Canal Plus to launch pay DTT next week

Canal Plus is to launch its pay DTT service in France on 21 November according Advanced-television.com and has ordered 200,000 MPEG4 DTT decoders for roll out in the zones covered by DTT transmissions.
Source: Advanced-television.com, 15th November 2005
Item added: 15th November 2005

  Pay DTT launch announced, MPEG-4 testing begins, Report on accelerating DTT roll-out released
Administrative details have been completed for the launch of pay-DTT services in France. A recent government decree allowing service providers to offer pay-DTT services and the CSA allocating a number of slots for each pay-DTT service has cleared the path for the launch.
Canal+ is ready to launch in mid-November, by which time its MPEG-4, SDTV set-top boxes will be delivered. TPS is planning to launch services at the end of the year.

Eurosport have also been given permission, by CSA, to begin experimental television transmissions using MPEG-4 in standard definition. The trial will last until Eurosport officially launches its pay-DTT services, deadline March 1st 2006.

A report on accelerating the launch of DTT services has also been released and can be downloaded from the CSA website. The report highlights the conditions and requirements necessary to ensure that 85% of French residents can access DTT services by March 2007.
Sources: CSA website and Digitag
Item added: 8th November 2005