The French media authority CSA has opened the tender for one or more push-VOD services over digital terrestrial television.
The regulator has reserved part of the space on multiplex R3 for on-demand services, which in French is called SMAD – for service(s) de médias audiovisuels à la demande. The prescribed transmission standard is DVB-T, and successful bidders have to agree to comply with the roll-out schedule for the multiplex and must cover the entire country, which serves 95% of the population of mainland France.
Bids have to be delivered at the CSA, Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel, Tour Mirabeau, 39-43 quai André-Citroën, 75739 Paris cedex 15, before February 14 at 5pm.
During the past few months, French transmitter company TDF and pay TV operator TV Numeric have been operating tests with terrestrial push-VOD services.
More information can be found on the CSA website (in French only).