The Argentine Cable TV Association (ATVC) has requested that its members “be released from tax burdens, high fees and excessive bureaucratic control” owing to the fact that they are “at a disadvantage in comparison with the newcomers to this market” (Editor’s note: a clear allusion to OTT platforms). The demand was expressed by ATVC President Walter Burzaco at a lecture during Jornadas Internacionales 2019, an event organized by ATVC and the Producers and Programmers of Audiovisual Channels Chamber (Cappsa) that is being held at Buenos Aires Hilton Hotel, Argentina.

In response to ATVC’s request, Argentina’s Deputy Cabinet Chief and Modernization Secretary Andrés Ibarra said that he had already “noted down the call” for a cut in tax burdens and exemption for some localities. “We’ll work on that,” he assured.

Burzaco explained that “OTTs have developed in an utterly deregulated environment and nowadays there are huge regulatory asymmetries in comparison with Pay TV operators.” “Regulation is necessary because OTTs are substitutive services,” he added. “The challenge lies in adopting a flexible regulatory approach and similar rules for similar services,” he concluded.

Likewise, Cappsa President Sergio Veiga asked the Argentine government and the opposition for “stable play rules”. “There can’t be a change every two years,” he said and explained that they need “a minimum horizon of economic and monetary stability” to allow them to make long-term investments.

The lecture was also attended by Buenos Aires City Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and National Communications Agency (Enacom) Silvana Giudici.

Suscríbase a Nuestro Newsletter

Reciba la mejor información del Mercado Audiovisual de Latinoamérica

Gracias por suscribirte!

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Get the best info on the Latinamerican Audiovisual Market

Gracias por suscribirte!