bmt Extends HD Capacity Agreement With SES on ASTRA 19.2 Degrees East

April 27, 2021

Bayerische Medien Technik GmbH (bmt) has extended its partnership with SES, the global leader in content connectivity solutions, in a multi-year agreement to continue using SES’s satellites at its prime TV neighbourhood at ASTRA 19.2 degrees East to broadcast Bavarian local TV channels in HD. bmt is a subsidiary of the Bayerische Landeszentrale für neue Medien (BLM), the regulatory authority for new media in Bavaria, and of the Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), the Bavarian broadcasting association.

bmt will continue to receive funding from the Free State of Bavaria, enabling the broadcasting of 14 free-to-air channels, including local TV stations from Munich and Nuremberg, to audiences across Bavaria.

“The increasing viewership and high popularity ratings of the current programming in the past two years show how much viewers appreciate reliable information from their region, especially in the news-heavy times of the pandemic. With the transmission of local TV programmes via SES’s ASTRA satellites, we are able to successfully reach the widest audiences and bring their favorite content in HD quality,” said Siegfried Schneider, President of BLM.

“SES’s partnership with bmt underscores the growing significance of regional TV offerings and the value local content brings to audiences that look for a tailored viewing experience. With our prime satellites at 19.2 degrees East, we ensure consistent delivery of local programming to the millions of viewers in Bavaria with the best image and sound quality,” said Christoph Mühleib, Managing Director of ASTRA Deutschland GmbH.