SES-Astra surpasses 100 HD channels

SES Astra now broadcasts more than 100 HD channels via its satellite system following today’s launch of five new HD services by the Spanish pay-TV operator Digital+.

The new HD channels launched by Digital+ – Canal Accion HD, Eurosport HD, Fox HD, National Geographic HD and MTVN HD – and are transmitted via Astra’s 19.2 degrees East orbital position. With them, Digital+ now broadcasts a total of 10 in the format. (See Broadband TV News passim). This winter, the operator is heavily promoting its HD content (see also here).

Broadcasters featuring HD content on Astra include pay-TV operators as well as major commercial and public broadcasters such as Sky and BBC for the UK; Sky Deutschland, RTL and Vox for Germany; Canal+, CanalSat, TNTSAT and Orange for France; Digital+ for Spain; Viasat for Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland; Canal Digitaal for The Netherlands; TV Vlaanderen for Belgium; Skylink and CS Link for Czech and Slovak Republics; Arte for Germany and France; ORF for Austria; and TVP for Poland.

Alexander Oudendijk, COO of SES Astra, said in a statement: “We are very pleased that Digital+ has decided to launch additional HD channels on Astra. The fact that SES Astra now broadcasts more than 100 HD channels proves that HD is gaining momentum.”