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José Daniel Gómez

ECUADOR - Telecoms & IT

Ground Control

President, DIRECTV

Bio

José Daniel Gómez has a degree in mechanical engineering from Simón Bolí­var University, Venezuela. He also holds an MBA from the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración (IESA). Previous to his career at DIRECTV, he worked as a mechanical engineer for Bachtel in the US and Jantesa in Venezuela. He has worked at DIRECTV for 16 years, where he has held different positions like Manager of Financial Planning of Venezuela, Director of Strategic Planning of Latin America and Operations Director in the Venezuelan market.

TBY talks to José Daniel Gómez, President of DIRECTV, on Ecuadorian television, innovation, and DIRECTV's expansion plans.

What differentiates DIRECTV from other operators in Ecuador?

We are a peer television operator focused exclusively on our TV business. Other operators usually have paid TV, fixed lines, and internet components. They have three businesses they can bundle. We have one business and so we have to be good at technology, service, and content.

How does Ecuadorian television compare to other countries in the region?

The most notable difference between Ecuador and other countries in Latin America when we arrived in 2008 was that penetration was in the low teens; today it is at 26 to 27%. Several markets in Latin America have penetration rates in excess of 50%, with Argentina at around 70%. Ecuador’s low penetration in itself is one of the key factors underpinning future growth potential. We have a market with low penetration, and local cable has limited coverage. When we entered the market, national coverage and satellite service enabled us to offer our service nationwide, which enabled rapid growth. We followed this up with our prepaid service to homes, thereby delivering connection to those households who would not have afforded a postpaid TV service. We focus on content, which makes us a good option.

Does DIRECTV have plans to expand into broadband internet?

We have done so in other countries, such as Colombia, Argentina, and Venezuela. We are examining options here, but currently there is no available spectrum. It would have to be a wireless solution, because then we could provide better coverage for more remote customers. It makes sense if you are delivering content via streaming to have an alternative option for our customers.

Apart from content, what innovations have you implemented this past year?

We have focused on delivering content beyond the home, enabling the streaming of our and our providers’ content. We have original content focused on delivering sports on our own channels. In 2015, we are also heavily focused on the DIRECTV Play app. We have also had considerable success with the World Cup app where our subscribers could watch games, access statistics, and view replays. Many providers have their own platform, and ours enables us to combine them such that the customer can access all content on just one app. This is a simple way to deliver all content on computer, smart phone, or tablet. Last year we changed the interface of our setup boxes, rendering it simpler, user-friendly, and with all content delivered in HD.

What are DIRECTV’s prospects for the year ahead?

We need to maintain our focus on content, which can only be achieved through agreements with programmers, and again, by providing the customer with different means of watching it. We have to strengthen what we have been doing in the past, especially in streaming and out-of-home experience. We forecast double-digit growth, again despite an ever more difficult market.

What is your short-term outlook for the market?

The market as been reactivated and competition is tougher, which is entirely characteristic of a market seeing rapid growth. We are one of five satellite operators today, which means that other competitors have the same nationwide coverage. We have faced some economic difficulties, but have adapted, and our service provides a good family entertainment option. We have adapted our offer and opened additional options for our prepaid customers, who are demanding more, such as additional receivers for their homes for a second or third television.

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