M7 Group’s Dutch DTH platform Canal Digitaal is phasing out the distribution of the SD versions of the main Dutch public and private channels on Astra 1 at 19.2 degrees East.
The main channels from public broadcaster NPO and the commercial channels from RTL Nederland and SBS Broadcasting will in the future only be available in HD from the Astra 3 position at 23.5 degrees East. The move was first reported in Broadband TV News last November.
RTL 7 and Net5 will be the first to be removed on March 22, followed by NPO 3 and RTL 5 on May 2. No dates has been set yet for the end of tha Astra 1 SD transmissions of NPO 1, NPO 2, RTL 4 and SBS6, but this will happen before the end of 2015. At the same time, Canal Digitaal is ending usage of the Mediaguard 2 encryption system.
Four other channels, RTL 8, Veronica, SBS9 and RTL Z are already only available in HD from Astra 3.
Canal Digitaal subscribers who have a legacy satellite receiver and/or a Mediaguard 2 smart card will be offered an alternative.
