Os caminhos incertos da convergência: o caso da Portugal Telecom

Abstract

O maior grupo de comunicações português, a Portugal Telecom (PT) investiu na distribuição de sinal televisivo e apostou seriamente na produção de conteúdos, tendo mesmo adquirido um dos maiores grupos mediáticos nacionais - a Lusomundo. Apesar deste forte investimento, que resultava da nítida percepção de que a convergência era a aposta de futuro, a PT parece agora ter entrado numa fase de desinvestimento relativamente ao caminho traçado até ao virar do século. Neste artigo, procuraremos analisar o percurso de construção da PT, compreender as estratégias de afirmação e desenvolvimento comercial e avaliar o momento actual que aparentemente ilustra bem a encruzilhada em que muitos dos grandes operadores de telecomunicações, entre os quais a Telefónica, se encontram nos dias de hoje.

Technological convergence between telecommunications, audio-visual and information technologies has played an important role in the complexification and expansion of the market. At least up until the year 2000, there was a clear perception that convergence of distribution and content was inevitable and desirable. Telecommunications operators willing to be at the top had no option but to buy or to merger with content producers. Following the international trend, several alliances and mergers also took place in the Portuguese telecommunications and media markets. The biggest national telecommunications operator, Portugal Telecom, has invested in television distribution and content production, having acquired one of the most relevant Portuguese multimedia groups – Lusomundo. But the hype about this convergent world has soon evaporated and Portugal Telecom is now at a crossroad. In this article we look at Portugal Telecom as a case study. We will attempt to understand how the company has evolved and became the biggest Portuguese communications group, we will examine its convergence strategy and we will analyse its current situation, which might, in our view, be characterised by deep uncertainty about its own future.