Satellite operator Eutelsat Communications revealed at CABSAT in Dubai that Sat.tv, its mobile programme guide, is expanding to include free-to-air channels broadcasting from its popular 7/8° West neighbourhood.

Sat.tv was launched in April 2016, targeting the 65 million homes equipped for DTH reception from Eutelsat’s HOTBIRD neighbourhood. The app has already registered almost one million downloads and is now available to the more than 52 million DTH-equipped homes in the Middle East and North Africa that receive free-to-air channels from 7/8° West.

Sat.tv now gives viewers in the Middle East and North Africa the opportunity to browse through the detailed programme schedules of around 400 free-to-air channels, with options to search by time, channel or type of content. Viewers benefit from a user-friendly programme guide interface available in five languages (Arabic, English, French, Italian, Russian) and can access programme details in up to 40 languages.

Sat.tv has already seen strong take-up in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iran, with users particularly drawn by the option to select preferred content in one click and to receive personalised recommendations.

According to Eutelsat, easy navigation and extensive information for viewers are derived from the ergonomic app eco-system that enables broadcasters to enter programme schedules that are displayed real-time through the app. They are able to directly edit their data from a dedicated back-end.

“Sat.tv has been welcomed by broadcasters for its capacity to create value and by viewers for living up to its promise: ‘Free to choose’,” noted Nicolas Moulin-Fournier, SVP New Video Services. “We are confident that the vast audience at the fast-evolving 7/8° West neighbourhood will adopt Sat.tv’s intuitive app features as quickly as HOTBIRD viewers and broadcasters.”

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