Viewers in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro will soon have access to new content delivered by Telekom Srbija from SES’ key orbital location at 23.5 degrees East. SES announced today that the main telecommunication operator in Serbia has signed a multi-year and multi-transponder contract for service on its Astra satellite to launch Telekom Srbija’s new Direct-to-Home (DTH) platform which will start broadcasting in all three countries simultaneously mid-December.

The new DTH platform will enable Telekom Srbija to broadcast more than 150 channels, including up to 30 in High Definition (HD). All Serbian public television channels will also be available on the platform, bringing a complete selection of content to viewers in the market. Additional channels will be offered as Free-to-Air for viewers.

Viewers will also benefit from technology improvements in their home. Telekom Srbija has chosen cardless set-top boxes for this service, and for those that don’t have reception equipment already this platform will be accessible using a small 60cm dish.

Telekom Srbija, a long-term partner of SES, began working with SES in 2011 and earlier this year moved their complete channel bouquet to SES satellites at SES’ 23.5 degrees East orbital location, ensuring the largest possible audience reach. SES serves nearly 2.9 million DTH homes in Europe from 23.5 degrees East.

“We are pleased to be launching such an important DTH platform with SES,” said Marijana Vukasinovic, Head of Content Management at Telekom Srbija. “As we embark on our most ambitious project yet, we have complete confidence thanks to the quality of service and experience SES brings to the table. We look forward to fostering growth in the local broadcasting landscape by bringing a powerful new platform to viewers.”

“The former Yugoslavian countries are a dynamic growth market that SES has been focused on for several years, and we are glad to be strengthening our relationship with Telekom Srbija,” said Martin Ornass-Kubacki, Vice President, Central Eastern Europe, Sales at SES Video. “Our orbital location at 23.5 degrees East is SES' fastest-growing orbital position for central and eastern Europe and the Benelux countries, with many pan-European operators broadcasting their content from there.”