The Ukrainian news channel Ukraine 24 will be available in Latvia free-of-charge, said Ivars Āboliņš, Chairman of the National Electronic Media Council (NEPLP) as a guest on LTV's program Morning Panorama (Rīta Panorāma). He informed that a final agreement has been reached between NEPLP, Tet, All Media Latvia and the Latvian State Radio and Television Center (LVRTC) that Tet will provide free access to the channel all across the country as of this Wednesday.

Āboliņš also noted that in the upcoming weeks they plan to work on the possibility for Ukraine 24 to be included in the list of FTA channels for a period of one year. 'I think in a matter of 2 weeks Ukraine 24 could become a full-fledged FTA channel and Latvians will be able to receive objective information from Ukraine in Ukrainian, Russian and English,' he said.

Tet's representatives confirmed for LETA that as of this Wednesday all Ukrainian residents, who are using DTT broadcasting to receive television signal will have free access to the Ukrainian news channel Ukraine 24. The channel is available to viewers all across Latvia - even those who haven't subscribed to any of the TV service providers and watch only the FTA channels: LTV1, LTV7, ReTV, TV24 and TV4,' the company's reps noted.

The channel will be available at channel position 36 and will require a decoder or TV with a built-in DVB-T receiver as well as an ordinary antenna. A terrestrial TV smart card will not be necessary for its reception, the viewers will only need to re-tune their receivers / decoders.
Tet's representatives noted that the free reception of Ukraine 24 in cooperation with the NEPLP and LVRTC is provided by Tet, while TV3 Group will enable the channel's satellite transmission and its simultaneous translation in English and Russian. 'Together with LVRTC, NEPLP will soon ensure the channel's inclusion in the range of FTA channels, which will apply to all service providers,' they added.

Ukraine 24 provides a joint news broadcast called United News, which is developed and produced by the largest Ukrainian media groups - 1+1 media, StarLightMedia, Media Group Ukraine and Inter Media Group.