NEWSLETTERS

Combined ADSL-satellite technology to bring Orange TV to more than 98% of French homes

As part of the deployment of Orange’s triple play offer, 24 million French households (98.3% of the mainland population) will be able to enjoy Orange TV from July 3. Agreements recently signed for Eutelsat satellite capacity will make it possible to extend the Orange TV offer way beyond the 50 per cent of French homes able to receive broadband TV until now. Thanks to new combined ADSL-satellite technology, Orange TV will be available to virtually all French households.

Orange has chosen Eutelsat’s key video neighbourhoods serving France - HOT BIRD™ and ATLANTIC BIRD™ 3 - to handle satellite broadcasting of the TV flow reception of its triple play offer where it is not accessible via ADSL. From July 3, nearly all French households will be able to subscribe to an Orange triple play offer (from €29.90 a month) which will include dozens of free channels as well as packages of optional channels. Depending on location, customers will be equipped with either Orange TV via ADSL or via an installation combining ADSL and satellite reception. The entire offer, including interactive services, VOD and TV on demand, which are already accessible to customers via ADSL, will be gradually extended to customers of the combined offer.

For more information on Orange TV: www.orange.fr

P&T Luxembourg chooses KabelKiosk to boost new TV ADSL network

P&T Luxembourg has selected the KabelKiosk digital platform provided by Eutelsat’s German subsidiary to deliver a package of 12 German-language channels to subscribers to its ADSL network, which is the country's largest. P&T Luxembourg’s new TV ADSL offer - La Télé des P&T / Das Fernsehen von P&T – was launched in spring and currently comprises 80 TV and 40 radio channels. From June this year it will also offer family entertainment and sports channels delivered by KabelKiosk, including Silverline, Body-in-Balance, AXN, National Geographic, Your family, Romance TV, E! Entertainment, ESPN Classics and Super Sports Network.

The channels will be transmitted via ATLANTIC BIRD™ 2 to a headend operated by P&T Luxembourg and transferred into IP streams for onward redistribution to DSLAMs. Commenting on the agreement with KabelKiosk, Alain Berg, Product Manager Content at P&TLuxemburg said “With this new German content from KabelKiosk our objective is to further extend our TV ADSL service into a high-quality product.“

For more information: www.kabelkiosk.de

MGM Channel joins SKY Italia cinema package

SKY Italia, which reached a landmark of 4.5 million subscribers at the end of March, is preparing to add The MGM Channel to its roster of movie channels. The Italian version of the MGM Channel, which is part of MGM Networks, will launch on June 1 in a local language version available in SKY Italia’s cinema package. With this new deal with Italy’s leading pay-TV platform, the MGM Channel, with its catalogue of 4,000 films, is now available in locally-packaged versions in 30 countries across Europe.

SKY Italia, which broadcasts exclusively from Eutelsat’s HOT BIRD™ video neighbourhood, hit record viewing figures on the final day of the Italian football season with over three million viewers giving an audience share of 18.82 per cent of Italian viewers.

For more information: www.sky.it, www.mgmchannel.com

New horse-racing channel for Germany sets off from EUROBIRD™ 9

BeTVision, a new German horse-racing betting channel, launched this month on Eutelsat’s EUROBIRD™ 9 satellite at 9 degrees East. The channel broadcasts live coverage of equestrian events from racetracks around Germany and the USA to betting offices throughout Germany. To view the channel, which uses BISS encryption, subscribers require a receiver available from BeTVision. Over 150 professional betting offices across Germany are already connected to the service, and the channel plans to expand to other countries in Europe.

BeTVision operates its own uplink station in Munich to transmit the signal to EUROBIRD™ 9. German technology company Internetagentur Schott, who developed the complete technical solution and oversees service performance, acts as the technical service provider.

For more information: www.betvision.de

Ukraine’s Poverkhnost Group launches “Poverkhnost Plus”

Poverkhnost Group is preparing for the official launch of its new DTH TV platform. Called Poverkhnost Plus, and broadcasting exclusively from Eutelsat’s high-power W4 satellite, the platform will offer more than 60 standard digital channels and HDTV channels for family viewing. Drawing on the tradition and experience of the Poverkhnost Group, Poverkhnost Plus will deliver a wide range of self-produced sports channels including Sport 1, Sport 2, Sport 3 and Sport 4, together with international channels Eurosport, Eurosport 2 and NASN. Other channels will offer films, entertainment, nature and science programmes, music and children’s TV and most local Ukrainian channels. The HD content will include Sport HD and HD 2 Musika & Moda. Channels will be uplinked to W4 from Poverkhnost’s new teleport located in Kiev which has been especially built for Poverkhnost Plus.

Subscribers will use an originally designed high-end set-top-box (Homecast HS 5001 IR), carrying the “Poverkhnost Plus” trademark, that functions with all available standards. It will provide MPEG-2/4 compression, DVB-S/S2 modulation and identification of the SD/HD signal, and also comes equipped with up-to-date sharing and pairing protection and Irdeto conditional access.

For more information: www.poverkhnost.tv

PBLSat now offering Eutelsat W1 capacity

PBLSat, specialists in Occasional Use satellite services, have redistributed their portfolio of European ad-hoc satellite space with the addition of Eutelsat W1 capacity. The W1 capacity joins an impressive list of existing space already in the PBLSat portfolio. Nic Thorley, Managing Director of PBLSat notes "Eutelsat W1 will complement our leases on W2 and ATLANTIC BIRD™ 1 as well as offer our clients greater flexibility at a time when ad hoc satellite capacity can be in short supply."

As well as being a popular choice in Europe, the two 9 MHz channels on W1 also provide excellent Middle East coverage with a footprint reaching as far as Iran, Kuwait and Egypt. PBLSat also has dedicated antennas looking at W1 in the Middle East and at its UK teleport in Madley, ensuring that the channels can be accessed as quickly and efficiently as possible. Eutelsat Commercial Director Olivier Milliès-Lacroix said "Once again we are delighted to be working with PBLSat. Their activity in the Occasional Use market is impressive and their arrival on our W1 satellite reflects this commitment."

Based in London, PBLSat provides satellite and broadcast communication solutions to the global production and broadcasting community. Specialists in Occasional Use services, they provide SNG and satellite services throughout Europe and beyond. Their fleet of 16 SNG vehicles and 6 flyaway units working throughout Europe covers news, sport and entertainment events.

For more information www.pblsat.com

IHLAS News Agency renews capacity on W1

Turkey's Ihlas News Agency (IHA) has renewed the capacity it leases on Eutelsat’s W1 satellite at 10 degrees East. Owned by Ihlas Holding, the agency is one of the leading video news agencies in the world, delivering visual and text-based news broadcasts to subscribers via satellite and the Internet. Everyday, IHA processes an average of 125 video news segments, 800 text-based news stories and 450 photographs for radio, TV and print. With 155 offices in Turkey and abroad manned by 700 people, the agency’s network covers almost every region in Turkey, and 40 other countries.

IHA is a pioneer in satellite-delivered distribution of news text, photos and video in Turkey. Using Eutelsat capacity it was the first agency to implement image distribution via satellite, in 1997. In 2001, the company was also the first agency to send images and digitally-archived footage via satellite in file format, using their original software. A Satellite Data Casting (SDC) system enables compressed video data files in broadcast quality to be sent high-speed via satellite to clients. Subscribers can preview stories on the IHA website, purchase and download videos, in real-time, ready-to-air.

For more information: www.iha.com.tr, www.ihavideo.net