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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #1358/01 2761307
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 021307Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2158
INFO RUCNMER/MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 2138
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1470
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 0161
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001358 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
EEB/CIP FOR AMBASSADOR DAVID GROSS, ANNE JILLSON 
DEPARTMENT FOR FCC 
USDOC FOR 4322/ITA/MAC/OLAC/PEACHER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO KMDR AMTC ECPS TSPL TINT PGOV ECON AR
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: DIGITAL TV ENDGAME 
 
REF: A. BUENOS AIRES 1324 
     ¶B. BUENOS AIRES 1279 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary and Action Request: Jose Aranda, Vice 
Chairman of the media conglomerate Clarin Group, told Charge 
on September 23 that that there is a "fighting chance" that 
the GOA could still choose the U.S. digital norm for DTV (ref 
B), and offered to work with the Embassy to promote this 
standard.  He also offered specific ideas on how to counter 
Japanese lobbying efforts.  While Clarin itself stands to 
gain from any GOA adoption of the ATSC norm, local media 
analysts tell Embassy that the ATSC norm offers price, 
quality and efficiency advantages for all operators, 
particularly in the case of open-air television.  Meanwhile, 
the GOA continues to send signals that it is moving towards 
selecting the Japanese standard, the one already chosen and 
being promoted by its closest ally, Brazil.  Embassy is 
willing and able to continue its longstanding advocacy for 
the U.S. standard, but as stated in ref B, we need and seek a 
clear sign of U.S. industry and USG support.  End summary and 
action request. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
Background on Clarin Group and Jose Aranda 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) Grupo Clarin is the largest and most prominent media 
conglomerate in Argentina, and the market leader in most of 
the media segments in which it operates.  Through companies 
it controls and joint ventures, Grupo Clarin is engaged in 
the largest circulation Spanish language paper in the world, 
Argentina's top-ratings open air and cable television 
networks (which already use the ATSC standard) and 
distributors, the country's second radio station in terms of 
morning traffic audience and internet, printing and 
publishing, and broadcasting and programming.  Jose Aranda, a 
major stockholder, worked hand in hand with Clarin CEO Hector 
Magnetto to project Clarin from a popular newspaper to the 
media conglomerate it is today.  An accountant by training, 
Aranda possesses a business and societal vision that 
transcends the governments that have come and gone in 
Argentina.  He came to offer to work with the U.S. Embassy to 
continue to promote the U.S. digital norm for Argentina, for 
which he says there is still a fighting chance. 
 
----------------------------- 
DTV - still a fighting chance 
----------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU)  Aranda underlined the important influence the U.S. 
Embassy has had in the DTV issue.  He pointed out that the 
Ambassador's public diplomacy upon arrival to Argentina 
delayed a GoA decision, just as it was to choose the European 
standard, and despite the strong lobbies by the Brazilians 
for the Japanese standard and the Europeans for theirs (the 
latter especially from Telefonica interests).  Aranda 
asserted that despite recent press reports from President 
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's (CFK) summit in Brazil (ref 
A), the GoA has not made its final decision.  Aranda's main 
point was that as Brazilian lobbying will continue, U.S. 
advocacy could still make a difference.  He said there was 
"no possibility" of the GOA choosing the European standard, 
so it was really just down to the U.S. 
vs. Japanese standard. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
Suggestions on how to advocate for ATSC 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Aranda encouraged a strong US advocacy push, and 
offered to work with the Embassy to promote this standard. 
He urged that advocacy should be accompanied by concrete 
deliverables by U.S industry players.  He confided with us on 
two aspects of the Japanese package: (1) that it does not 
include digitalization plans for state television, Channel 7, 
which is a high priority for the GoA, and (2) that the 
Japanese have already failed to come through on some promises 
made in Brazil.  Given these observations, Aranda suggested 
that U.S. advocacy could gain a lead by paying to digitalize 
the state channel as well as demonstrating a more consistent 
follow-through and reliability than the Japanese business 
approach.  (Embassy is checking with ATSC and local industry 
to see if Channel 7 digitalization is possible.)  He also 
encouraged lobbying from businessmen from relevant companies 
 
 
 
who would see CFK and Planning Minister Julio De Vido in New 
York at the U.N. General Assembly.  (We conveyed this 
information to U.S. company representatives, but they 
apparently did not act upon the suggestion.) 
 
--------------------------------- 
Why Clarin cares about this issue 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) According to local industry and analysts, Clarin, 
like other media players, prefers the ATSC standard because 
it is the cheapest, best quality, and most efficient option 
for broadcasters and consumers.  It is important to note that 
for Clarin and other media companies, the ATSC advantage is 
more evident in the case of open-air television than for 
cable.  Clarin's cable operations are already using the ATSC 
standard, and Clarin management has told Embassy that if the 
GOA chose any non-ATSC standard, Clarin could convert their 
cable operations with relatively minimal expense.  But for 
open-air television, the ATSC standard is clearly the best 
option in terms of transmission costs, greater coverage, and 
future advertising revenue. 
 
------------------------------------- 
GOA leaning towards Japanese standard 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Since the recent Argentina-Brazil summit (ref A) 
where the two sides pledged to work closer in the area of 
digital television standards, the GOA has sent more possible 
signals of support for the Japanese standard.  On September 
29, CFK paid a visit to the local Japanese company NEC, where 
she received a briefing on the Japanese standard.  This week, 
two high-level GOA Federal Broadcast Commission officials are 
in Japan to receive briefings on this technology. 
 
-------------------------- 
Comment and action request 
-------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Aranda is one of Argentina's most powerful and 
insightful media figures, with contacts all over the country 
and region.  He came to the Embassy after discussing this 
issue with the Ambassador and indicating Clarin's desire to 
work with us to achieve approval of the U.S. standard.  In 
his well-informed view, the GOA has still not made up its 
mind on a DTV standard, and the U.S. standard still has a 
chance to prevail.  As stated in ref B, we want to continue 
fighting as long as we have clear U.S. industry interest and 
support.  Right now, it is unclear to what extent U.S. 
industry is interested and engaged.  ATSC Forum 
representatives did not go to the New York business meetings 
with CFK and Minister De Vido last week as we had urged. 
U.S. industry does not seem to have a clear or active 
advocacy strategy for this issue regionally.  Embassy is 
ready to continue to work vigorously on the DTV issue, but 
the U.S. standard will not prevail here without clear 
industry and USG support.  End Comment. 
WAYNE