The traditional autumn launch of new channels into the UK market has benefited both the UK’s leading uplink providers, BT Broadcast Services and NTL.

BT will transmit Zee TV’s two new spin-off channels, while NTL will uplink the main Zee TV service to Astra 2A, continuing the tendency amongst broadcasters not to hand over all of their business to a single supplier. In addition BT Broadcast Services is broadening its offer through the provision of Zee’s subscriber management services handled in analogue by Sky Subscriber Services.

"All the broadcasters are facing new strategic decisions on how to cope with the emerging technologies and platforms. We think there are services that we can provide to them that are really non-core. Subscriber management is really something that we can do on their behalf," said Tony Rybacki, general manager, commercial division, BT Broadcast Services. Previously BT had established the call centre for DTT platform ONdigital.

The new call centre will be based in Dundee and staffed with both Hindi and English speakers.

Zee TV, in a ten-year contract with NTL, will use the second so-called independent multiplex through which NTL has also secured contracts for S4C, BBC Parliament and Eros Bollywood. NTL has uplinked Zee TV’s analogue service to Astra 1D since 1994.

Steve Holebrook, NTL’s director of satellite and media services, told Interspace that he anticipated Zee’s service would commence transmission within a few days. Bollywood is already making test transmissions. Further contracts are expected for NTL in the next few weeks.

"Both this and the BT multiplex are getting pretty full now, so Astra will be making a decision shortly about whether it will open a third multiplex. With [Astra 2A] being delayed everybody is looking to get on now," said Holebrook. "It is a shame about 2B because the market is just crying out for capacity."

The BT multiplex has signed South Asian TV (a Pakistan TV/Bangla TV consortium), Sony Entertainment Television and the two Zee services. BT Broadcast Services is also resposnible for the uplink of the Open… interactive services to Astra 2A.

NTL has also signed to uplink MTV’s Spanish-language feed to Astra 1G using the same multiplex already being used by CNN and Travel among others. In Germany, the new Studio Universal will be uplinked from the Newman Street Teleport in London to the Orion 1 satellite.