Launch of RTL DTT services confirmed

The media authority for the German state of Baden-Württemberg, the Landesanstalt für Kommunikation Baden-Württemberg (LFK), has confirmed the launch of the free to air channels RTL, Vox, Super RTL and RTL 2 on the DTT platform in the region of Stuttgart.
Two pay channels from the RTL Group, RTL Crime and RTL Passion, will also be offered free-to-view for a period of twelve months, after which the broadcaster plans to charge a monthly €2.90 subscription fee.
RTL will use MPEG-4 in the region, which has a potential of 1.6 million households and transmissions are due to start in the third quarter of the year.
Current DVB-T receivers will not be able to receive the RTL channels and it will be necessary to purchase a new MPEG-4 receivers to view them.
The new receiver will also need to incorporate a Conax smart card reader to access the RTL pay channels
At the same time, the RTL Group has extended its current DVB-T distribution contract with Media Broadcast for the other regions until 2014 and will continue to use the current MPEG2 transmission standard.
Source: Broadband TV News
Item added: 16th February 2009