SES ASTRA Launches Digital Platform entavio in Germany

Free Reception of 500 Digital TV and Radio Programmes / Access to Pay-TV / Comprehensive Offer / Future-Proof Technology / Receiver and Smart Cards Available Beginning in September

BERLIN & BETZDORF, Luxembourg — SES ASTRA, an SES company (Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG), will launch its new digital platform entavio at the international consumer show IFA in Berlin on 1st September. The service to digital satellite households in Germany comprises about 500 digital TV and radio channels, which continue to be distributed for free, and the technical access to pay-TV for a monthly flat rate of Euro 1.99. The first pay-TV operator to offer its packages via entavio is Premiere, including its new Premiere program Premiere Star. Further operators will follow. entavio compatible receivers by various manufacturers will be available for households beginning in September. The smart cards required for accessing pay-TV will be offered and distributed by the entavio company.

As a neutral platform, entavio offers satellite households a large range of current and future digital free and pay-TV programs through a single receiver. Furthermore, TV viewers will benefit from additional features and service functions such as the interactive mobile phone service Blucom. In pay-TV, entavio will start to market the whole satellite offer of Premiere on 1st September, with the access to the Premiere Flex offer already included in the monthly entavio flat rate of Euro 1.99.

entavio is a technical and service platform which does not itself acquire or bundle programs and is therefore open to all broadcasters. Manufacturers of satellite receivers are able to launch compatible devices with the entavio label besides the manufacturer’s brand. The entavio company, based in Unterfoehring near Munich, is a fully-owned subsidiary of SES ASTRA.

“entavio is the beginning of a new generation of digital satellite television”, says Wilfried Urner, CEO of entavio. “entavio provides a very large program choice, interactive applications, an easy access to pay-TV as well as an excellent customer service. With entavio, we have developed a concept that will be able to reflect all future technological innovations. Therefore entavio is one of the most attractive forms of digital TV access and certainly the best solution for receiving digital satellite television.”

“The launch of entavio further simplifies the reception of Premiere via satellite,” says Michael Boernicke, CEO of Premiere. “Premiere’s programs will be an important driving force for entavio. With entavio, Premiere can further increase its reach and benefit from its partners’ marketing initiatives. Furthermore, the launch allows us to outsource technical services and further focus on our competence as a content and program provider.”