United Group and Eutelsat Communications (ETL) are further consolidating their longstanding commercial relationship with the long-term extension of agreements for capacity on the EUTELSAT 16A satellite that provides premium reach of United Group’s target markets for the Total TV pay-TV platform.
United Group is the leading TV and broadband service provider in South East Europe. Its Total TV platform, that broadcasts exclusively from the EUTELSAT 16A satellite, has built a base of over half a million subscriber homes in Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and FYRO Macedonia.
In addition to securing capacity requirements at the leading video neighbourhood in South East Europe, Total TV is preparing the ground for the complete migration of its multi-channel platform to MPEG4 and DVB-S2 in order to optimise capacity and increase its HD channel offer. The transition will start later this month and is expected to be completed by mid-2016.
Victoriya Boklag, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at United Group, commented: “By extending our 10-year relationship with Eutelsat we can take a long-term view on our growth plans and initiate the transition to MPEG4 and DVB-S2 in order to provide subscribers an even better viewing experience. The transition will make it possible for us to offer them more HD channels. Eutelsat’s solutions have always been fully aligned with Total TV’s commitment to leverage the most innovative technologies and we have a clear and exciting roadmap to execute together.”
United Group (SBB/Telemach) operates through its member companies on six markets in former Yugoslavia – Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and Macedonia – where it has 2 million users of cable and satellite TV, broadband internet, fixed and mobile telephony. With a population of 20 million, the region of former Yugoslavia represents the third largest market in Central and Eastern Europe and is characterised by fast growing Pay TV and broadband internet markets. United Group consists of SBB (the leading cable operator in Serbia), Telemach Slovenia (leading cable operator in Slovenia), Telemach Bosnia and Herzegovina (leading cable operator in Bosnia and Herzegovina), Total TV International (European DTH platform), and NetTV Plus (leading provider of telecommunication services via public internet).
(Source: marketwatch)
