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OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #1576/01 3241519
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 191519Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2493
INFO RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RUCNMER/MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0867
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 0164
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001576 
 
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: ECON EINV PREL ECPS ITU OVIP TSPL TINT AR
SUBJECT: Argentina: Opportunity Seized to Advocate Again for ATSC 
Digital TV Standard 
 
Reftel: (A) Buenos Aires 1279 
    (B) Buenos Aires 1358 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  Embassy Buenos Aires leveraged a recent visit to 
Argentina of Robert Graves, President of the Advanced Television 
Systems Committee (ATSC), to arrange visits with senior media and 
GOA officials, furthering advocacy for the ATSC DTV standard.  An 
updated and enhanced ATSC offer was delivered to the GOA, including 
a new offer to digitize state-owned Channel 7, and Graves reiterated 
longstanding ATSC offers of a manufacturing plant, patent discounts, 
training, and technology transfer.  Graves, Emboffs, and ATSC 
industry reps met with senior executives from Argentina's dominant 
media company the Clarin Group, senior executives of Channel 7, the 
Director of the Federal Broadcasting Service, and the GOA 
Communications Secretary.  Embassy also assisted Graves to transmit 
the full offer in writing to GOA Planning Minister de Vido.  While 
ATSC has budget constraints that limit its ability to push its 
standard, Post has ensured that appropriate GOA decision makers were 
made aware of the ATSC standard's strong economic offer that 
supplement its already robust technical advantages.  With the timing 
of a GOA decision on a choice of standard is still unknown, Post 
continues to encourage industry (ATSC and its member companies) 
action focused on its economic offer, in what could be a golden 
opportunity to influence the GOA's decision on its future DTV 
standard.  END SUMMARY. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Leveraging ATSC visit to Buenos Aires 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Robert Graves, President of the Advanced Television Systems 
Committee (ATSC), visited Buenos Aires October 28-29, primarily to 
attend the Argentine Chamber of Broadcaster Providers and 
Manufacturers (CAPER) convention (and where Emboffs attended the 
presentations given by representatives advocating the Japanese, 
European, and ATSC standards).  Embassy, in light of recent 
indications that the GOA could be nearing a decision on a DTV 
standard (refs A and B), arranged for Graves to visit with senior 
media and GOA officials who will play a role in any decision 
(details below).  (In drafting our Embassy press released on the 
ATSC visit to Argentina, Graves reminded Post and industry reps that 
we should not call this the "U.S. standard," but rather an 
"international standard.") 
 
¶3. (SBU) Post had briefed Graves in September of Argentine media 
conglomerate Clarin's suggestion to consider adding to its GOA offer 
a pledge to digitize state-owned Channel 7, one of Argentina's 
top-rated open-air television stations (ref A), and emphasized the 
need to make the offer attractive politically, not merely advocating 
its technical merits.  Graves and ATSC member companies subsequently 
crafted such an enhanced offer, which was included in his briefings 
with industry and GOA officials.  In these meetings, Graves 
reiterated that ATSC's original, 2006 proposal still stood, with the 
additional offer to digitalize Channel 7.  The other main aspects of 
the offer include an investment in a Argentine manufacturing plant 
for LG Plasma and LCD TV sets (which could create 500 jobs), a 75% 
discount on patents, the creation of an R&D fund in Argentina 
supplied by patent revenues, a transfer of technology from patent 
holders exclusively to Argentina, and financing options for the 
transition from analog to digital for broadcasters. 
 
------------- 
Clarin Group 
------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) ATSC's Robert Graves, LG Electronics/President of Zenith 
R&D Lab Dr. Jong Kim, Embassy's Senior Commercial Officer (SCO), and 
Press Attache met with two senior executives from Argentina's 
dominant media company, the Clarin Group, Vice President Jose Aranda 
and IT & Telecommunications Corporate Manager Juan Kedzierski. 
Aranda had been the first to suggest to the Embassy the idea of 
digitizing state-owned Channel 7 as part of an updated ATSC offer 
(ref B).  Participants discussed how this idea was incorporated into 
the ATSC Forum's latest proposal to the GOA, which would involve 
Korea-based LG paying for the digitalization equipment by tapping 
into the R&D funds that are part of the original offer.  Once the 
ATSC standard has been chosen, and the 75% of the royalties 
generated from the ATSC patents are flowing into the R&D fund, LG 
will be reimbursed for its Channel 7 digitalization.  LG has told 
EmbOffs that it is also interested in converting a station outside 
of Buenos Aires in the same manner. 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) Participants also discussed breakthroughs in the ATSC 
mobile standard.  Previously, ATSC's mobile capabilities were 
considered a weak point in the standard, and are an issue used by 
competitors of the ATSC standard.  Graves told Clarin and Emboffs 
that mobile multi-casting is built into the latest ATSC standard's 
version, something the Japanese standard does not have. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Clarin representatives asked Graves and Emboffs that they 
not be credited for the idea of digitizing Channel 7, as its ongoing 
disputes with the GOA could endanger the proposal being accepted. 
They stressed the need to explain the price advantages of the ATSC 
equipment to the consumers and the GOA (for example, Japanese 
standard TVs are 50% higher than ATSC TVs), and that Japanese 
standard TVs would most likely have to be imported from Brazil, as 
opposed to being made in Argentina in line with the LG offer. 
Clarin, Graves and Emboffs agreed that these economic and political 
factors would be more important to GOA decision makers than any 
technical features the ATSC standard has (lower energy consumption 
and wider coverage, greater bandwidth efficiency, for example). 
 
--------------------- 
State-owned Channel 7 
--------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Graves and FCS SCO then met with Channel 7 executives 
Tristan Bauer, President, National System for Public Media, Mateo 
Gomez Ortega, Administrative Coordinator, and Antonio Gennaro, from 
the Agennaro Media Technology company.  Graves and Channel 7 
executives zeroed in on the technical aspects of the ATSC standard, 
as well as ATSC's offer to digitalize Channel 7.  In addition to the 
digitalization offer, Graves stressed ATSC's offer to work with 
Argentine universities on digital TV services development, training 
courses, and channel planning, which would be provided free of 
charge and using software developed by the FCC.  Channel 7 
representatives openly expressed interest in the proposal, and had 
many follow-on questions. 
 
------------------------------------ 
Head of Federal Broadcasting Service 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶8. (SBU) Graves then met with Mr. Gabriel Mariotto, head of COMFER, 
GOA's Federal Broadcasting Service (FCC equivalent).  Present at the 
meeting was Dr. Jong Kim, LG Electronics/President of Zenith R&D 
Lab, ATSC Forum representative Juan Carlos Guidobono, Dolby 
consultant Carlos Klachquin, FCS SCO, FCS Commercial Officer, 
EconOff, and the Embassy of South Korea press attache Seung chul 
Yeo.  Graves and Guidobono together briefed Mariotto about the 
updated ATSC offer.  On several occasions during the meeting, 
Mariotto expressed his great interest and support for the "solid, 
fully integrated, and serious" offer.  Mariotto said that he and a 
member of his staff had recently gone to Japan to visit GOJ 
officials and industry leaders.  Ironically, he noted that industry 
leaders frankly admitted that they did not have any strong 
preference for which standard Argentina chooses, as they were ready 
to provide equipment for any standard. (Emboffs were later told by a 
local industry source that Mariotto came back from Japan 
disappointed that he did not have the hoped-for offers for 
investment from GOJ officials or industry). 
 
¶9. (SBU) Mariotto also mentioned that Japan-based NEC 
representatives have indicated that they have plans to test a 
digital transmitter at state-owned TV Channel 7.  Mariotto did say 
that Brazil's decision to go with the Japanese standard would "have 
some weight" with Argentina, but that other economic and technical 
issues would also come into play.  Mariotto indicated that a 
decision would be made before the end of this year.  Afterwards, 
Mariotto's chief of staff called FCS commercial specialist to inform 
us that Mariotto was enthusiastic about the meeting and ATSC. 
 
------------------------------ 
Communications Secretary Salas 
------------------------------ 
 
¶10. (SBU) Graves then met with GOA Communications Secretary Lisandro 
Salas, a regular Embassy interlocutor and who reports directly to 
powerful GOA Planning Minister Julio De Vido.  Also present was ATSC 
Forum representative Juan Carlos Guidobono, Dr. Jong Kim, LG 
Electronics/President of Zenith R&D Lab, Dolby consultant Carlos 
Klachquin, FCS SCO, FCS Commercial Officer, and EconOff.  Graves and 
 
 
 
Guidobono went over the offer with Salas.  Salas indicated that he 
had just returned from a trip and would need time to fully review 
the package, but expressed his interest and gratitude for the 
information.  Salas indicated that he could not estimate when a 
decision would be made, but that it would be made at the "highest 
levels" of government, maybe by the president herself. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
Follow through with Planning Minister De Vido 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) After being unsuccessful in scheduling a meeting with 
Planning Minister De Vido, Graves sent the full ATSC offer and 
background presentation to De Vido, in recognition of the fact that 
he will play a major role in any decision.  The written offer was 
transmitted by the Embassy with an endorsement cover letter from the 
Charge d'Affaires. 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) Post is satisfied that we took advantage of ATSC Forum 
President Robert Graves's visit to Argentina, and that ATSC was able 
to incorporate our suggestions to enhance their offer on how to best 
approach the GOA.  And while we remain confident that the ATSC has 
the best standard from the technical standpoint, it is important 
that ATSC made senior GOA officials aware of the standard's strong 
economic (and political) advantages.  While it is still anyone's 
guess when the GOA will choose a DTV standard, we also note that GOA 
decisions are sometimes sudden and unexpected.  At least for the 
time being, we feel assured that key decision makers have the latest 
information on the U.S. competitor. 
 
WAYNE