German DTH satellite platform HD+ is expanding its offer on Astra (19.2° East) on November 2, 2023 with the new Vielfalt+ (Variety+) package, offering 13 HD channels.
HD+ customers can receive the encrypted channels at no extra charge. They are operated by German media company High View, which is also launching three unencrypted SD channels on Astra at the same time.
With the Vielfalt+ package and the three new SD channels, High View, SES Germany and HD Plus are expanding their partnership. High View had secured long-term satellite capacity on Astra for new channels at the beginning of the year. Since then, ten unencrypted SD channels have been launched. The offer is to be further expanded in the coming months.
The Vielfalt+ package includes music channels Deluxe Rock HD, Deluxe Flashback HD, Deluxe Dance by Kontor HD, Deluxe Rap HD and Deluxe Lounge HD, travel and documentary channels xplore HD, HipTrips HD and OneTerra HD, cooking channel Just Cooking HD, fishing channel just.fishing HD, series channels Crime Time HD and Serien+ HD as well as Red Adventure HD, which offers insights into the world of top and extreme sports athletes.
All HD+ customers can receive the new package without additional costs – regardless of the reception device (HD+ set-top box, HD+ module or HD+ TV app) and regardless of whether they are in the free test or paid subscription period. In the HD+ TV app, the channels can also be seen without an active HD+ product.
The SD channels Series+, Red Adventure and Deluxe Lounge will be distributed unencrypted via Astra. The new High View channels will use the frequencies 12.640 GHz V (SR 23.500, FEC 3/4), 12.669 GHz V (SR 23.500, FEC 3/4) and 12.699 GHz V (SR 23.500, FEC 3/4).
“With 26 additions, the channel line-up has grown more spectacularly this year than it has for a long time. This shows that satellite is developing attractively as a reception method,” said Christoph Mühleib, Managing Director, SES Germany, and responsible for the business of SES and Astra in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. “For TV broadcasters, satellite distribution continues to gain relevance because with 16.3 million households it is the most-used way to receive TV in Germany.”