Discovery Deutschland will launch an HD version of its new free-to-air TV channel Home & Garden TV (HGTV) on July 11, 2019.
The first distribution partner is Vodafone Deutschland: All GigaTV customers can receive the HD service on the cable network on channel slot 92.
With the move, the partners respond to the request of many viewers wanting to watch the programmes in HD quality, according to Discovery Deutschland. HGTV launched in Germany on June 6, 2019 and has so far only been available in SD resolution.
The HD carriage of HGTV is part of a new distribution agreement through which Discovery and Vodafone extend and expand their long-standing partnership, also in the pay-TV area. For example, Discovery Channel in HD and Eurosport 2 in both SD and HD will remain in the Premium HD Plus package as part of Vodafone’s add-on options. New OTT rights and extended video-on-demand (VOD) offers also form part of the agreement.
The four free-to-air TV channels DMAX, TLC, Eurosport 1 and HGTV are all available in SD and HD resolution, and Discovery will also provide more content on demand via the Vodafone catch-up service, including selected content in Ultra HD/4K.
“Our common goal is to provide viewers with the best possible choice of unique content, and the new agreement underscores this commitment,” said Thomas Bichlmeir, Director Distribution & Commercial Strategy at Discovery Deutschland. “With HGTV in HD as well as increasing and more diverse OTT and VOD opportunities, we can now offer Vodafone customers an even more compelling experience of the fascination of factual entertainment. I’m therefore very pleased about the expansion of our long-standing, successful cooperation.”
