CGTN-China, part of Eutelsat’s 1,000 HD channels

Satellite operator Eutelsat has reached the symbolic landmark of 1,000 High Definition channels. This has been possible with the launch at Eutelsat’s HOTBIRD neighbourhood of CGTN HD, the news and current affairs channel of China’s CCTV media organisation, marking its first foray into HDTV in Europe. The 240 HD channels launched in 2016 equal the total number launched during the previous two years.

The upwards curve of HD take-up was particularly strong at Eutelsat’s flagship HOTBIRD position where HD channels increased by 25 per cent to 250, now accounting for almost one in four channels in the HOTBIRD line-up.

This dynamic is driven by three key trends: Progressive HD adoption by public broadcasters including RAI that has transitioned nine channels to HD and CCTV that launched three channels; New premium pay-TV content in flagship platforms including Sky Italia, Polsat, nc+ and Nova as well as a wave of new free-to-air channels that include Euronews HD and Al Jazeera English.