Photo: Eutelsat.

Elettronica Industriale, a subsidiary of the Italian group Mediaset, has signed a multi-year capacity agreement with Eutelsat to accelerate its transition to High Definition (HD). Due to this contract, the three flagship channels of the Mediaset Group (Canale 5, Italia 1 and Rete 4) will be broadcast simultaneously in Standard Definition (SD) and HD on the free Tivusat television package operating from Hotbird, Eutelsat’s satellite hotspot for the Italian market.

Located at 13 degrees east, the Hotbird position is a reference video neighborhood in Italy, particularly suited to Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcasts. Out of a thousand channels being broadcast from this position, more than 300 are in HD.

“The switchover of several Mediaset channels to HD is part of the image quality enhancement trend currently sweeping the broadcasting community who want to provide viewers with the best visual experience available,” said Michael Azibert, chief commercial and developmental officer at Eutelsat.