discovery Networks Latin America | English language |
| Living Free TV | FTA | English language |
| Falkland News 24 | FTA | English language |
| FIFA WC | 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 | Live Coverage |
| Al Jazeera[3] | ||
| Boomerang[3] |
Other operations
KTV Ltd. operates Radio Nova, a rebroadcast service for BBC World Service, BBC World News, and Saint FM in association with the stations on FM, MW and DVB-T (Digital Terrestrial).
Competitors
The only other broadcasters licensed to operate in the Falkland Islands are the local radio station FIRS and the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS).
See also
References
- ^ a b "Our Story". KTV. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ Live and on TV in the Falklands, The Penguin News, 1 April 2011, p.1
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag "Channels". KTV. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "The Official Launch". Saint FM. 23 November 2006. Archived from the original on 14 February 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ Penguin News Update
- ^ Local TV Live, Falkland Islands Association Newsletter, September 1997, p.9
- ^ "Falklands' first local television station ready to begin broadcasting". MercoPress. MercoPress. 10 September 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
External links