The additional capacity from Stellar, a leading German play-out centre and satellite uplink facility that leases high-power capacity on the EUTELSAT 7B satellite operated by Eutelsat Communications, enables Muvi TV to double the range of quality channels broadcast via EUTELSAT 7B. It will include popular Nigerian content, new Muvi-branded channels, as well as news, sports (including German Bundesliga matches), and innovative formats showing user-generated content.
The varied digital content is partially broadcast free-to-air (Africa TV, Emmanuel TV and Prism Africa), reaching across Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique, while the subscription channels are available to Zambian homes who sign up for a Muvi TV smartcard and decoder. Subscribers pay the monthly fee through the mobile phone network by sending a text message.
With this new phase of expansion on EUTELSAT 7B, the platform is delivering on its vision of enabling all homes in Zambia to benefit from the choice and quality of digital TV. Digital reception in Zambia was previously confined to viewers in Lusaka, Ndola and Livingstone who could access just one channel, Muvi TV. In addition to extending capacity and service agreements, it plans a further expansion in second quarter 2015 using capacity booked on the EUTELSAT 7B satellite.
Stellar connects Muvi TV´s content via EUTELSAT 7B to its professional play-out facility in Germany. The content is then turned around and broadcast back to the sub-Saharan home market from the Stellar-owned teleport, also via EUTELSAT 7B.
