In Brief: UPC, Car Channel, ORF

UPC Nederland is adding three new HD channels to its line-up, Syfy HD, 13th Street HD and TLC HD, bringing the total to 32 HD channels on the network.

Austria’s Simpli TV to launch encrypted DTT

simpliTV Modul_CI+ Modul

Simpli TV is the name of a new bouquet of encrypted DTT channels that will go on air in Austria on April 15.

ECJ says news broadcasters can use pay-TV sports clips

Ruffled European flag

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has given a preliminary ruling that signals the continued practice of broadcasters being allowed to use clips from pay-TV football matches in their news programmes.

ORF3 reaches into Italy

RAS DVB transmitters in South Tyrol

The Austrian public broadcaster’s ORF 3 Kultur und Information is now available in Southern Tyrol via the DVB-T network of RAS (Rundfunkanstalt Südtirol).

ORF TVthek launches on Samsung Smart TV

TVthek, the catch-up TV service from the Austrian public broadcaster ORF, is now launching on Samsung Smart TVs.

ORF Teletext reports record viewership

ORF telext

Good old analogue teletext is doing well with viewers in Austria. Public broadcaster ORF said it now reaches 2.22 million viewers a week.

New Astra capacity for Austria’s ORS

ORS, the transmission company that serves the Austrian public broadcaster ORF, has added a new transponder to its capacity on Astra at 19.2 degrees East.

ORF to launch two thematic channels

Austrian public broadcaster ORF will launch two 24-hour thematic channels on the country’s national holiday on Wednesday, October 26 following the go-ahead for the new channels given by the commpetition authority (Bundeswettbewerbsbehörde).

HD Austria launches, will add RTL channels

HDAustriaCIModule

The new HD DTH platform HD Austria has launched with initially seven HD channels available for viewers in Austria, but expanding to ten channels in the near future.

SmarDTV delivers CI Plus to ORF

SmarDTV is to supply its SmarCAM-3 CI Plus modules into Austrian retail markets for public broadcaster ORF. The modules are compatible with broadcasters running Irdeto conditional access.