3+ is the first Switzerland-based broadcaster to use SES satellite capacities and aims to expand its reach by around 400,000 Switzerland households with the new capacity.

A satellite receiver and the Swiss Broadcasting Organization SRG’s SRRSat Access Card are required to receive the encoded private channel. The uplink and encryption of 3+ is provided by SES subsidiary SES Platform Services.

“The decision of 3+ to partner with ASTRA for its satellite transmission is an important milestone in the development of the Swiss market,” ASTRA Germany Managing Director Wolfgang Elsässer said in a statement. “3+ is a very popular channel and in addition to the Swiss channels of ProSiebenSat1 Media and RTL Group, satellite TV in Switzerland via ASTRA is now even more attractive.”

3+ reaches about one third of the German-speaking Swiss population, averaging around 1.7 million viewers.