German pay-TV package launches for Africa

German pay-TV package launches for Africa




Jörn Krieger | 02-12-2013

German expatriates in southern Africa, parts of the Middle East and Eastern Europe are now able to receive domestic German TV channels from pay-TV platform Satelio which is distributing up to 18 TV and six radio channels via satellite from today (2 December).

At launch the offering, operated by Deutscher Televisionsklub Betriebs GmbH, contains RTL, Sat.1, RTL II, ProSieben, VOX, kabel eins, Super RTL, Puls 4 Austria, sixx, N24, euronews, yourfamily, Jukebox, C Music TV and Hitradio Namibia. Further channels will follow. A yearly subscription costs US$ 54 (€40) per month if payments are made monthly and corresponds with US$48.33 (€35) per month if the payment for the whole year is made in advance.

The operating company has signed contracts for the foreign distribution of the channels with the broadcasters and rights-holders covering the footprint of the satellite. Distribution is in standard resolution (SD). The range of channels available to subscribers may differ depending on the country or region.

Satelio wants to mainly sell subscriptions and reception hardware through its Web shop from Germany. In Namibia, commercialisation will be handled locally by Hitradio Namibia, a German-language radio station popular in the German community.

Encrypted transmission is via Intelsat 20 (68.5° East) in DVB-S2/MPEG-4. 99% of all satellite antennas in southern Africa are pointed towards this 'hot spot' position, according to Satelio. The new generation of condition access system Panaccess is being used for signal protection. The solution, provided by Panaccess Systems GmbH, is software-based with no smartcard required.

Ismaning-based Panaccess also provides the reception devices – the Satelio set-top box and CI+ module – and the backend for the Web shop and customer management.