France's six new DTT channels in High Definition gear up to launch on Eutelsat's FRANSAT platform on 12 December

20 November 2012

Starting on 12 December, TV viewers across metropolitan France will be able to watch six new DTT channels broadcast exclusively in HD: Chérie 25, HD1, L'Équipe 21, Numéro 23, RMC Découverte and 6TER. The launch of these brand new channels marks another milestone in the expansion of free-to-air digital broadcast services in France and the progressive take-up of High Definition.

Only 25% of French homes in metropolitan France will be able to receive the new channels at launch through terrestrial reception (terrestrial reach will be progressively expanded until almost full coverage is achieved in mid-2015). All will however have national coverage by satellite from day one, and will be available in Eutelsat's subscription-free FRANSAT platform.

Homes already equipped with a FRANSAT HD box will automatically receive the new channels using the channel numbering fixed by France's national broadcasting authority (the CSA). Homes with a Standard Digital FRANSAT box can upgrade to an HD box to get the full line-up of content. For the 75% of French homes equipped for terrestrial reception, access to the expanded line-up will be possible with a satellite dish and a FRANSAT HD box, available in over 8,000 retail outlets across metropolitan France.

Jean-Luc Deroudilhe, CEO of Eutelsat's FRANSAT affiliate said: "We are delighted to provide nationwide coverage of these six new national channels from day one and to increase the HD offer to 10 subscription-free channels. The signal quality and digital choice available through FRANSAT continues to attract viewers, with almost two million TV sets now connected to our platform."