Kamalak TVKamalak TV was an Uzbek-American joint venture that provided telecommunication services to citizens and organizations in the Republic of Uzbekistan, using the MMDS system. HistoryIt was established in 1992 as a joint-venture between Metromedia's subsidiary Metromedia International, by means of its subsidiary International Telcell Inc. and the National Television and Radio Company of Uzbekistan.[1] As of 2000, Kamalak-TV was more expensive than the cable system installed by Republican Cable TV.[2] KTV started with television services. The American side supplied the joint venture with the then-fashionable latest MMDS equipment available.[3] Initially, Kamalak TV was limited to foreign diplomats and tourists; when it was discovered that the potential was narrow, broadcasts of certain channels ceased on 6 February 1996, opting to sign contracts with ORT, RTR and TV-6.[4] In 1993, KTV provided 8 channels; by 2002, the number rose to 20, with content in Uzbek, Russian, English, German, French, Korean, etc. on 28 channels. As of 2002, KTV claimed 30,000 subscribers.[3] Kamalak TV announced in July 2010 that it would cease operations on 1 September 2010, being replaced by UzDigital TV. The cause of its shutdown was the digitization process in Uzbekistan.[5] References
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