Austria takes extra SES capacity
September 19, 2011
By Chris Forrester
SES continues to find enthusiastic takers for its spare transponder capacity at 19.2 degrees East. SES says that Österreichischer Rundfunksender (ORS), which is the technical service provider for Austrian public broadcaster ORF and other channels, has contracted an additional transponder on SES’s prime orbital position 19.2 degrees East.
The additional transponder is the fourth that ORS has taken from SES. Serving 53 per cent of all households, satellite is the leading broadcasting infrastructure in Austria. Following the expansion of an existing agreement, two new channels will be launched in Austria. ORF SPORT PLUS is to be launched by ORF on 26 October. The private broadcaster ATV will also utilise additional capacity on the ORS transponder and launch ATV2 on 1 December.
“We are very pleased to announce the expansion of the partnership with ORS and the Austrian broadcasters. The orbital position 19.2 degrees East is one of our premium positions and this agreement further emphasises its status as a leading orbital slot for continental Europe,” said Ferdinand Kayser, Chief Commercial Officer of SES. “Two new Austrian channels within the next three months prove the advantages that go hand in hand with the switch-over from analogue to digital TV.”