Vodafone Spain launching 4K UHD service for bars

Vodafone Spain is launching a dedicated 4K UHD sports service including coverage of top-tier Spanish football and European Champions League football for bars and restaurants, according to a report in the Expansión newspaper.

According to the paper, Vodafone will roll the service out next week simultaneously with the kick off of the Spanish football season, with the aim of boosting its presence in the market and stealing a head-start on rivals including Orange and Telefónica/Movistar.

Expansión reports that Vodafone has already chosen a decoder for the service that can be connected to the former Ono cable network as well as to its ADSL and fibre networks. Vodafone also hopes to have access to Telefónica’s fibre network in the coming weeks.

Telefónica’s Movistar TV is currently the market leader in supplying services to bars and clubs following its acquisition of Canal+, with an estimated base of about 45,000 compared to Vodafone’s 15,000.

According to Expansión, the key players expect strong growth in the bars and restaurants market this year, in part because the allocation of distribution rights is settled and clear, allowing the operators to begin marketing their services immediately. According to the paper, Vodafone is expecting the market to grow by about 30%.

To help drive take-up, Vodafone has struck an agreement with TV manufacturer LG to subsidise the acquisition of 4K TVs by bar owners, with the operator planning to provide interest free terms to enable premises owners to purchase the devices over two years, with payments of €30 a month, according to Expansión.