Alma TV is a Kazakh provider of subscription television and internet services, founded in 1994 and commencing regular service in 1995.
History
Alma TV was created in 1994 by Metromedia International and Nurbank, a company controlled by Nursultan Nazarbayev's son-in-law, Rakhat Aliyev. Its launch caused an amendment to existing laws in Kazakhstan allowing foreign capital to own media outlets in the country, but with restrictions.[1] The first subscriber to the MMDS network was connected on 16 May 1995.[2] Alma TV also took part in the creation of Ala TV in Bishkek.[3] In 2002, the company's license was under jeopardy due to new restrictions on foreign ownership of media companies, at a time where several independent media outlets were shutting down. As of March 2002, it had claimed 60,000 subscribers in Almaty and Almaty Oblast.[4] In 2015, subscribers complained over the prices charged for connecting to five channels out of 80.[2]
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