From June subscribers to Canal Satellite will be able to have a second subscription card for an additional FFr40 (Eur6) a month. The cards will contain exactly the same rights as the primary subscription card, enabling them to watch two channels or to watch one and record another, provided they are of the same polarity. The subscriber will require an additional decoder, which may be rented from Canal Satellite for FFr45 a month, or bought over the counter.

Canal Satellite is taking precautions to prevent the cards being used by someone other than the subscriber: both the digital terminals must be connected to the same telephone line.

Canal will have the decoders dial out to the call centre from time to time to ensure this remains the case. These ‘Deuxieme Ecran’ cards will not be counted as additional subscribers in the platform’s statistics.

TPS introduced a similar scheme some months ago. In the UK, subscribers wanting a second Sky Digital subscription card must pay the full price for both subscription and decoder.