IBC 2007 – AMSTERDAM. SES-Astra plans to export its Blucom interactive technology, said CEO and president Ferdinand Kayser at a pre-IBC conference. “Our first export will be to MBC in Dubai,” he added, “and we will export this to other markets.”
Last week the company announced three new channels – MTV, Viva and TV Gusto – that will start using the service in Germany, bringing the total to 11 . Interactivity is offered via the mobile phone using bluetooth connectivity, giving broadcasters access to a second screen alongside the TV.
Read more on IFA announcements by Astra and German broadcasters in our IFA reports.
Astra also plans to export its Entavio subscription TV platform to other countries in Eastern Europe, “especially to those markers where there is no existing pay-TV platform.” Entavio was launched last Saturday on the German market, but the satellite operator has as yet no plans to bring the service to Austria, where public broadcaster ORF uses a different technology platform based on Cryptoworks for the national DTH distribution of their own channels as well as a number of commercial broadcasters. “But we are also talking to them,” Kayser said.
See also our full IFA report on Astra’s Entavio announcements
