German commercial broadcast group Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland will close down its encrypted DTT platform Viseo+ in Stuttgart and Halle/Leipzig at the end of 2014.
With the offering launched in October 2009, RTL tested the marketing of a combined free-to-air TV/pay-TV package. The experiences will now be used for the new DVB-T2 platform scheduled to launch in mid-2016 in which RTL will participate with its channels.
Viseo+ contains free-to-air channels RTL, VOX, RTL II and Super RTL as well as pay-TV channels RTL Crime and Passion. For reception of the platform completely encrypted in Conax, viewers need special, DVB-T/MPEG-4 compliant set-top-boxes offered in conjunction with a Viseo+ smartcard.
While the free-to-air channels are offered free of charge, the pay-TV channels were free in the first year and cost €2.99 per month afterwards.
The technical service provider for Viseo+ is M7 Deutschland following its takeover of Eutelsat visAvision in May 2014.
