Poland’s Cyfrowy Polsat has signed a long-term agreement with Eutelsat for the lease of multiple transponders.
It covers the extension of existing capacity and expansion at the Hot Bird video neighbourhood. Furthermore, it consolidates a collaboration that began in 1992 with the launch of Polsat, Poland’s first commercial channel, on a Eutelsat satellite.
The new contract adds 33 MHz to the capacity already used at the Hotbird position by Cyfrowy Polsat and its daughter company TV Polsat. TV Polsat currently provides 24 TV channels under its brand and Cyfrowy Polsat offers approximately 180 TV channels, including over 80 in HD, to 4.8 million pay-TV subscribers.
Commenting on the agreement, Dariusz Dzialkowski, CTO at Cyfrowy Polsat and Telewizja Polsat, said: “As Poland’s leading media group and the largest pay-TV platform, we have always placed the quality of our services among our priorities and their regular development as one of the main goals of our business strategy. The new satellite capacity and long-term cooperation with a reliable partner create a stable environment and give us a lot of comfort in these two areas.”
Michel Azibert, Eutelsat deputy CEO and chief commercial & development officer, added: “The launch of Polsat on a Eutelsat satellite 25 years ago heralded the beginning of a multi-channel market that has evolved into a vibrant and innovative business offering viewers the benefits of quality, choice and diversity, and has seen Cyfrowy Polsat grow into one of Europe’s largest pay-TV platforms. We are proud to cement our collaboration with a new contract that underscores the continuing leadership of the Hotbird neighbourhood across Europe and chosen home for more than 200 channels in Polish.”
