TiVu selects Nagravision conditional access

Tivù Sat , the free-to-air satellite DTH service jointly owned by Italian broadcasters RAI, Mediaset and Telecom Italia Media, has chosen Nagravision as its conditional access system.

Scheduled for market introduction in June 2009, the new service will be offered to all households unable to receive the digital terrestrial television channels after the analogue terrestrial switch off planned for the end of 2012.

The Tivù Sat set-top box will be able to receive all digital terrestrial channels via satellite, incuding RAI 1, RAI 2, RAI 3, RAI 4, Canale 5, Italia 1, Rete 4, La7, Boing, Iris, along with many others. The Tivù Sat channels will be encrypted using the Nagravision CA.

It is estimated that up to two million families may require the Tivù Sat set-top boxes as a result of the analogue switch off. The retail price of the smartcard, though not currently defined, “is expected to remain low”, according to Nagravision. No subscription fees will be charged to the consumer and there is no expiration date on the smartcard.

Tivù is a joint venture between Mediaset (48%), RAI (48%) and Telecom Italia Media (4%).