Eutelsat has signed long-term capacity agreements on its 16A satellite with the Romanian channels Kanal D, B1 TV and Trinitas TV.
The channels join over 30 Romanian services already distributed by the satellite, together reaching nearly 80% of homes in the country.
Entertainment-based Kanal D was launched by Turkey’s Dogan Media Group in 2007 and is today one of Romania’s top three channels in terms of audience share.
Commenting on the agreement, Lucian Romanescu, Kanal D’s executive director, said: “The strong reputation of Eutelsat’s 16 degrees East video neighbourhood in Romania motivated Kanal D to select Eutelsat 16A. We particularly appreciated the smooth transition phase from the previous provider and the high technical performance offered by this satellite.”
Felix Pintilie, CCO of the Bucharest-based, 24-hour news channel B1 TV, added: “As a top news TV station in Romania, B1 seeks to develop strong partnerships with leading providers. We decided to initiate this collaboration with Eutelsat at the 16 degrees East neighbourhood in order to achieve the best coverage for our viewers in Romania and internationally.”
Nicolae Dima, general manager of Trinitas TV, which is aimed at the Orthodox community, said: “Eutelsat’s high levels of professionalism and flexibility, combined with the significant community of Romanian TV channels already broadcasting from Eutelsat 16A convinced us that we have made the right choice. We have also found in Eutelsat a supportive and understanding partner of our needs for broad distribution of our TV channel.”
The three channels have also joined the line-up of Freesat, the Romanian DTH platform that made its debut in May last year.
