Eutelsat KabelKiosk Digital Cable Platform Launches First HD Channels Following Agreement With RTL Group to add RTL HD and VOX HD
PARIS and COLOGNE, France, January 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- KabelKiosk, the digital channel platform for cable operators provided by the German subsidiary of Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL), announce the immediate launch of a new HDTV offer with the addition into the platform of the RTL HD and VOX HD channels of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland.
The addition to KabelKiosk of both channels follows the signature of an agreement between Eutelsat Germany and Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, which was announced in Berlin at Eutelsat Germany's annual reception on 21 January. With their launch in KabelKiosk, RTL HD and VOX HD will be available for the first time in real HD quality for digital cable networks in Germany. KabelKiosk's German cable partners will immediately be able to offer this new option to their subscribers via Eutelsat's EUROBIRD(TM) 9A satellite.
"The development of television will be closely associated with the quality and enhanced experience brought by HDTV", stated Martina Rutenbeck, Managing Director of Eutelsat Germany. "We are delighted to welcome RTL HD and VOX HD onto the KabelKiosk platform as we believe their compelling content will be a real driving force for the success of HDTV in Germany. The launch of this new offer is further evidence of our commitment to innovating new products that contribute to powering digitisation of cable networks in Germany."
Andre Prahl, a member of the management board of the RTL subsidiary CBC (Cologne Broadcast Centre), and in charge of channel distribution at Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland added: "HDTV represents added value that truly inspires the audience. We really appreciate the opportunity to offer RTL HD and VOX HD to the first cable customers via Eutelsat's KabelKiosk."
KabelKiosk's HD offer will progressively expand over the next months to up to ten German and international channels. The package will offer a strong choice of free and pay content to partners and customers, opening up the future of HDTV for independent network operators and the housing industry.
KabelKiosk currently supplies over 110 digital channels in German and foreign languages to 250 partner companies in Germany, Austria, Denmark, Luxembourg and Switzerland.
Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland
The Media Group RTL Germany is one of the leading media companies in Germany. In addition to its free-to-air channels RTL Television, VOX and n-tv, the company portfolio also includes three digital niche channels: RTL Crime, Passion and RTL Living. RTL Group's affiliates RTL II and Super RTL are also run from Cologne. RTL interactive was set up to cover all the interactive and transaction-based operations that fall outside classic TV provision.
Within the Media Group RTL Germany, there are a number of other important functions fulfilled by the marketing organization IP Deutschland, by the news/magazine company infoNetwork as well as by the broadcasting and production company Cologne Broadcasting Center (CBC).
About Eutelsat Communications
Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity commercialised on 27 satellites that provide coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, Eutelsat is one of the world's three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues. At 30 September 2009, Eutelsat's satellites were broadcasting 3,300 television channels and 1,100 radio stations. More than 1,000 channels broadcast via its HOT BIRD(TM) video neighbourhood at 13 degrees East which serves over 123 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Group's satellites also serve a wide range of fixed and mobile telecommunications services, TV contribution markets, corporate networks, and broadband markets for Internet Service Providers and for transport, maritime and in-flight markets. Eutelsat's broadband subsidiary, Skylogic, markets and operates services through teleports in France and Italy that serve enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ 615 commercial, technical and operational employees from 28 countries.
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SOURCE Eutelsat Communications
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