German transmitter network operator Media Broadcast has confirmed that it will launch a DTH satellite version of its DVB-T2 platform Freenet TV on Astra (19.2° East).
From the end of March 2018, satellite households will be able to access the offer, the company announced. Through the move, Freenet TV which launched on DTT on March 29, 2017 will reach viewers through a second distribution platform with a similar channel line-up for the same subscription price of €5.75 per month.
For reception, DTH households will be able to choose between the new Freenet TV receiver DIGIT S4 manufactured by TechniSat and the Freenet TV CI+ module which has been on the market for more than a year.
The satellite distribution will enable Media Broadcast’s parent company Freenet to market Freenet TV nationwide, also targeting households who can’t receive the offer terrestrially as well as the existing DTH community comprising 17.6 million households. This corresponds with 46% of German TV households.
On Astra, Freenet TV will compete with the HD+ platform operated by Astra satellite operator SES and M7 Group’s new Diveo platform launched last week.
Broadband TV News broke the news about Media Broadcast considering a satellite version of Freenet TV in June 2017, but the company declined any DTH ambitions at the time.
There have been models in which DTH satellite distribution complements the national DTT platform in other countries for many years, for example in Austria (simpliTV Sat), the UK (Freesat), France (Fransat) and Italy (Tivùsat).
