SES ASTRA, a company of the SES Group listed on Euronext Paris and the Luxembourg Stock Exchange under SESG, today announced the launch of ORF1 HD via ASTRA. The new channel, which begins operation on 2 June, will broadcast ORF1’s programming—including all 31 matches of UEFA EURO 2008—in high definition. ORF1 HD is the first HD channel from a public-service broadcaster to enter regular operation on ASTRA in the German-speaking region.
The agreement with ORF provides for additional capacity for the HD channel. In cooperation with ORF service provider ORS, it also allows for further HD programming from January 2010, at which point a full transponder would be occupied. SES ASTRA and ORF have also agreed to promote the new HD offering jointly, including advertising and marketing activities for retailers that are now beginning.
“With a market share of 55 percent, satellite reception in Austria is already number one in Europe and is showing excellent growth rates,” says Wolfgang Elsässer, Managing Director of ASTRA Germany. “Last year, satellite reception in Austria increased by almost 50 percent, and ASTRA now transmits 374 digital television channels there. The launch of ORF1 HD will make the ASTRA offering even more attractive and drive the growth of satellite reception in this dynamic market.” Following the launch of ORF1 HD, SES ASTRA and SES SIRIUS satellites will transmit a combined 31 HD channels. The company’s satellites will therefore carry Europe’s most comprehensive selection of high-definition channels from leading European broadcasters including BSkyB, BBC, Discovery, National Geographic, CANAL+, M6, TF1 and Premiere. SES ASTRA expects to transmit around 100 HD channels by the end of 2010.
