Small German cablers to get own headend-in-the-sky

The association of small German cable operators FRK will push ahead its plan for a dedicated headend-in-the-sky with about 56 channels. A specially formed company named Kabeldienstleistungsgesellschaft (KDL) will package all free-to-air channels on satellite and feed them to small operators. The intention is to make these operators independent of the large cable companies, who often act as content providers for the smaller players. All channels will be broadcast encrypted on a number of satellite transponders, which can be received with a single headend and fed to customers. They will include all commercial stations, as well as the public broadcasters ARD and ZDF. Just weeks ago a similar project was unveiled by TeleColumbus, though the FRK initiative is completely separate.