The Polish public broadcaster TVP will only continue to use Astra to deliver its channels to cable operators until the end of this year.
Quoted by Wirtualne Media, its spokesman Jacek Rakowiecki said the move was being made to reduce unnecessary costs.
TVP began using Astra at 19.2 degrees East in 2005 and currently distributes 10 of its channels, six of which are encoded.
Its agreement with SES Astra expires at the end of this year, after which it will only employ a single slot at 19 degrees East to distribute the international channel TVP Polonia. However, one industry source has told Broadband TV News that even this is in doubt.
TVP will nevertheless not be short of options for making its channels available to cable operators once its contract with SES Astra ends.
For instance, Cyfrowy Polsat and nc+, Poland’s two leading DTH platforms, use Hot Bird at 13 degrees East and their line-ups include virtually all TVP’s channels.
Cable operators will also be able to access TVP channels via DTT or the public broadcaster’s IP multicasting.
