France Télévisions ramps up Eutelsat capacity
April 1, 2016
Eutelsat Communications and France Télévisions have announced a new agreement for capacity on the Eutelsat 5 West A satellite that sets the scene for France’s public broadcaster to upgrade all of France 3’s regional channels to HD from April 5th. The 24 regional channels will be available for the two million homes receiving Fransat, Eutelsat’s free-to-view TV platform for French homes.
The move is part of the complete switch of France’s DTT channels to MPEG4-HD in the night of April 4th to 5th. Fransat viewers will be the first satellite viewers to experience the benefits of enhanced sound and video quality of France 3’s full roster of regional channels.
The change in standard is a major challenge for France Télévisions, requiring uninterrupted broadcasting of a line-up comprising five national channels (France 2, France 3, France 4, France 5, France Ô) and the 24 regional channels of France 3. Video, audio, data used for audio description and connected TV services will all benefit from improved quality optimised for TV viewers.