The new contract for one transponder will be used by GlobeCast to broadcast channels produced by TVR, Romania’s national public broadcaster. It doubles TVR’s resources at 16 degrees East, enabling the broadcaster to increase signal quality for digital and HD broadcasting and to support new channel growth. Launched in 1999, TVR’s platform comprises TVR International, its flagship channel for Romanian expatriate communities across Europe, the national channels TVR1, TVR2 and TVR3, as well as a roster of regional and thematic channels, which are delivered to cable headends across the country and increasingly received by DTH antennas. The broadcaster has branched into HDTV broadcasting with the launch in 2008 of TVR HD, which principally carries premium sports events.
TVR’s expansion at 16 degrees East has been facilitated by the significant increase of Eutelsat’s resources at its prime neighborhood for central Europe. In addition to the W2 satellite, 16 degrees East now hosts EUROBIRD™ 16, which was redeployed from 7 degrees West. Both satellites benefit from high-power footprints across Europe, enabling DTH reception with small antennas. In the next phase of expansion, in mid 2010, Eutelsat will locate its 56-transponder W3B satellite to 16 degrees East to support further expansion of digital entertainment services. This latest capacity is part of a global distribution solution provided to TVR by GlobeCast, including delivery of the broadcaster’s programming to GlobeCast’s World TV DTH service in the United States, as well as to platforms in Australia and New Zealand.
