Fifteen years ago was the start of GO’s remarkable adventure with its television offering when it acquired Multiplus back in 2007, a start-up company that had started operations following the liberalization of the pay-TV sector in 2001. This acquisition was interesting for GO because Multiplus was the first start-up offering Digital Terrestrial Television (DTTV) – a cost-effective, viable, and competitive TV alternative. This bold move was the stepping stone toward a journey that would turn GO into the leader and largest investor in the local TV market.
GO has always invested in its networks and infrastructure at the same pace as technological developments. It has gone from linear TV service, dependent on installing unsightly rooftop antennas, set-top boxes and inhouse wiring, to a fully integrated and interactive platform, allowing customers to fully dictate their individual experience on any of their preferred devices, anyplace, anytime. This article will give an account of GO’s exciting TV story. If you are a TV buff and want to take a trip down memory lane, read on.
From the outset, GO had the ambition to be the local leader in providing a complete telecommunications package that would provide customers with holistic communication and entertainment package. The acquisition of Multiplus made GO, then known as Maltacom, Malta’s first Quad-Play operator offering fixed voice, internet, mobile, and TV. Once the purchase was complete, plans were set in motion to enhance the digital TV service provided through the DTTV platform in terms of content and service provision.
Soon after the acquisition, a brand new headend was set up at GO’s Magħtab Earth Station. GO’s investment had focused mainly on providing close to 100 percent DTTV coverage. Several transmitter stations were set up around Malta and Gozo to improve coverage range. More frequencies were added to the network, which allowed us to…