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ORF Starts HDTV Channel on ASTRA

By Anshu Shrivastava, TMCnet Contributing Editor

An SES (News - Alert) company, SES ASTRA has launched ORF HD on ASTRA, considered to be the first regular high-definition channel launched by a public broadcaster in the German speaking countries.

 

SES ASTRA states that the agreement with ORF allows the use of additional capacity for the HD channel. Additionally, according to company officials, in cooperation with the ORF service company ORS, it includes the possibility for further HD programs with which this new capacity will ramp up to a full transponder in January 2010.

 

Moreover, this latest cooperation also foresees joint commercial and marketing activities for retailers and is expected to start this month.

 

Wolfgang Elsäßer, managing director at ASTRA Deutschland noted in a press statement that with a market share of 55 percent in satellite reception, Austria is already the number one in Europe and shows excellent growth rates.

 

He also pointed out that last year, digital satellite reception has increased by nearly 50 percent in Austria, and ASTRA today provides 374 digital TV channels to the Austrian market.

 

He added: “The launch of ORF HD will further enhance the attractive offer on ASTRA and drive the growth of satellite in this dynamic market.”

 

After the launch of ORF HD, the combined satellite systems of SES ASTRA and SES SIRIUS will transmit 31 HD channels. The company claims that currently it features Europe’s “most extensive choice of HD channels” from broadcasters in Europe such as BSkyB (News - Alert), BBC, Discovery, National Geographic, CANAL+, M6, TF1 and Premiere.

 

This new channel is scheduled to start broadcasting first of May and offer the complete program of ORF1 in HD format including the 31 matches of the UEFA EURO 2008.

 

By end of 2010, SES ASTRA expects to transmit around 100 HD channels.

 

Earlier this month, SES ASTRA signed a framework contract for the marketing of its satellite based two-way broadband service ASTRA2Connect in Germany with Deutsche Telekom (News - Alert).

 

 

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Anshu Shrivastava is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

 

Don’t forget to check out TMCnet’s White Paper Library, which provides a selection of in-depth information on relevant topics affecting the IP Communications industry. The library offers white papers, case studies and other documents which are free to registered users.

 

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