FunBox UHD Secures Carriage with AS Balticom

SPI International/FilmBox has expanded its channel distribution agreement with Latvia’s AS Balticom, which will now carry FunBox UHD.

AS Balticom is the first telecommunications provider in Latvia that has officially begun broadcasting in Ultra HD quality. The expanded partnership with SPI/FilmBox—which already includes FilmBox Baltic, FilmBox Arthouse, FightBox, Fast&FunBox, DocuBox, Erox and Gametoon—gives AS Balticom’s subscribers the option to order and enjoy hundreds of hours of UHD content. FunBox UHD will be available with no extra cost to AS Balticom’s Digital TV subscribers and 4K TV users.

“I’m proud to announce SPI’s 4K channel distribution agreement in the Baltic region with our key partner AS Balticom. This expanded distribution agreement includes our thematic channel FunBox UHD,” said Murat Muratoğlu, head of distribution for the Middle East, Ex-Yugo, Baltic States, Bulgaria, Greece, India, Turkey, CIS Countries and AsiaPac at SPI International. “AS Balticom subscribers will be entertained with our premium native HD content in addition to movies, TV series, nature, travel, and arts and culture content, all broadcasted in Ultra High Definition.”

Dmitry Smirnov, head of the commercial department at AS Balticom, added: “In 2014, 4K TVs entered the European market. They were equipped with good acoustics, great design and HEVC codec that allowed viewers to fully enjoy high-resolution images. When they finally reached the Latvian market, a rather logical question arose—what channels can you watch in that supreme quality? Well, in 2014 the answer was clear—none. It took another 4 years for ULTRA HD channels to appear in Latvia. Today, it is a great joy for us to bring television viewing for the Latvian public to a higher level together with SPI International/FilmBox.”