Argentina. In the framework of the International Conference, which was held in Buenos Aires, Carlos Moltini, CEO of Cablevisión, said that not only is there a need for a regulation that looks towards convergence, asymmetries and the next ten years, but that the authorities in charge of regulation must have professional capacity to inspire confidence in the country and produce investments.
During the CEOs conference "News and future perspectives of Cable TV in Latin America", the head of Cablevisión explained: "In Argentina, at the regulatory level, you have to do everything back and look at the consumer and their need for services. Today we have a regulator that, in the case of the Media Law, applies it when it suits it, and when it does not, applies its discretion. This is the result of a lack of professionalism."
Eduardo Stigol, CEO of Inter de Venezuela, said: "The telephone companies are destroying 30 years of work to generate value in content at home, that is also a risk that the industry will cost if it does not agree."
Regarding OTTs, CEOs agreed that the consumer will be the one who decides where, how and when they consume the content, and that the great challenge is to generate the best platform to be chosen. Luciano Marino, VP of Millicom, said: "What we have to look for is to be the best platform. I can stand in front of the OTTs and say no, but in the long run it will happen. Convergence is content, to give everything we have to have the convergence to generate monetization to invest, create and improve the platform."
Marino recounted his experience of starting out as a mobile company and then moving on to the landline. At this point, he explained that the convergence is given by the client, he is the one who chooses where to consume and to that we must respond. "In this the customer is technologically agnostic, does not care or record which network he consumes. Even more so the young people, who are the ones who are going to decide in the coming years, "added the director.
Carlos Moltini said that the purchase of Nextel, "like all operations carried out by Cablevision, complies with the law and is subject to law." "We have had adverse rulings and we have had differences, but we always comply with the law, we never operate in any other way. It is surprising that an investment of 165 million dollars, in a country where it was not being invested and quality work is not generated, suffers the pitfalls on the part of the State. In reality it must be seen from another angle, it is the nationalization of a foreign company, it is investment and generation of quality employment. The merger with Cablevisión, for example, generated 1500 jobs and billions in investment and yet we are still being fought. We will deal with this and whatever, always within the framework of the law," added the head of Cablevisión.
Stigol, regarding Venezuela, said: "It is a disaster, it is the result of a totally populist scheme and focused on a government that wants to maintain power instead of developing the country. There is no possibility of investment, there are no dollars, the networks fall. We try to maintain the quality of the service, but it is getting worse and worse, we have a long way to go."
