Significant expansion of the digital terrestrial offer as of October 1 - 31 TV program will be available altogether thanks to the launch of a new multiplex

Antenna Hungária is continuing to develop its digital terrestrial television services, the third DVB-T multiplex will be launched with 13 brand new channels as of October 1, 2011. From this date, 31 television channels can be received on the DVB-T platform, representing more than 80% cumulated audience share. According to the latest sales figures, DVB-T grew most dynamically in Hungary during 2011 and MinDig TV Extra achieved the highest growth rate among the wireless digital television services.

Latest trends

Antenna Hungária uses the monthly sales statistics of GfK Hungária Kft. for the compilation of its monthly research. The digital terrestrial television platform grew most dynamically in Hungary during 2011 and MinDig TV Extra achieved the highest growth rate among the wireless digital television services. According to the sales figures, there was a sharp increase in the DVB-T equipment penetration, as there were around 730,000 households with a DVB-T MPEG-4 compatible receiver.

The number of MinDig TV digital terrestrial television service users increased by over 75,000 in the first seven months of 2011, thus the service offering 7 free-to-air digital television and 4 radio channels – which can be received with a proper rooftop or indoor antenna – was used by almost 250,000 households. The subscription-based MinDig TV Extra service offering 11 additional channels to the existing 7 free-to-air channels, has reached 37,000 subscribers until mid-September and expected to exceed 50,000 by the end of the year.
Recently Samsung joined the MinDig TV sticker program, resulting that more than 200 types of integrated TV’s – Sony, Panasonic and Samsung – are available presently in more than 300 official MinDig TV shops. The average prices of the MinDig TV compatible set-top-boxes and integrated TV’s have decreased by more than 20 percent in the first seven months of 2011, and are expected to fall to 10,000 HUF (set-top-boxes) and 100,000 HUF (IDTV’s) by the end of the year.

Technical changes

Based on the modification of the Authority Contact with NMHH and the new transmission contract with MTVA – so called FlexMux contract –, AH forms a public service multiplex on MUX A as of October 1. To realise this, several programs should be moved from Multipex A to Multiplex C: TV2, RTL Klub, euronews, HírTV, ATV, SportKlub, Info Channel and NeoFM. Duna TV and Duna 2 programs will move from Multiplex C to Multiplex A. The FlexMux contract enables MTVA to form a statistical multiplexing group on Multiplex A, which enables a more optimal exploitation of the available capacity.

At the same time, there will be a swap of MUX A & B frequencies in four regions: Budapest, Karancs-Salgótarján, Békéscsaba and Vasvár. In these areas the public channels will be available from Channel 38 (610 MHz) as of October 1, the maximum power of MUX A will be increased to 100 kW (max. ERP) in the Budapest region. The Authority Contract modification enabled Antenna Hungária to use Multiplex B for DVB-T services instead of the DVB-H (mobile TV). AH will execute this change on September 30, 2011, the DVB-H transmission will be ceased and a new MinDig TV Extra family package will be available on MUX B.

Significant expansion of the digital terrestrial offer

The new MinDig TV Extra family package will contain additional 13 blue-chip channels besides the present 7 free-to-air and 10 basic package programs:

Viasat 3, Comedy Central, Universal Channel, Spektrum, History, Sport 1, Sport 2, Minimax, Cartoon Network, PRO4, Prizma TV, Muzsika TV and Dorcel TV.

As of October 1, this 30 channel-offer will be available for a monthly 1,990 HUF promo price. These new 13 programs are to be launched on MUX B, with a 81% population coverage, the digital signals will be transmitted from 19 sites. Altogether with HBO, 31 television channels can be received on the DVB-T platform, representing more than 80% cumulated audience share.

Continuing network rollout

Thanks to the MinDig TV service, the free-to-air digital television reception possibility is available for 95% of the population at present, which ratio will continue to increase after putting the new digital sites into service by the end of the year. Three new high-power sites will start to operate in North-East of Hungary in the course of November: Miskolc/Avas, Fehérgyarmat/Penyige and Aggtelek/Perkupa. Besides these main sites, series of additional low-power sites and gapfillers will be launched, resulting the number of DVB-T sites to be doubled by the year end, the digital coverage will reach the present analogue m1 network’s coverage.

AH is fully prepared for the last stage of the digital switchover process

AH hopes to register a continued increase in the popularity of MinDig TV and MinDig TV Extra services replacing analogue terrestrial broadcasting as we are approaching the analogue terrestrial television networks’ switch-off which is scheduled to take place next year. AH expects the number of MinDig TV users to double by the end of the year in comparison to the number recorded at the end of the previous year, to about 350,000 as a result of the next campaigns. The prices of the necessary devices – set-top-box or an integrated TV-set – will decrease further, resulting that almost everybody could afford to buy a DVB-T MPEG-4 receiver for Christmas.

Antenna Hungária

Further information:
Antenna Hungária
András Tóth, Head of Communication

Tel: +36 1 464-2110
E-mail: totha [kukac] ahrt [pont] hu

About MinDig TV (www.mindigtv.hu)
About MinDig TV Extra (www.mindigtvextra.hu)