Eutelsat launches Freesat in Romania
May 30, 2013
Romania’s broadcasting landscape has shifted with the launch of Freesat, a new TV platform available from the Eutelsat 16A satellite.
Freesat is a DTH platform of Standard Digital and High Definition channels available for a yearly subscription of only 99 lei (€23) and a one-off investment in a conditional access smartcard. It assembles Romania’s most popular public and private TV channels including TVR 1, TVR 2, Pro TV, AcasaTv, ProCinema, Sport.ro, KanalD, Prima, NationalTV, FavoritTV, TVR HD TVR 3, TVR News, TVR International, Etno TV, Taraf TV and WEST TV. International free-to-air content can also be received from Eutelsat 16A and Eutelsat’s adjacent Hot Bird satellites.
It is hoped the arrival of the platform will help accelerate the transition to digital for the 3.5 million homes in Romania who are still not reaping the benefits afforded by digital standards.
Jean-François Leprince-Ringuet, Chief Commercial Officer of Eutelsat, commented: “We welcome the launch of this new platform that will propel digital broadcasting forward in Romania and help prepare the ground for analogue switch-off of the national terrestrial broadcasting network. The performance and coverage of Eutelsat 16A, combined with the community of Romanian channels already on board, make it a natural choice for Freesat. Broadcasters now have a unique platform for reaching into television homes across Romania and we look forward to sharing with Freesat our experience in other markets to make this new venture a success.”