Swiss public broadcaster SRG SSR will launch six simulcasts of its national channels SF 1, SF zwei, TSR 1, TSR2, RSI LA 1 and RSI LA 2 on February 29, 2012.
SRG SSR will broadcast the six channels on satellite and expects cable and IPTV providers to feed the HD versions to their subscribers. According to the broadcaster, about 75% of all Swiss households now have an HD ready or Full HD screen.
With the six national channels, the Swiss pubcaster serves the German, French and Italian speaking communities with two HD channels each. The channels are available free to view, but viewers need to get a Sat Access Card when they watch on their satellite dish.
The broadcaster will stop broadcasts of its dedicated HD channel HD Suisse on January 31, 2012. Launched in December 2007, it was the first full-time HD channel from a public broadcaster in Europe.
SRG SSR expects that SD and HD simulcasts will last at least till the end of 2015. This means that SD broadcasts might be switched off in 2016.
